Exhaust I cannot get the thing to seal

Hi,

Matt, are you referring to the EGR tube? See pic 1. If that is the part, is there any evidence of damage to either side? Also, are you sure the connection is leaking and it's not the manifold? The exhaust manifolds are known to crack and leak at the manifold gasket. Often, you will hear a ticking sound that lessens as the engine warms up.

If possible, record what you hear and upload it for me to hear.

Let me know.

Joe

That is a common problem with that design. The easiest trick is to lower the pipe down, then go around it with a hammer and gently tap the metal in around the flange where you can see it leaking. You are reforming the seal so that when you tighten the flange bolts it forms to the manifold. Use new studs and nuts. Then run it until the exhaust is hot and then go in and torque the flange nuts down again. It can take 2-3 heat and tighten cycles to get used parts to seal up fully.
Also be sure it is the flange seal; those engines have a bad habit of the manifolds cracking or the bolt heads breaking off and the manifold leaks then.

Those pipes can be a pain, I prefer the style that use a donut for the head pipes, that seal good and are replaceable, all metal ones are good when everything is new, and the metal isn't worn or shifted from heat cycles or rust. Another way to get them to seal is to use a torch to heat the pipe up red then tighten it down and let it cool.