Dreaded 460 Exhaust Manifold Leak

ernie1 wrote:
I had the same problem on my 1989 E350 Econolpne with a 460 engine. My problem was that one of the heads on the manifold bolts was sheared off and there was nothing but the stud left. I tried gripping the stud with a vise grip and, when I turned it, the stud broke again till it was just about even with the head. I then tried to drill the broken stud out but the clearance was way too tight. Soo, after spending about $1900 at the Ford stealership to have the intake manifold and head removed to drill out the stud I got my rv back with a big dent on the rear of the vehicle. Apparently the tech that was working on it backed into a lift and hoped I wouldn't notice it. I went back and complained to the Service manager who said they would repair the damage. When I went to pick up my vehicle, I noticed while traveling on the freeway that there was a lot of wind noise coming from the driver's door and it seemed loose. When I got home, I found out that someone loosened the striker pin thing on the door so that it would not close tightly. CAN'T IMAGINE HOW THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED! Anyhow, good luck on repairing the manifold.