2.5 ticking / possible exhaust manifold leak

Cole

Cole

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 6, 2018
Messages
350
Location
Minnesota, USA
Changed out the muffler and pipe this morning.. many holes.. Runs much quieter now! Which has also introduced me to what originally I thought was a not so loud ticking from the engine. Got underneath and it looks like at least one bolt from the rear most exhaust manifold broke off (circled below).

1 - Is the ticking caused by something other than this? it does go away after the vehicle warms up.

2 - How soon should this be fixed/how big of a performance issue is this?

1583608404078.png
 
If it goes away after the vehicle is warmed up, it's almost certainly lifter tick, which is very, very common on these things.
 
Cole said:
Thanks Chris. Anything I need to be Super worried about?
Click to expand...

Nope, definitely not. If it goes away once it's warm, it's very common.

If you want to address the issue at some point, you can remove the head and replace the lifters / valve train, but it's not necessary by any means.
 
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weird picture, as it is upside down. I have a 2.5 and as Chris said a lifter noise at start is ok if it goes away.

The most rearward bolt, factory is a stud and nut combo. I see no issue with putting a bolt in it though. I think the stud is only to help install the exhaust. I would fix it soon. I would also check that all your other bolts are tight. My jeep started to run pretty rough and I found the same stud loose and the forward bolt missing. I put a wrench to each other header/intake bolt and was surprised at how loose they all were. I inspected around my exhaust and found the forward tube cracked, I replaced it with a banks header (not really a header though). It is a direct replacement, It bolted up to the head and collector without any issues. It was $439.00 but it is 409 stainless and has a 5 year warranty.

BTW; 4 angry squirrels rule!
 
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Chris said:
Nope, definitely not. If it goes away once it's warm, it's very common.

If you want to address the issue at some point, you can remove the head and replace the lifters / valve train, but it's not necessary by any means.
Click to expand...
Nice. Not looking to do more work than necessary, so I'll let 'er buck. Thanks!
 
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Paparock1 said:
weird picture, as it is upside down. I have a 2.5 and as Chris said a lifter noise at start is ok if it goes away.

The most rearward bolt, factory is a stud and nut combo. I see no issue with putting a bolt in it though. I think the stud is only to help install the exhaust. I would fix it soon. I would also check that all your other bolts are tight. My jeep started to run pretty rough and I found the same stud loose and the forward bolt missing. I put a wrench to each other header/intake bolt and was surprised at how loose they all were. I inspected around my exhaust and found the forward tube cracked, I replaced it with a banks header (not really a header though). It is a direct replacement, It bolted up to the head and collector without any issues. It was $439.00 but it is 409 stainless and has a 5 year warranty.

BTW; 4 angry squirrels rule!
Click to expand...
Yeah I just grabbed that from Google... I'm getting 'er out of storage today, I'll see if I can get a photo of the area I'm talking about later today.

4 angry squirrels!
 
I had a similar issue this past winter, and found a good leak on the gasket. It was louder when giving it gas, and got a bit tired of the exhaust smell. It's a bit of a pain to get to, but I replaced the gasket and found my old on in three pieces when it came off. Runs so much quieter now. Also, I think it'd be better to do it sooner rather than later because since the exhaust and intake share a gasket, I had some carbon buildup right after my intake manifold and that can't be good for it. I dumped a can of seafoam intake cleaner and a bunch of the carbon burned off.
 
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