Need help with cracked turbo manifold
 

Back in 2011, I bought the HKS prototype twin-turbo kit off of a member here. I have had the kit on my car for the last 10 years with no problems up until today.

As the title says I have a cracked turbo manifold on the passenger side. Not sure if turbo manifold is the correct name of the part as I have seen a few names for it but to be clear it is the part that connects the turbo to the engine. The part that would be the headers if I didn't have a turbo on the car.

I was wondering if anyone has experience in this and how to fix it? I read a few posts online that JB weld high heat would work but I don't really think that would work. Unless anyone here has tried it and it worked.

I also tried to find another one on google but I can't seem to find one for a 370z and even if I did I am not sure if it would fit my turbos. I did write HKS and I asked them for some advice but I am still waiting to hear back from them. So in the meantime, I thought I would come here and ask all of you for some help. Any advice would be helpful. Either on where I might be able to buy a new one or how to repair the current one.

Your best bet is to pull the manifold off of the car and take it to a welder.

I agree. Is it cast iron or stainless? Make sure you bring it to a shop experienced welding this, as it might crack again (if cast steel) when done incorrectly.


Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

You have to find out if cast iron, cast steel, or stainless steel. My bet is cast iron.

For welding cast iron. The each end of the crack have to be drilled. The crack V'ed out. Ti welding would be best with Ni-Rod 99. Bolt the manifold to a thick steel plate. Pre-heat the manifold with a oxy-ace torch to about 600F and try to hold it there during welding. After done welding. Peen the weld with the ball end of a ball peen hammer. Wrap in insulation and allow it to cool to room temp before removing the insulation.

I am not sure what it is though I believe its cast iron. I am hoping that HKS will be able to tell me more. I'll be taking my car into a shop on Monday for them to fix it and they believe that they can get it welded up. I would like to find some that are made from stainless steel however so that this will less likely happen again. Maybe some of you can tell by looking at the parts that they are made of. This is the original for sale thread of the kit I have on my car http://www.the370z.com/parts-sale-pr...turbo-kit.html.

Does anyone have experience with getting the manifold crack fixed through welding? As long as its done right will it hold up?

See if a magnet will stick to the manifold. If it doesn't stick. It could be a 300 series of stainless steel. If it sticks. It could be cast iron, cast steel, or a 400 series of stainless steel. 300 series of stainless steel doesn't rust. 400 series of stainless steel will.

They have been weld repairing exhaust manifolds for decades. It all depends on the skill and knowledge of the guy doing it. I've done a lot of cast iron welding when I for for Elliott TubroMachinery. Some of it, we had to pre-heat to 1,200F before we could weld on it. It was glowing red.

Send it to Rusty.

Rusty is trying to tell you what to do.

I'm just telling him on how it should be done.

He will go another route

I have been looking for someone to fix them but I don't know of anyone that I know can do a good job. Can anyone on here recommend to me someone that I could have them shipped to, to get them repaired? Also heard back from HKS and they were no help at all.

Any competent welding shop should be able to ID the metal and weld/braze/whatever as needed.

If I didn't know of a good shop in my area, I'd call nearby businesses that might require the services of a welding shop - machine shops, trucking firms, pipelines, chemical plants, etc - and ask for their recommendations. YMMV

Thanks, I call around to some local shops. I just was hoping for someone that already knows of someone that does a good job. Just afraid that I'll take it to a welder and says that he knows what he's doing but really doesn't and in 5 months I'm back here again.

That's one of the problems of cast iron that goes through heat cycles. It boils down to on how good the cast is for weld repair to begin with. If it got a lot of voids in the casting. That makes it even harder.