Resolved FP Race Manifold Cracked

[talondave]

I had a SBR manifold Break clear in half where my turbo was just hanging there! All i did was NLTS into sec gear and bang that was it

 

[anmGST]

Wow sorry man, I just bought one of these myself, along with bunch of other stuff including turbo from them an I'm not worried at all. I have Faith in FP and even the best products has a bad apple.. NO worries man I'm sure they will take care of you.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

were you using any sort of Anti-lag ?

 

[turbo addict]

I have one of these and a couple friends do too. I run 35-40psi on a e316g and haven't had any problems with mine. It is a very well designed part (the best cast manifold I have seen except for maybe the hk$) but I would try to get a hold of fp. Their are always going to be some parts that aren't perfect or have imperfections, the difference is how the company takes care of them.

 

[Highbooost]

I guess the good 'Dr.' hasn't been around many manifolds, if you've never seen one crack that bad.

.

You are right I don't mess around with stock DSMs or 18 year old POS, I have always owned good new manifolds, and work on cars that have new stuff like wise, sorry for my non stock experience. Next time I see a stock 1g ex mani I'll let YOU have a look at it. Are there even any of those left, I got rid of mine in 99.

Later Dr Turbo

 

[wishihadatalon]

Given the materials used in the FP manifold and the failure rate of them (non existant), this is obviously just a single dud manifold from them. I would contact them and I am sure they will treat you well. Hell given that this might be the first failure, they will probably want to inspect yours and talk to their manufacturer to see what happened so that it doesn't happen again.

 

[illeffekt vr-4]

Just call them and explain the problem and I'm sure they will help you out.

 

[Jafro]

What exactly were you hanging off that and was it supported in any other way than the exhaust manifild?

+1

I've seen broken turbo bolts, burnt out gaskets, and even brand new OEM manifolds crack within months over people not having the lower support bracket that's bolted to the block and exhaust. If nothing other than the turbo bolts are holding it on and supporting the weight, then when you let the 650hp loose on that beast, a red-hot manifold will become over-stressed and crack at the weakest points. It won't really matter what materials it's made from.

I'm bringing this back because this question wasn't addressed.

 

[Jafro]

It bolts to these two holes. It sits behind the turbo, has a nut welded to it, and there should be a clamp wrapped around (or a tab welded to it) your downpipe that allows you to put a bolt through it to secure the turbo to the block. Without it, there's a LOT of wiggle room for big heavy parts to wrench back and forth on the turbo (manifold, turbo bolts, etc...).

My car is in a million pieces right now (typical). I'll look around to see if I can find the one that rusted up so bad on my car that I had to cut it off. It's in my garage somewhere.? Oooh. Wait, I've got a spare 6-bolt on the floor, maybe that one's still in-tact.

 

[WIDSM]

I have one on my car and just did a very long road trip, with the car running for hours on end, on a holset hx35 and other than lots of discoloration it has been fine.

Must have been a defect.

 

[Jafro]

You're in luck. 'found it on my spare one, and also still bolted to my disassembled car. Here's what it looks like x3. If anyone says, "that's bullshit, I don't have one and I don't have any problems like that"... don't listen to them. 2 of the broken manifolds and 4 of those bolts I was talking about were on my own car. Haven't had this problem in over 40k miles now. My turbo bolts stay tight, too.

PS: Don't bust my chops about the oil leak on the spare block. It's full of BB's and broken glass, too. Don't ask.

 

[Jafro]

Thanks man. Theres a "this post is helpful" link over on the bottom right. Honestly I was hoping it would be a defective manifold for your sake, but I'd hate to see you go through this again.

I just fired up CAPS and tried to look up the part #. As if a 6-bolt full of BB's and glas isn't weird enough. My copy of CAPS is running on a 400MHz 2001-series iMac G3 with Tiger, and Powered by Connectix VirtualPC with Windows 98. Absolutely none of that is ever supposed to happen, but it works. I can't kill that thing even in sub-zero or 100°+ temperatures. Go Apple!

2g turbo support bracket (used my '95 VIN): MD150759

 

[Whiteshadow]

Well this is the FIRST manifold from FP that i have seen do this. I know alot of other people who have this manifold on their cars. A few of them with similar hp as him. To everyone who has one of these manifolds or was going to buy one I would still do so. This is extremely rare, I wouldn't let this steer you away from buying one.

it's not the first manifold to do this trust me

 

[Jst4Cyl]

it's not the first manifold to do this trust me

But you have been cursed by FP if you are the same guy from the Link forums.

FP3575 right?

 

[DSM Jeff]

... so was FP contacted? What did they say? If my manifold cracked this bad I'd be contacting the company before even hitting the forum.

 

[nytescion]

it's not the first manifold to do this trust me

All i said it was the first one that I've seen. Not the first one that's done this.

 

[mikelv]

it's not the first manifold to do this trust me

Actually, it’s the second that they’ve ever seen. Seriously.

Amber at Forced Performance was more than happy to work with me regarding this situation. Before I could even blink, I had a resolution to the problem. I contacted FP yesterday (actually they got a hold of me!!) and as usual, they provided excellent customer service and a prompt resolution to this incident.

FP’s DSM Race Manifold is a great piece and I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to run the same setup regardless of the situation.

I just want to publically state that this thread was never intended to extend a negative response Forced Performance Turbochargers or any of their products. I merely intended to create a useful technical discussion for the community.

Moreover, I would like to say to everyone out there, who might be skeptical of Forced Performance Turbochargers, do not be. My engine bay is littered with their products for good reason, including one of the most important of all. If you want nothing but top quality products from one of the best in the business, I’m telling you guys, look no further. FP got it right, and in my personal experience, I could not have asked for more. To complete my project, I look forward to working with FP in the near future without question!


Thanks Amber!

 

[pboglio]

So, they gave you a new one?

 

[Whiteshadow]

So, they gave you a new one?

I am sure they did, they were quick to handle my situation in the same way and replaced it.

Amber is my hero.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

Turns out mine is cracked as well and leaking at the collector. Looks like I'll be contacting FP as well.

 

[My1GLaser]

Turns out mine is cracked as well and leaking at the collector. Looks like I'll be contacting FP as well.

When did you buy yours? I just got done putting a new one on today and plan on firing her up tomorrow. I hope I am not in for this experience in the near future.

 

[gieri002]

I thought this was going to steer me away from buying an FP manifold but I actually want one more now!

 

[TSIMonsteR]

I wouldn't steer away or hesitate to buy anything from FP. They stand behind their products and I'm sure cracking on these manifolds is going to be rare.

I DD my car (about 3-400 miles a week on average). Only the 16G and the ss o2 housing hang off the manifold, and I'm not making a lot of power. I'm not quite sure what caused it to crack. I do not have any thing like the brace that was shown in some pictures earlier in this thread on my car so maybe that is the key? I'm not sure.

I just remember stating that I didn't have any cracks on my manifold earlier in this thread so I was shocked to find one when I removed my heat shield today. If there hadn't been a black spot on the bottom of the hs, I may have not even seen the crack. I'll post a pic tomorrow. It is a very narrow crack, so I maybe able to fix it with some JB weld.

 

[My1GLaser]

It is a very narrow crack, so I maybe able to fix it with some JB weld.

It will probably burn off pretty quick. A decent welder can weld the crack with no problems. I welded my cracked 2g manifold 2 years ago and it was still holding great when I took it off today. Nickel rods and preheat/postheat.

 

[crimsondragon]

Steering away from this manifold is nonsense. I've put over 15k miles on mine. It's seen two winters already and hanging off of it is a 20lb turbo with no bracket support. I DD this car every day going offroading on the city roads, seen every single pothole in the city and it's still holding strong. I have vents in my hood and when it rains, my manifold gets a steam clean. Hell even when I get impatient to work near the manifold after cool down, I take a bucket of water and drown it. It refuses to die. Now that's quality.