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Exhaust manifolds
Everything You Need to Know
Exhaust manifolds in tuning
The exhaust manifold, also known as the “turbo manifold” or, in a special form, the exhaust header, is the first part of the exhaust system to be located directly on the cylinder head.
In most cases, the manifold only becomes relevant when it is broken and causes problems. However, it is also very important in tuning and is then optimized together with the rest of the exhaust system to improve the performance of a vehicle. We take a closer look at the topic and explain everything about the technology behind the manifold, its function and more.
Defective and leaking exhaust manifolds
The most common defects in an exhaust manifold are caused by cracks and fractures, causing the manifold to leak. This usually happens due to the high thermal load and subsequent cooling. Vibrations caused by the engine can also be the cause of a broken manifold. One of the most common signs of this is a loud, ticking or hissing noise from the engine compartment, especially when accelerating. If you smell exhaust fumes in the interior of your car at the latest, you'll know. If your manifold is leaking and defective, the engine may also lose power or idle unevenly. It can also lead to increased fuel consumption, as the engine receives incorrect exhaust gas values due to the leak
Symptoms of a leaking manifold:
- Noises from the engine compartment (ticking or hissing)
- Exhaust odor in the interior of the vehicle
- Unsteady idling
- Performance loss
- Higher fuel consumption
Sealing a leaking manifold
You are probably wondering how you can seal your exhaust manifold if you notice the symptoms mentioned above. To do this, you first need to know exactly where the leak is. Smaller cracks or leaks can be sealed with special heat-resistant exhaust sealants or pastes, but we do not recommend this. Especially in tuning and motorsport, the stresses are simply too great and any patching can only be a temporary solution that may end up causing even more problems in the entire system. We can also only recommend welding the manifold to a limited extent. As mentioned above, the welding processes also play a role in performance. If this causes turbulence inside, you may lose performance rather than repairing the manifold. We therefore recommend replacing the manifold. If you are aiming for more power and also want to upgrade other components, for example the turbocharger, you can also match them better and get the maximum performance out of them. If you install a new manifold, the gaskets must always be replaced as well.
His first car was a Polo Mk1 with a 40 Weber twin carburetor and 129 PS (95 kW). His second was an Audi 50. Today Bartek tunes Lamborghinis to 1000 PS (735 kW). Even as a young boy, Bartek disassembled vehicles and put everything back together better. He wrote his high school diploma with oil on his fingers. The trained automotive mechanic with a focus on engines and gearboxes was determined to go into motorsports. In his 10 years in Formal 1, he supervised 73 races, including as engine mechanic for Ralf Schumacher at Toyota. Since 2010, he has dedicated himself fully to his company BAR-TEK® and helps his customers to bring VW and Audi engines to peak performance.
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Nhlak
16.10.2023, 14:31 Uhr
Manifold exhaust system for 5 Series and Exhaust manifold X3 system are the same ?
Robin
15.05.2024, 14:30 Uhr
Hello Nhlak,
We specialise in vehicles from the VAG Group, so we can´t tell whether the cars have the same manifolds. It is possible if they have the same engine, but we cannot say for sure. Greetings