E500 Benzo

Hey guys, I tried a searching for this but came up a little short...

Does anyone know how much the dealer charges for removal and re-installation of exhaust manifolds? About how many hours does the book say? (FYI this is for an '04 E55K)

Also, I found these nice write-ups, but don't know if i can tackle the job with my big old clumsy hands and sausage fingers:

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...r-install.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...r-install.html

To those of you who have tackled this before, does removing the air filter assembly and coil packs really give you that much more room to work? Just looking at the engine bay with everything installed, it doesn't look like removing them would give me enough room to work.

If I have access to a lift, does that change everything? (meaning I can do everything from underneath the car) or do I still need to remove everything to get to it from the top side?

shardul

iTrader: (1)

plug wires have to come off, maybe not coil packs. the bolts on the upper flange of the headers are accessible from the top only.

komp55

Yes, it actually does, and removal of said items is among the easiest part of the process.

I wouldn't even consider removing the exhaust manifolds without having the car up on a lift. I know it's possible, and some guys have done it without a lift, but using a lift will make the project far more enjoyable.

Why are you removing stock manifolds and then re-installing them? Seems like if you go to the trouble of removing them, you'd at least want to do a set of bolt-on shorties. Just wondering.

E500 Benzo

thanks for the replies... i'm actually about to pull the trigger on an e55, and the car has an exhaust leak coming from the passenger side exhaust manifold (stock MBZ) or possibly from the primary cat/downpipe

anyways, i just wanted to see how tough the r&r process is on these cars... i may go down the aftermarket route in the future, but I'm really just trying to see how easy it is to get the problem fixed in order to pass inspection

Worth the wait

Your buying a car with a exhaust leak that you are not convinced about the origin of or what is involved to fix it?
You might want to have the current owner repair it before you purchase, as the variables could eat up any savings you may see buying a damaged car.
Good luck!

izzyz28

May as well buy a set of headers, because chances are the manifold is cracked, hence the leak. Both of mine cracked in the exact same place within 6 months of each other. The cracks form about 1/2" above the two-bolt outlet flange on the manifold that connects to the downpipe/primary CAT. Fortunately I was able to weld mine, but if its been leaking for a long time it may be cracked all the way around and necessitate replacement.

janoe55

Exhaust leaks are also covered under emissions warranty in most states,if the car is completely stock just like you said(I believe it is 7year 70K miles here in california) good luck

theeddie

on a lift 2.5 hours on and off

shardul

iTrader: (1)

Chances are it is cracked at the flange that connects to the stock cat pipes. you may be able to weld the flange without removing the manifold.