Troublesome F430 exhaust manifold

These cars are meant to be wound out to redline regularly. I suggest changing your driving habits to include an "Italian tuneup" on every drive.

As for the manifold, it seems to be a design defect where the manifold is attached in such a way as to cause heat stress. The solution is to either replace the manifold or change the mount. I would think idling along in traffic at low speeds would be a lot more harmful than winding the piss out of the car on a daily basis.

 

Mines got the Capristo brackets. That’s what I think he is referring to.


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When I bought my car in February, it had them installed. I’ve read good and bad things about them.

On mine, I can see where the exhaust system has expanded and contracted, evidenced by the marks on the brackets where the springs have moved.

I’ve got 14,000 miles on my 2009 and no problems so far. I don’t drive it too hard, typically between 4000 and 6000 rpm is where I shift.


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They work with brackets removed on many cars. Your idea would give more support than that .

 

I've read somewhere that cracks are caused by the manifold being unable to properly expand and contract where it joins the head. Allegedly, the solution is not to overtighten header nuts; tight enough to prevent exhaust leaks, but no tighter. I have no idea how one a accomplishes this. Is this all BS?

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I personally feel the Capristo muffler mount is really poor design. I have welded many exhaust brackets that have cracked or even broken completely. The Capristo set up bolts the muffler to the frame and the engine / transaxle and mounted in rubber. The vibration transferred into the frame is a bit harsh in my opinion.
As far as the headers failing, I haven't had any 430 headers with issues. I have has a 360 that had bad headers but this is the pre-cat in the header breaking up and letting material get in the engine through the exhaust port.
As the OP asked, I don't know that it is all due to high RPM but I believe it is accelerated by more RPM. Challenge cars tend to show issues faster as they live in the upper RPM range. On 360/430s, the engine mounts don't last as long as I think they should. I replace any that I feel have vibration that can be felt in the car. That harshness may be a cause of exhaust failure as well. Just my thoughts on the subject.

 

I'm not an expert, but I've owned two F430's (06', currently an 08') both with Mark II headers. The 06' had the Mark I headers replaced by dealer and the 08' has the Mark II stock. No issues, and well driven.

My buddy's F430 now has Fabspeed. Prior, he told me he could audibliy hear the failure, as our local F dealer pointed out. Its louder prior to them heating up, expanding and sealing. Its a non-typical ticking sound.

I agree that the engine mounts seem to not last as long as they should and could contribute. I perceived less engine vibration when I rode in another F430 with new engine mounts, but its not a dramatically huge difference from what I remember. Does anyone know how long the F430 engine mounts typically last?
Is there a recommended mileage to change them?


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That's pretty cool..but the manifolds don't crack..they melt through. Usually between cylinder 2,3 or 6,7 under the heat shields. The issue with the OEM hangers is the fact they crack and break causing a terrible rattling noise at the rear of the car.

Your hanger set up is nice, but it will not prevent a failure of the early manifold design.

 

Off the shelf ?