# stupid f*&(% exhaust manifolds on vg33s



## abmobil (Nov 22, 2004)

Has anyone here replaced a passenger manifold on there 01 and up frontiers?
If so about how long did it take?
It dosent look to hard if I go through the wheel well.
This is a 01 supercharged crew with 117k on it.

It had both the driver and passenger manifolds replaced at 70k under the extended warranty.
I thought they were putting the updated manifolds on but I guess not.
The passenger one is leaking more now than the factory one was.

Ive read on here that the newer manifold design flows better.
Would there be any negative affects if the passenger manifold flows slightly more than the drivers?
I really dont want to replace both if I dont have to.
Thanks!


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## okay (May 7, 2006)

my manifold is leaky too.. i've been running it like that for a while, are there any negative effects?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I'm surprised to hear you had to change both, as it was usually just the right side that had problems. Being that it was replaced before, you could try complaining to Nissan's customer service hotline ( 1-800-NISSAN-1 ) and perhaps they help you out. As far as having better flow, I have not heard anything about that and wouldn't expect to have any issues due to a differance in performance with an older design, left side manifold (which I'm not sure has even been redesigned). Negative consequences of running with a cracked manifold are potentially burning a valve and causing inaccurate readings by the O2 sensor, as well as potential check engine light triggerings. Anyway, there were enough of them to warrant this service bulletin:

Classification:
EM01-003

Reference:
NTB01-038

Date:
May 22, 2001

FRONTIER AND XTERRA RIGHT-HAND EXHAUST MANIFOLD CRACKED

APPLIED VEHICLES: 
1999-2001 Frontier (D22)
2000-2001 Xterra (WD22)

APPLIED VINs:
Frontier - vehicles built before 1N6ED27Y51C383612
Xterra - vehicles built before 5N1ED28Y01C576621

APPLIED DATES: 
Frontier And Xterra - vehicles built before April 6, 2001

APPLIED ENGINE # : 
Engines built before VG33-653777

SERVICE INFORMATION

If an Applied Vehicle has one of the following symptoms:

^ A ticking or exhaust noise from the right-hand exhaust manifold area.


Or if a cracked right-hand exhaust manifold is discovered during unrelated service when the exhaust heat shield is removed, a replacement right-hand exhaust manifold is available to correct the incident.

If one of these symptoms should occur, use the Service Procedure provided in this bulletin to diagnose the condition, replacing the right-hand exhaust manifold and related parts as described.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

Diagnosi5:

1. With the engine running, verify that the source of the noise is the right-hand manifold area.

2. If the noise is coming from the right-hand manifold area, remove the heat shield and inspect for cracks between the # 1 and # 3 ports on the manifold.


Repair:

1. Separate the catalyst from the right-hand exhaust manifold and remove it to allow for clearance.

CAUTIONS: The nuts that attach the catalyst to the exhaust manifold have a self-locking design and require some effort to remove. Apply penetrating oil to the threads and allow it to soak in before attempting to remove the nuts.

Use a tight-fitting six-point socket to avoid rounding off the corners of the nuts during removal. If any of the nuts or studs are damaged during removal, replace them as needed (refer to the PARTS INFORMATION section of this bulletin for details).

2. Remove the exhaust manifold from the head (See Figure 2A for loosening sequence of manifold nuts).

NOTE: If any of the nuts or studs are damaged during removal, replace them as needed (refer to the PARTS INFORMATION section of this bulletin for details).


3. Install the replacement manifold with a new gasket onto the head. See Figure 2B for tightening sequence of manifold nuts. See Figure 1 shown for manifold nut torque specifications.

4. Re-attach the catalyst to the exhaust manifold.

NOTE: Ensure that all bolts securing the manifold and heat shields are installed and are torqued to the specifications shown in Figure 1.

5. Test-drive the vehicle to verify the ticking or exhaust noise has been eliminated.

*******************************************************************************

FYI: Alldata gives a replacement time of 1.6 hours for the right side and 2.8 hours for the left. Manifold torque at 23 ft./lbs.


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## abmobil (Nov 22, 2004)

Yeah I think I read on nissanfrontier.net that the flow was incresed as well as making them thicker.
They say thats where the extra 10hp came from. Up from 170 to 180 but the supercharged version never gained any power.
When it was taken in the first time 
I could only hear a leak on the passenger side but the service advisor called later on and said they were going to do both.


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## supralative (Aug 27, 2006)

*Nissan Consumer Affairs is worthless*
Called last week about my cracked passenger manifold again after hearing the possibility of a nation wide settlement. They said I would get a call back the next business day from a regional representative. 2 days later no call. Try again the following week. Same thing I should get a call the next business day from a regional representative...NO CALL again.
Tried again today and we will see tomorrow.

Nissan is pretty low on customer service that is for sure


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## supralative (Aug 27, 2006)

Well the regional rep finally called back. They still will not do anything about it.
If anyone has a cracked manifold, please call Nissan Consucker Affairs and notify them. If they get enough calls, they might issue out a nation wide recall...its a shot in the dark but still worth it.


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