I am an automotive noob and I need help with some issues I have with my '96 Civic EX (coupe). I had it major maintenanced at the dealership recently because I'm pushing 200K miles on it and they said the "ticking" sound I hear when the engine is on and especially when I accelerate is because there is a hole in the exhaust manifold. It sounds more like a puttering sound to me.

Assuming the dealership is not the first place to trust, I'm hoping some people here can give me some good leads on what to do.

Some questions I have is:
What kind of exhaust manifold do I need for general driving? Not looking racing specs here.
Is there an online site where I can buy it cheap?

 

if you have a stock manifold then just get one from a part store assuming that theres not a crack on the manifold itself

 

are you sure it's the exhaust manifold? i've had a header leak before and it definitely didn't make a "ticking" sound. Honda engines tend to tick louder than many other cars and it's the valves. If your ticking is more severe than normal it could be that the valves need to be adjusted.

 

The standard test for exhaust leaks is to idle the engine and have someone hold a rag in their hand over the tailpipe to temporarily block it. Exhaust will then hiss out of any leaky parts or connections.

 

I'm going to take the word of the service guy at the dealership when he says that it needs to be replaced. He said the expansion and contraction of the manifold will not allow it to be repaired and that I have to replace it.

Is it an easy enough DIY job?

 

yea it's simple

 

How about instead of saying "yeah, its simple" you give the poor guy some advice.

OP, what you'll need is some wrenches (socket, torque and boxed end), and about an hour or so of free time. It might even be a good idea to get a new set of Exhaust Manifold to Head nuts, as I can almost gaurantee you'll strip a few in the process of removal.

All you need to do is remove the existing nuts, remove the nuts/bolts holding the mani to the rest of the exhaust piping, and pull the manifold off. Then, pop on the new manifold, torque the manifold nuts to spec (if I recall correctly, it is 17 ft/lbs, but don't quote me on that), put the nuts/bolts back into the mani to exhaust piping connection, and you're on your way.

 

because there's a freakin' DIY on it, and you should be able to figure out what to do if you go take a look at it

 

Sorry, what was that? An order of Wahmbuger and French Cries?

Maybe a link to the DIY would have helped. Or, maybe even if you'd just said "look in the DIY section."

 

These pictures are from underneath my hood. The surgery takes place here right?