Community Forums

scooterbob · 06-04-2015, 06:53 AM

Has anyone had to replace the exhaust manifold gasket on there V10- 2000 Fleetwood ? I can just about see it let alone replace it.

OlYeller · 06-04-2015, 10:18 AM

I had this job done on my old '99 F250 and it was a pain for the mechanic. My pain came when it was time to pay for it. About half of the studs were broken or broke upon removal. At the time my truck only had 70K on it. It cost me $1,400 and was worth every penny. A lot of the access was through the fender wells or required the use of an angle drill. I seem to remember on a couple studs, he used a MIG welder to reattach a nut to a stud and then pull it out. I would assume that the job would only be harder on an E type chassis given the tight quarters. On the plus side you can remove the engine cover and gain some better access to the rear of the engine. Stud and nut deterioration is an issue on these V10s not necessarily the exhaust manifold gasket. It is due to the length of this massive cast iron piece and the way it expands and contracts with the heat/cool cycles. Replacing the studs and nuts with stainless steel ones helps in their longevity.

scooterbob · 06-05-2015, 05:46 AM

OlYeller, You are right I can see the rear stud is broke, and the nuts on the rest of the studs look to be in bad shape. Originally I thought I had a valve tap but it is manifold.

OlYeller · 06-05-2015, 09:10 AM

Scooterbob, you have my sympathies. On the plus side, once the job is done using the correct parts, you probably won't have to do it again. This is also a good time to consider headers which will improve performance, especially on the older 2 valve V10s. Doing this leads to also changing out the restrictive crossover pipe on the older V10s. I love the V10 and this problem is the only shortcoming of this engine.

scooterbob · 06-06-2015, 05:22 AM

I will look into having the repair done later in the fall, don't think it will hurt anything only a little noise.

Tha_Rooster · 06-06-2015, 05:25 AM

I believe around that year model the spark plugs break off trying to remove also.

twinboat · 06-06-2015, 05:44 AM

The early v10 spark plugs blow out, it was latter that they broke off.

GraySeal65 · 06-06-2015, 05:45 AM

Never try to unscrew the manifold studs, I have done 100s on exhaust manifolds on Chevy, Dodge and Fords. cut the heads off the studs with a torch, rattle the manifold off with a air hammer, weld 3/8" nuts on the cut off studs with a mig welder and they almost always come right out.

The "broke off spark plugs" that Ford is known for is a "I don't know what I'm doing" problem to. run the engine up to temp. and remove the plugs with a 3/8 impact I haven't broken one in the 11 years they have been around and I work in Cleveland.

Only seen 1 blow out plug, guy put his own plugs in so I assumed he over/under torqued it.

scooterbob · 06-25-2015, 05:27 AM

Just got the MH out of the garage, had the left side manifold bolts drilled out and replaced new studs and gasket. $1,062.00 Mech. said it would have been easier if the heads were not alum.