Now here's an unpleasant development! '98 ML320 developed an exhaust leak. Got new gaskets, got to work, and here's what I found.

I welded it up as best I could with my cheapo stick welder and stainless rod, and all is quiet again. However, I'd be surprised if this fix lasts a month. Is this a common problem? How much is it going to cost me to fix it right? Only 120,000 miles on the truck. This is why I quit running headers on street cars years ago; they just don't hold up. Granted this one's stainless, and has two walls, but I can't imagine these holding up as long as cast SiMo manifolds.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
Lenny

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. --Ernest Hemingway

'10 GL550/'04 BMW 545/'99 BMW 323/'98 ML320/'87 VW GTI (race)

Here's what the inside looked like. BTW, the oil on it is WD-40 for getting the nuts off.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
Lenny

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. --Ernest Hemingway

'10 GL550/'04 BMW 545/'99 BMW 323/'98 ML320/'87 VW GTI (race)

itb76,

The passenger side manifold on our 98 ML cracked at about the same mileage.

I should have replaced it myself but had the dealer do it.

Another $500 down the tubes.

FR

If it's only $500 including labor at a dealership, that's not half as bad as I thought it would be. After posting the above, I looked in the rate book that body shops use to do estimates; they list part price as $181 and 2.7 hours to replace.

I wonder if this problem is not that common, or are there not a lot of MLs out there with this kind of mileage.

__________________
Lenny

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. --Ernest Hemingway

'10 GL550/'04 BMW 545/'99 BMW 323/'98 ML320/'87 VW GTI (race)

Were the nots on the manifold hard to remove or was WD 40 all you needed to get them off? Also did you have to move the alternator to remove the passenger side manifold?

CDB:

Sorry for the tardy reply; I fell behind on my e-mail and didn't see your post.

IIRC the nuts were surprisingly easy to remove. WD-40 was all I used. I didn't move the alternator, but I did disconnect the negative side of the battery so I wouldn't arc anything if I accidentally touched the alternator wire with a socket. Use new nuts & studs in case you ever have to remove it again for any reason.

__________________
Lenny

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. --Ernest Hemingway

'10 GL550/'04 BMW 545/'99 BMW 323/'98 ML320/'87 VW GTI (race)