To get rid of the slight whistle when under acceleration, I've been advised to fit a new Exhaust Manifold... What does this mean, and how much is it likely to cost? I've looked in my Haynes but it really gives you jack-Sht about replacing it... Mk3 8V
eerrrrmmm. new exhaust manifold to stop a slight whistle under acceleration? sounds a bit dodgy. I'd spend more time diagnosing the problem before spending any cash. fyi: the exhaust manifold is the very front section of the exhust system, the bit that attaches to the engine. replacements can be quite expensive, although you can prob. get one from a scrappy if you were so inclined. Edited by: GTi.
Its not a small job either... The cylinder head will need to come off to do it, so then you need a headgasket/headset to put it back together too!! Not the kind of thing id be inclined to do unless the manifold was blowing i.e the engine will sound like a tractor! Not sure about the diagnosis either?? A whistling noise is more likely to come from an air leak or something on the inlet side IMO. Might be worth you getting a second opinion!
On early MK1s & MK2s the exhaust manifold used to crack. Also if the front engine mount is on its way out then the joint between the manifold and downpipe used to leak. I thought this got sorted by the time the MK3s came out. If you had a cracked or leaky manifold/gasket, then it would be more of a blowing sound. Whistling is most likely linked to induction stuff.
Thanks for the advise, Its not affecting the performance, in fact the car is running great, much better than the 1.8 GL I had before lol...obvisouly! I'll strip out the air filter, and have a look underneath at the exhaust system. The weird thing is it only seems to happen under acceleration.... not at idle, not at revving with no gear attached... maybe its something to do with the clutch?
I had to change my manifold from my 1985 jet. It was cracked in 3 places and was cheaper to change the manifold over to a digi. Plus its better in the long run caus now i can fit a stainless from the manifold instead of the downpipe. The only thing i feel is it seems to be holding back now but that could just be me.
I've just had it in to be looked at, and the engineer reckons its just normal noise... probably will need a new exhaust manifold gasket in a year or so, but nothing to worry about until then. I have booked it in to have the timing belt done, and a full service, as I can't be sure it was done at 60K. (Some service, but hazy around 60k!) 275 quid... expensive but at least I'll have peace of mind....
Update: Just had Cambelt/Timing Belt Changed, engineer has given it the once over and has checked the Manifold, which is fine, no leaks, no holes nothing. He did however find out the slight noise was coming from the CAT... which will need replacing reasonably soon.... Although annoying, I think this is a warranty item...
does the leaky manifold cause it to idle rough because im sure mine has a manifold leak and runs like a bag of poo while idling but ok once driving
