Greetings and Happy New Year. Thanks in advance for your comments/hints...

My wife's 1980 244 is idling pretty fast. She also claims that it is loosing power, making sounds in the exhaust, and she maybe is smelling more exhaust.

A brief look under the hood shows that the entire exhaust manifold is being held to the head with only 3 bolts on the forward-most flanges. None of the rest have nuts on them at all. One mid-way back has a stud showing but it does not extend far enough to put a nut on it. So I am suspicious.

I know that this car has never had the full compliment of fasteners here since we got it. But I guess that over time they have disappeared (broken off it would seem) one by one. My 1983 242 still has all of its original fasteners.

So:

(a) Would the symptoms my wife describes fit with an exhaust manifold having a less than perfect seal?

(b) What is the best way to approach this? Does the head have to come off entirely? Or can the manifold be removed and what remains of the bolts be extracted?

Cheers!

"(b) What is the best way to approach this? Does the head have to come off entirely? Or can the manifold be removed and what remains of the bolts be extracted?"

Probably the manifold can be removed and the bolts (studs) extracted. You may need to get the EGR pipe (if so equipped) replaced. I would suggest taking this to another shop -- not the one where the mechanic "noted" it, unless you left out the part where she also urged you to let her fix it.

You can't use this car to hasten your wife's demise now that you've acknowledged the problem in public. :)

Really, this may not be a seriously hard repair to do, especially for a well-equipped shop, and if the 1980 has been otherwise well cared for, it is a worthwhile investment.




--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

The butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

A 1980 had an EGR pipe? Live and learn.

"A 1980 had an EGR pipe? Live and learn. "

Mike, I said "if so equipped." Gave myself an out. My '79 does, and a look at the emissions table for 1980 shows all US cars got lambda, so EGR was only on Canadian B21A motors. Live and learn? Gosh, yes. For as long as possible.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

I was just shocked that they existed at all that early!

"I was just shocked that they existed at all that early!"
EGR was one of the first answers by many manufacturers to pollution control. Volvo used it on the B20F--the 1975 240 series--and I think my wife's first 244--a '76 w/B21F--had it too. That was pre-Lambda ('78). -- Dave

Yes Dave, the '76 had EGR, plus an air pump that fed air to each exhaust runner (I think). I don't recall what the control conditions were for that to happen, but I don't think it was constant.

--
Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

All of that must have been long removed from my '76. If the air pump was belt driven (as I assume it was) that must be the slot filled by the obviously aftermarket rotary compressor.

That was a weird car all the way around. It had only the DL items (roll-up windows, manual locks, non-power steering) but someone added AC and it did not have a split pulley. Three-row radiator and fixed metal fan (no clutch). Somehow I have the feeling it was assembled from parts.

It had only the DL items (roll-up windows, manual locks, non-power steering)............. Three-row radiator and fixed metal fan (no clutch).


Roll up windows---the only way for a 30Year ++++ car

First year with power locks: 10 times the keys left inside.

3 Row Rad: IPD

Fixed fan: IPD...still have one on my 80....no clutch and ligher, less strain on the water pump bearings..



'75 B20 had an Air Injection Pump that rammed air into ports - 1 each - on the 4 exhaust manifold off takes. When the pump on mine died I plugged up the ports on the manifold and drove it for another 200K.

PS

the 80 does not have an ERG....Lamda Sond

Criminy.

yes yes yes. WTF were you thinking...


"
I know that this car has never had the full compliment of fasteners here since we got it"

Darwinian

Well I can see your point. The thing is that this car has run super-well for years and years with fewer than the full compliment. But it may have now lost enough to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Mechanics who worked on the car noted the missing bolts at one time but were not worried about them.

Get new mechanics or start doing your own work.