Can I just weld my air injection tubes shut?

[ZackN920]

Hey guy's, been awhile... and been busy.

Along with all the normal spring preparation stuff, I've been cleaning up /out my (out of town) garage and all my grounds-keeping equipment. The building was flooded. Had 13" of water in it. All my small engine equipment was under water and just coated with mud/muck/oil and what ever else that was in the water. Not too happy as I've been cleaning/working constantly with it for the last 2 weeks. Cleaning the building and restoring my junk back to running, useable shape.


Well, on to the topic of this thread:

I've apparently always had a SMALL exhaust leak under the hood that I've never really bothered all that much with. It's not really noticeable (while driving) unless the wing-window is open. If that's open, and everything else is shut, it comes in and is easily noticed. Originally, I thought it was mostly from under the vehicle. The Y pipe to exhaust pipe has always been just, sort of a loose connection. It was tight together (held with a traditional exhaust clamp) but when under the vehicle I could see the tell tale soot marks you get with leaks.
That recently came apart again (slipped out) and since I have a welder now, I decided to just weld it. Got it all welded, sealed up (can't feel a leak with it running and my hands on the pipe), but-hmm still have that smell.

Looking more at my air injection tube set up(which is completely useless for me) I found a hole under the valve on the driver side that the old air tube would connect to. This morning while cold I put my hand over it with the engine idling and sure enough, pretty strong little breeze coming out of it. I can only imagine how much comes out during normal driving or even, full throttle shots.

Most of you that know me here, know that I have (well, started with) a total rusty POS. I'm sure the injection bolts WONT come out. So don't even tell me-"just unbolt it and put regular bolts in". That's not happening with this Jeep. and no, I don't want, or plan to pull the manifolds.
So, Can I just cut the tubes flush where they come out of the exhaust manifolds, and just fill that open space with a bb's sized blob of weld?
If that would work, then I don't need to worry about breaking bolts and I can get those damn lines out of my way. Make the engine bay look a little cleaner too!

The air injection is totally in-operable as the pump seized up back when the previous owner had the jeep. I'm not ever going to need it. I just want to seal this leak and get rid of those little lines.

[wiley-moeracing]

Yes, I did that for a customer a while back in the same situation.

[ZackN920]

Awesome, I'll probably do it this afternoon after I clean the spark plugs in my pickup truck... Damn thing fouled em' up.


Wow, you had to do that for someone in Arizona? That sucks, that's supposed to be the rust free area of the country! Being that my Jeep is an IL lifer, it makes some sense that it's rusty...

[wiley-moeracing]

We still have snow country up north, that's where this customers jeep was from.

[JeepJeepster]

Might could just use some vice grips to crimp it shut.

It really cleans up the engine bay when you remove all of that stuff.

[ZackN920]

OK wiley

JeepJeepster- Not where the hole is. Its hard to explain where the hole is and a pic would be easier, but I have no pic atm. Could cut the lines and do that to them, but that just makes things uglier under the hood and a higher potential for me to cut myself when working under the hood.

What I plan to do will remove it all-other than the actual bolt heads. If I try to take the air injection tubes off like you normally would, this would blossom into a huge project. That would lead me to pulling the heads so I can put them on the bench and drill out broken rusted manifold bolts. I don't want to do all that.

[wiley-moeracing]

you should not have to remove the heads, take off the exhaust manifolds instead, if the bolts for the injection tubes are rusted out, buy some used exhaust manifolds, a lot easier and less time than trying to repair.

[nograin]

you should not have to remove the heads, take off the exhaust manifolds instead, if the bolts for the injection tubes are rusted out, buy some used exhaust manifolds, a lot easier and less time than trying to repair.

The hardest part of removing the exhaust manifolds with the engine in may be the head pipes.

Once the manifolds are on the bench, I had great luck removing the banjo bolts with an impact wrench. Easier and less destortion to the bolts than the time I removed them with the manifold on the engine.

I did have to clean up the thread on one hole. The rest were fine. All depends what you find when you take them off.

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=181535

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=184771

[rang-a-stang]

...I'm sure the injection bolts WONT come out. So don't even tell me-"just unbolt it and put regular bolts in". That's not happening with this Jeep. and no, I don't want, or plan to pull the manifolds...

HAHAHA!!! I hear you! I broke 2 of them trying to get my banjo bolts out. It was a total PITA to drill and rethread them. I say cut the tube at the banjo, tap the hole where the tube was and throw a bolt down the hole. If that doesn't hold, weld that hole shut with a nice big blob.

[ZackN920]

I mentioned something earlier about most likely having to pull the heads because I'm sure that I'll also break manifold bolts getting them out. Then I'd have to drill it out, and re tap the hole. Gotta remember, I have a rusty of a Jeep-lol Nothing comes apart easy. Most of the time a monkey wrench is my friend because of rounding off rusty bolt/nut heads.


Well, I cut them off at the banjo fitting, then ground it smooth and filled with weld. All sealed up now on the drivers side! Whew, that assembly had more holes than I thought in it. I should post a pic, but I need to create another flickr account because I already have 1K photos...

Just to note: Pass side isn't leaking yet, and with all the junk on that side I decided to leave it alone for now until I decide to put the new valve cover gaskets in it. I'll also see about replacing the last few vac lines on that side(the "hard to change" one's that go to the metal lines behind the engine that lead to the gas tank) at that time as well.



Hey Rang, that's an idea I never thought of! That shouldn't have been too hard for that side. I didn't mind welding though. I think that was easier anyways. That and I kinda like using my *new* toy.

[61Hawk]

What I did (just last night) was cut the tubes off flush with the ring that the bolt goes through. Using a small die grinder, ground them flush to the ring. Then filled the small tube hole with Permatex Muffler & Tailpipe Sealer. The stuff cures like concrete and expands a little when cured so hopefully I have an upside down mushroom inside the tube. I have the replacement bolts, but I figured I'd end up breaking at least one bolt removing them. Have driven it about 60 miles since and no issues. I didn't get to the rear passenger side one, that one was cut off and crimped, figured I'd run into an issue with that one and end up spending the day pulling the heater core box to repair.


Update: Changed spark plugs today, took the rear tube on the passenger side off and ground it flush and plugged with the Permatex sealer. I was able to easily get my small angle die grinder with a roloc sanding disk back there.