Djbtraxxas

So I have a 1999 XJ Cherokee that I got for $900 as a first car. I fixed about 10 minor to major problems just fine all by myself, but I am having a lot of trouble removing the bolts the connect the intake manifold to the exhaust pipe. Right at the collector. I'm on a budget so I would replace the whole exhaust system, but I dont have that money laying around. My manifold is cracked and I want to just weld some of the cracks just to pass inspection and then i can get a new one in a month or so. Anyways I'm getting off topic. So I live in Pennsylvania and the jeep is mostly rust free which is a surprise, but the manifold booths are super rusted. I tried a torch, breaker bar, penetrating oil, different ratchets and extensions, and pretty much anything else you can think of. I would just cut it, but I want to save it to see if it can be repaired. Sorry for all the rambling on, but does anybody else have any ideas of how to get it off? Thanks!

PatHenry

Cut the bolts. You can pick up a couple new bolts and nuts from the hardware store for a couple bucks - they don't even need to be exactly the same size as the old ones.

Spend the $10 on a new exhaust gasket when you put it back together. You don't want to go to all the trouble to weld up the manifold only to fail inspection because it's leaking from the connection to the front pipe.

Edit --- Let me be clear.. cut ONLY the bolts - you can do it without damaging the pipes. Just take your time.

Djbtraxxas

Thanks. I have a small dremel but I have yet to fine a way to get enough room to cut the bolts. The cutoff wheels are too small to fit into the area where the bolt is. I will see if I can find a larger cutoff wheel for it since a angle grinder and other stuff wont fit in there either

PatHenry

Another option - if you can get a breaker bar on it is to get someone to help hold the socket in place --IIRC numerous extensions will get you there -- and get the longest cheater bar you can find and just snap the f'r off.. Once either the head or nut end is gone, even if half the bolt is in the flange, you'll be able to get the manifold out and have a lot more room.

Edit -- IIRC If you jack the body of the XJ up (meaning - jack at the frame rail, on the driver's side - increasing the distance from front axle to the engine) it will give you more access from underneath.

Djbtraxxas

Thanks for the tips. One of my hardest problems was getting enough room to fit a breaker bar or even a socket in there. I should of thought of lifting up on the frame to get a little more space. I only have a 2.5-3 inch lift so I dont have a lot of room but I have a 4.5 inch lift that i will install in a few days when my shocks come which should help working under the jeep a lot.

dzywicki

Like PAtHenry said, just get a wrench on them and it will most likely just snap off. When you replace it all, you will have a new donut that goes between the manifold and the downpipe. If you try to use the same length bolts as a replacement, you will most likely not get it to fit. The donut compresses a lot. I just got some longer bolts to get the the compression going. Once I got it all tightened down and the donut was compressed in place, I switched to shorter bolts. Of course, this was after fighting with the stock length bolt for 30-45 minutes wondering why I couldn't get it started.

Djbtraxxas

Thanks for the reply! The main problems I'm having is clearance issues for the breaker bar or sockets. The bolts are rusted onto the flange so a small wrench or ratchet wont have enough leverage. I am just going to cut the bolts off and then bang them out. Thanks for the tip about getting longer bolts to compress the donut.