Ok so I have a 98 F150 with an exhaust manifold leak. When I got advance auto parts or auto zone and try to order the part to fix my truck they have no clue as to what I am talking bout. What I am wondering is if I have to go to a Ford dealership to order the part? Oh and another question, prob a stupid one at that, how the hell do you blow out the rear axle on the truck that has never been 4wheeling? I did it n I have no clue how I did it. Paid out the *** to to get it fixed...... thanks guys I am a little new to having a truck.

 

AS for the exhaust you might have better luck with chatting with a local mechanic who has a good rep...I wouldn't think that the exhaust components are strictly FORD items..just a matter of finding someone who is knowledgeable. might be a good time for headers

as to the rear end , presume that you lost a seal , not necessarily bearings in a catastrophic failure, more description on "Blow out" would be good.
Did you get this truck used or did you have this truck for some time?
If used ...you just don't know what the former owner did with it.

but rearends need maintenance just like anything else...agreed that not nearly as much as say a engine. any way.... if the seal was lost then a vent tube may have been plugged, building pressure as you drove ....even though you didn't go anywhere to plug it , wheeling or mudding...you might have had help with insects of some kind....just make sure the vent tube is clear and good shape.....BTW what was all repaired on the rearend?

 

I will talk to my mechanic bout the manifold leak. My rear axle i broke the carrier beam...? no clue what that is, caused the ring gear to shift and damage the teeth to gear ring and pinion. replaced the rear axle changed over brake lines , hose, bleed brakes drained and refilled axle housing. thats what was written on my receipt. i got a new rear axle. i bought it used for 2,000. the previous owner bought it for her son but he went off to college and bought his own truck so it had 80,000 miles on it with brand new tires and she got the oil changed all the time. i have all the paperwork on it. i sat at her home for a while she only used it when she needed to. this was 3 years now since i've had it and now it has 128,000 miles on it. its funny everyone keeps telling me to get rid of it but its the only truck i've ever owned that i trust driving. i travel from florida to texas and jersey a lot n my truck is wonderful... i refuse to get rid of it.

 

So do you have a crack in the manifold? Studs loose? A little more detail on the leak would be helpful. I cracked mine a couple years ago... After talking to a buddy that works in a machine shop at NAPA and also a mechanic, he told me about the 4.6 Mani having a very weak spot thats its quite common to crack there. I ordered one off of Ebay, as funds were tight, and it was like 35.00. I also had to replace the egr to manifold tube. That was a Ford only part, which ran me around 75.00. If its cracked, I wouldnt bother with having a shop try and weld it tight again, as life of the patch is unpredictable. My el-cheapo manifold has held up great, got over 20,000 on it, and barely any surface rust. Hope this helps.


-Matt