About the car:
- Year - 1998
- Make - Ford
- Model - Expedition
- SubModel - XLT
- Engine - 4.6 Liter 8 Cylinder
Initial Problem - Vehicle came in with exhaust manifold leak and with EGR flow problems from the EGR tube that goes from the manifold to the EGR valve.
Diagnosis & Recommendation - We advised the customer that the exhaust manifold may need to be replaced and there will likely be at least one broken stud on the cylinder head. Having done this service on several Ford Expeditions and F-Series Pickups we are well versed in how quickly this 3-4 hour job can turn into an 8 hour nightmare. We would check it thorougly and let the customer know what we thought would be the best solution as we removed parts and prepared for replacement. We had ordered a replacement gasket and EGR flow tube along with the DPFE hoses to start the service.
What we learned from this - Using a few different heating techniques we had learned over the years, we were able to successfully remove MOST of the bolts wihtout any issues, but there were still three that needed to be drilled out. We had also recently acquired an angled drill that saved us some valuable time in drilling out the studs that were seized.
Outcome - Once we removed everything we found that the manifold was still in good shape and could be reused if the customer wanted to save the money (which they did). We replaced the studs that were seized and or stripped with new ones and were able to successfully put everything back together in perfect working order.
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