Well I just discovered that I have a leak in the exhaust manifold. A slight crack that is expanding slowly , but none the less getting louder as time goes.

Which direction to turn here and what is involved in doing this repair myself?

Should I buy new or will a junk yard replacement do just fine here?

While looking into this I also discovered that my power steering rack is leaking. Is this a quick fix? or an easy fix? Do I have to get a whole new power steering rack for the car?
Once again, should I consider a used one or a new one?

Need to fix by the end of this month.

I look forward to the feedback. Thanks.

With the PS rack leak, if it is not a major leak... ATF stop leak products do work well. Check the parts stores. The rack is a major PITA to replace.

Meanwhile, avoid turning the wheel to max/lock and holding it there.
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My name is Klaus and I am a V ♂ lv ♂ holic

I assume your car is normally aspirated, not turbocharged.

Is that correct?

You are correct.

Yes, the exhaust manifold on the NA is a weak point. I am on my third as I near 200,000.

As it is a weak point, if you take one off a junk, just be aware that whatever percentage of it's useful life is already gone.

And, like any exhaust system part, because of corrosion and the inexact nature of exhaust system parts, it's a hassle to deal-with. When you have to pull the unit off the back of the engine, although you can twist and turn it a dozen ways to free-it-up, there is only one sequence of twists and turns that gets it out cleanly, without ripping the insulation on the firewall. As such, when and if my goes again, to minimize the number of times I will have to deal with this part, I will spring for a new item.

BTW, don't ask me what sequence of twists and turns you need to pull the unit cleanly out. It's the kind of thing where you spend an hour trying to get it out and all of a sudden, when you are not paying attention to what you are doing, it just comes out cleanly, and you have no idea what you just did to get it out.

I also have the sound of an exhaust leak that is getting worse and have not been able to locate but never thought of looking at the manifold. What part of the maniford is it that cracks?

1998 V70 NA 334K 5-spd, all the original exhaust system so far

You might also want to check the catalytic converter. A friend of mine has a leak in her 96. I climbed under the car and the front of the cat was leaking...

I was under my car and found that the leak is coming from the flex pipe and the joint before that is giving out.

Looking into getting a replacement and looking for how to in replacing the manifold unit.
Then need how to on the power steering rack of the vehicle.
Non turbo unit.

I just got the old manifold out -- it just pulled out through the top of the engine compartment. All the bolts wrenched off with little issue, which was a surprise. I think what helped though is the clamp at the rear of the cat was loose, so I loosened it further so the cat would drop enough to clear the manifold studs (with some prying). For assembly I'll wait until the manifold is in place before putting the new studs in the cat flange. I havn't had to touch the rack yet except to tie it off to the body when lowering the subframe for the clutch job. I suspect you will need to lower the rear of the subframe to access it.

The two manifolds I replaced were broken in two places.

One cracked in the flex pipe hidden under the wire cloth.

The other failed when the flex pipe separated from upper part of the manifold.

Odds are that the longer your car operated with defective engine mounts, especially the upper engine mount bushing, the more rocking the engine is going to do and the more flexing the exhaust manifold will have to withstand.

By the way, I made a temporary fix, that I used with both of my failures.

The fix is outlined in this post: www.brickboard.com/AWD/volvo/1302175/850/exhaust_part.html

Thanks for all the tips. I just checked mine and still don't see anything wrong. Then I tried twisting the cat -- the cat flange twisted but the stainless braid stayed still. Seems to be completely separated where it can't be seen. btw, I think I'll pull the right driveshaft to get easier access. Thanks again!

You can just rip off that stainless steel cloth covering on the flexible portion of the manifold and directly see your break (unless you think that that cloth is the only thing holding everything together).

Whatever inconvenience you are experiencing accessing the bottom of the manifold is minor compared to removing the driveshaft--I don't think it is worth the time or effort. Of course, if you have rotted bolts there and you need a lot more access, then that makes sense.

Good luck.

Can't help with the exhaust manifold.

Steering rack: You might try this before doing anything more expensive...:)

My 95 855's rack seals were slowly leaking fluid about 2 years ago. Using the turkey baster method I removed most of the old fluid over the course of 3 or 4 days. I replaced it with Mobil 1 synthetic ATF and within a month or two my leak slowly dried up. No issues with the rack, pump or anything else in the PS system since!

I'm using Amsoil Synthetic Power Steering Fluid in the unit.

Try a thorough flush and replace then. That won't cost you much but time.

Or add some AutoRx then flush. You need to do something that will clean your seals effectively so they will work again.