That puts the crack where it'* visible to the naked eye, and I'm assuming he didn't remove the heat shield. If it'* visible to the naked eye, and it'* on the bend of the header, a blind paraplegic welder could do this in a snowstorm.

Since the victim has actually SEEN the crack, and has described it, I'm assuming it'* VISIBLE ABOVE the heat shield. That being the case, take it to a welder and have it done in place for $20.

That'* only the part of the crack that is visable though Will. These have a tendency to crack ALL the way around that bend & the part of the bend goes under the heat shield. Also, A welder might not actually weld it on the car as if done wrong he will "FRY" the ECU too! Also, the heat shield is spot welded on too BTW. Trust me on this one old friend, I've seen this up REAL close & I've got two headers downstairs in my basement too that still need to be welded up again too.

If you see a crack now, there is almost certainly other structural failure that will become evident over time. You're just resisting the inevitable if you don't replace the manifold now.

Take DeathRat'* advice & replace with a good salvaged manifold & aftermarket gasket.

i had a freind with century(3.3liter) very simalar engine cracked maniflod just get it replaced around here it costs about 60 for the part and 50 for labor it will just get worse welding is quick fix but thats not the right way to do it!!

Your best bet is to replace it, after all welding it will only hold the crack for a while and weaken the rest of the metal.

However, if you're like me and not rich, I'd weld it in place like Will said to hold it until you can save up some money for a manifold. Yes, $50 is hard to come by...

i've been driving around with a cracked manifold for about 8 months now, the only problem is that you can get monox in the cabin, as far as performace and a valve burning, i have never heard of that, and niether has my mechanic, and a few other i asked at the dealership, as i was worried about it.

Just to set your mind at ease about the valve, i e-mailed a cadillac tech to find out for sure what the deal with this burnt valve stuff here is what he had to say.......

"I have no idea how that old wives tale got started...I have heard it too...the idea that "cold" air will get sucked in and "warp" the valve. Realize that the AIR system for emission control actively PUMPS fresh, cold air into the exhaust manifold...and that has never burned a valve. The 2000 and later Northstars have a drilled passage in the head to inject the AIR immediately at the exhaust valves....and that has never burned an exhaust valve.

Rest easy about burning an exhaust valve but get the cracked manifold fixed least someone experience CO and/or CO2 poisoning due to fumes in the cabin. This can easily happen as the inlet for the HVAC is in the cowl at the base of the windshield and any fumes from the exhaust manifold crack can exit the opening at the rear of the hood."

so there you have it, the only real danger is that you could get POISONED, wich is actully worse.

For what it'* worth, I just finished welding my exhaust manifold a couple of weeks ago. I do own a Mig welder, so I have an advantage. Drilled out the rivets that held two heatshield halves in place (one spot weld too!) and repaired the cracks. I did find more cracks once I got in there, but if welded properly (drilling at boths of the crack to "stress relieve" it) it shouldnt give any more problems. I've dont this a few times, and havent had any problems yet, and as far as the folklore on the exhaust valves, I dont think you'd get that much backflow from a crack. Being at the dragstrip (on cool fall evenings) with open headers, I was always careful not to slowdown by "Engine Braking" and suck cold air into the exhaust, but neverthelessfor the guys that did, it never became a problem. Offer one of your buddys a steak dinner for welding it up, and get out the "Liquid Wrench" buy exhaust gaskets and take it off. Do not skip putting the heat shield back on when done, remember, a team of engineers decided to do this for a reason, dont challenge them now.

So far I have not detected any fumes or smell of exhaust of any kind in the cabin. I am aware this could be a problem and I am always very careful to make sure I keep some kind of ventilation going by either keeping a window cracked or the sunroof in the vent position. My main concern was the worry about engine damage (burnt piston) or some other problem. The crack itself is small but I have started to notice a slight ticking when I do a hard accelleration but there in no noise when at idle or cruising.