Nex Exhaust Manifold - Bolted Joint Paste?

[360beast]

Are those mating faces even flat? One port looks like it has been dropped on something as there are several indents in a straight line.

I'd be taking that straight back to Volvo for a full refund and spend the money on getting your original one welded.

[Metallo]

Guys,

Have some fun with this one:

Volvo considers that P/N a 'classic' :

Here is what they have as a return policy:

PLEASE NOTE: GENUINE CLASSIC PARTS MAY NOT BE RETURNED OR REFUNDED ONCE THE ORDER HAS BEEN MADE

Now, the mating faces are flat, it is only the hole of the turbo that has got some dents.

As far as I know, this part, was the only one left in NA, it would take 5 weeks for me to get another one from Sweden, if ordered from here.
I know that if I order it from a Volvo dealer in the UK, it would probably take 2-3 weeks because the dealer has to order it in Sweden, it is very unlikely anyone has it in stock.

I could ask someone local who does machine work, to make the 4 holes as big as the genuine manifold, but during the festivities, this is going to take extra time, and I need the car to be ready ASAP.

Unless you tell me there is a way I can do that myself, like drawing with a marker the exact shape of the hole and then work it out myself.
I never worked on cast, I have no idea what I could use to make those holes larger.

Alessandro

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Metallo

Guys,

Have some fun with this one:

Volvo considers that P/N a 'classic' :

Here is what they have as a return policy:

PLEASE NOTE: GENUINE CLASSIC PARTS MAY NOT BE RETURNED OR REFUNDED ONCE THE ORDER HAS BEEN MADE

Now, the mating faces are flat, it is only the hole of the turbo that has got some dents.

As far as I know, this part, was the only one left in NA, it would take 5 weeks for me to get another one from Sweden, if ordered from here.
I know that if I order it from a Volvo dealer in the UK, it would probably take 2-3 weeks because the dealer has to order it in Sweden, it is very unlikely anyone has it in stock.

I could ask someone local who does machine work, to make the 4 holes as big as the genuine manifold, but during the festivities, this is going to take extra time, and I need the car to be ready ASAP.

Unless you tell me there is a way I can do that myself, like drawing with a marker the exact shape of the hole and then work it out myself.
I never worked on cast, I have no idea what I could use to make those holes larger.

Alessandro

I don't know about Canada but here in the UK, items sold have to be of merchantable quality, in other words fit for the purpose they are sold for. While that description may loosely apply to that manifold, the overall quality is not what you'd expect for the equivalent of £365 and even comparing it to your original (which shows signs of leakage on an exhaust port like Tony mentioned that causes the "ticking" sound) the original still looks way better than the new one.

If you really want to open the runner holes up in the new manifold rather than taking it back to Volvo for a refund then you'll need a die grinder and some stones, some Engineers Blue aka Prussian Blue stateside (not sure about Canadas "pet name" for it) and a fair bit of patience.
Paint the Engineers Blue onto the manifold mating face and bolt it to the cylinder head (no gasket) fairly tightly which should produce witness marks from the edges of the ports on the head on the Blue to give you a line to work to. Use a die grinder and suitable stone, gradually grind the runner hole out to this shape, smoothing the flow into the runner as you go. However be careful you don't remove too much and go through the flange and/or runner.
Repeat the blue/bolt to head to make witness marks procedure as many times as needed to be sure you get all the excess metal removed. Something to keep you busy over the Xmas-New Year holiday!

Nobody has mentioned swapping the studs fro the turbo from the old manifold onto the new one yet. If you don't know how to do this easily, read on. If you do, skip to the next paragraph.
Use two of the stud nuts on one stud, wind the first one on then the second and tighten them against each other about halfway along the thread. Now use a spanner on the one nearest the manifold to rotate the stud anticlockwise as viewed. Note that you may have to turn it clockwise after getting some initial movement anticlockwise to help break any "seal" on the thread and keep doing this until it rotates freely all the way out.
Fitting the stud in the new manifold is similar but use the other nut to tighten the stud then release by turning the nearest nut to the manifold clockwise while holding the other nut so they release their grip on each other.

With the studs swapped you should be able to bolt the new manifold into place and get yourself mobile again. Worth mentioning the coolant hoses while you have the turbo off could do with checking and/or renewal, ditto those on the engine oil cooler between the oil filter and block if fitted. Also there is an oil drain seal for the turbo where the oil drain enters the block that commonly fails too.
Luke and/or Tony can probably give you more details on that, turbos aren't my strong point.

[Forrest]

Originally Posted by Metallo

I really have the impression that this has been hand made rather than industrial.

Handmade by master craftsmen. The trouble is they appear to have been potters rather than engineers. 🙂

[Metallo]

Good day everyone,

With regards to the manifold, here is what I will do tomorrow:

1)
Go and see a local machine shop and ask their opinion. I will bring both old and new manifold so that I can ask them if they can open the runner holes up in the manifold and how much would that cost.
I am sure this is a very easy task for them given that those guys are specialized in engine rebuilding, hot rod performance, muscle cars etc.
The question is: how much would it cost and how long will it take.
It is also possible that they tell me they can weld and guarantee the repair of the old manifold. I get conflicting opinions on this, some say it will last, some others say 'no way' buy a new manifold. I know you need a specific welding technique for cast manifolds, but the question is: will it last?

2) Depending on their answer, I will then contact Volvo and ask for a full refund and send back that piece of junk. So this is totally open and also depending on Volvo's reply.

I also think it is hard for them to say 'no' because I did not receive what I paid for, and potentially that part will not work as expected, so I am curious to hear what they say.

So guys, I will keep you posted and let you know.

In the meantime, I do have a two more questions related to the Turbocharger:

When it comes to refitting, step 12 of Haynes quotes the following:

Fill the turbocharger oil feed hole with oil then refit the feed pipe using new washers on the union.

Now, I just need to be sure the oil feed is the one I circled in the attached image.

- Could you please confirm I am on the right track?
- Also, how much oil should I expect to fill it with? Probably not much...

The other question is with regards to the new manifold gaskets.
Eventually I found the ones I wanted, which are the Elring 599.906 you see in the attached image.
So, those gaskets are asymmetrical and can only be installed one way, therefore I think the metal side goes to the exhaust manifold.

- I would appreciate if you could confirm if I am correct (or wrong).

Thank you!
Alessandro

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Metallo

In the meantime, I do have a two more questions related to the Turbocharger:

When it comes to refitting, step 12 of Haynes quotes the following:

Fill the turbocharger oil feed hole with oil then refit the feed pipe using new washers on the union.

Now, I just need to be sure the oil feed is the one I circled in the attached image.

- Could you please confirm I am on the right track?
- Also, how much oil should I expect to fill it with? Probably not much...

The other question is with regards to the new manifold gaskets.
Eventually I found the ones I wanted, which are the Elring 599.906 you see in the attached image.
So, those gaskets are asymmetrical and can only be installed one way, therefore I think the metal side goes to the Turbo.

- I would appreciate if you could confirm if I am correct (or wrong).

Thank you!
Alessandro

You're on the right track, however i'm not sure you've circled the oil feed hole but someone else will be able to confirm that.

Those gaskets go between the exhaust manifold and the head, not the turbo. If you look at the pics of the manifold, you'll notice two of the flanges are shaped the same as two of the gaskets, the other two are "plain" for the plain flanges.
I have heard there are no gaskets between manifold and turbo or tubro and dowpipe, whether that is corect or not i don't know. However copper or aluminium sheet could be used to make gaskets but anneal it before fitting so it's soft to take up the clearances if you go down that route.

[Metallo]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

You're on the right track, however i'm not sure you've circled the oil feed hole but someone else will be able to confirm that.

Those gaskets go between the exhaust manifold and the head, not the turbo. If you look at the pics of the manifold, you'll notice two of the flanges are shaped the same as two of the gaskets, the other two are "plain" for the plain flanges.
I have heard there are no gaskets between manifold and turbo or tubro and dowpipe, whether that is corect or not i don't know. However copper or aluminium sheet could be used to make gaskets but anneal it before fitting so it's soft to take up the clearances if you go down that route.

My apologies, yes, the gaskets go between the exhaust manifold and the head, who knows what I was thinking about while writing I have corrected it in my post.

There are no flanges between manifold and the turbo, as well as no flanges between turbo and downpipe.

Thank you!
Alessandro

[Metallo]

Hi gang,

I just got the pictures from a European supplier of the new manifold.

The machine quality is basically the same as the one I got here in Canada, very bad.

The only (but very important) difference is that in this one there are less indents on the turbo side. In fact, with the previous version I was supplied, I could not even slot in the turbo.

Basically, I think we can safely say that this is the quality Volvo sells today for this part, which is, unfortunately, very bad.

The turbo hole is strongly off-centered and the 4 runner holes much smaller comparing to the original.

Please see the attached pictures.

There are are no other alternatives on the market.

Alessandro

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Metallo

There are are no other alternatives on the market.

Alessandro

See my link in post #10 for an OBX Racing stainless tubular header, if that isn't the correct one they do others similar.

[Metallo]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

See my link in post #10 for an OBX Racing stainless tubular header, if that isn't the correct one they do others similar.

I saw your link, but that is not the solution I want, as I prefer to stay on cast because it lasts longer and also because OBX would need to build it specific for my car, they do not have a ready made one.

Finally, I need the car on the road ASAP.

What I can do, is to take the Volvo manifold to someone who does proper machining and see if they can make it closer to the original. It should not be a big problem for the 4 holes, maybe a bit more difficult for the turbo hole, not sure, but I can try.

Alessandro