I am changing my headpipe this weekend. My wife said there was a bad smell & when I checked underneath I found a severe leak in the head pipe between the convertor & exhaust manifold. I also have a problem with ocassional "bucking" that is almost nil in moist weather & gets worse sunny warm days.could this be the source of the problem ? Car is '82 244DL K-Jet 4cyl gas 4spd+OD 161K+ miles.

A exhaust leak will affect overall performance since the tuning between the intake and exhaust is off. Your car will/should run better once you replace the
manifold pipe. I would start spraying tons penatrating fluid on those manifold bolts cause they might be a real bitch to remove. be careful removing the bolts. If you break a stud your screwed.

Exhaust leaks are dangerous anyway.

Good Luck,
-Bob

If I break A stud I'm "Screwed" ? I don't think so! I am all ready with my Sears recipracating power saw & the most Badass drill bits money can buy ! Also I have all my nut & bolt kits & 3 extra manifold studs & new copper nuts ready.May I also mention that the last time I did this on the same car (1992-94) I bathed all threads in anti-seize compound when installing the old head pipe. I have been saoking all the treads & bolts,joints etc with PBblaster all week so by the time I get to it this weekend it should be a "Snap" (ha-ha !). Bring it on, baby !!

the way to get those bolts off is to hack saw them most of the way, then use a punch to split them in 1/2 and pull them off, don't use a regular wrench, you could end up with an 'accident" like described earlier.

chuck
--
'88 244 174K, '87 BMW 325e 180K (used to feed a '84 245, '84 244, '85 744)

My guess is that your exhaust leak is just causing the exhaust smell and etra noise. As far as the "Bucking" problem, since you have a K-Jet system you probably have an air leak somewhere. K-Jets are easy to run and usually trouble-free but when air sneaks by the Air Flow Plate and into the intake manifold it cause all sorts of problems. Check all hoses and the intake boot below the manifold / above the fuel distributor. Also spray some carb cleaner at the injectors and see if it affects the idle. If it does then new injector seals are in your cars future. Also the injectors themselves do wear out and open at a lower pressure than designed thus you car oinks more gas. You can also check your CPR (Control Pressure Regulator) that is loacted just left of the fuel distributor. When the CPR is clogged it cause hard - cold starts. If it is broken / does not heat up it could be dumping extra fuel into the intake causing more problems. Like I said K-Jet is usually a trouble-free system but it sure needs lots of attention and LOVE!!! Good Luck!

Sincerely,
--
Julio Meza

1979 264GL B27F 124K --> BW55->M46, CLS, IPD Sway, 81+ Dash, Gauges

1979 262C B27F 159K --> Restore Project w/Possible B21FT

1984 245DL 212K -->Wifemobile