exhaust problem

[killacheyenne]

so i had a wheel come off my truck the other day and went i went into the ditch my exhaust broke off the stock manifold, but there still is a little bit of an exhaust...so my question is can i run my truck like this and not hurt my engine

[nicolas72gmc]

You had a wheel come off of your truck? How fast were you going? Man that sucks. I wouldn't run it like that, I would try to find some replacment manifolds. good luck

[killacheyenne]

yea the wheel came off at about 55 or so but i managed to keep it on the road until the end...and the closest exhaust shop is about 10 miles...is it safe to drive there

[Wideopenracing15]

My advice would be to get yourself some headers anyways. But to answer your question is yes but not recommended if all else fails. The reason why it can hurt it is because after you run it for awhile and shut it off cold air will run up the manifold and warp your valves. Also when you run it that way backpressure isnt equal in the motor making and having half the block with more stress than the other doesnt seem good in my eyes.
But i guess you could if you had to, like i said, I'd just get some headers now that you have an excuse.
Maybe someone smarter than me will chime in so you don't base your decision on me

[nicolas72gmc]

I wouldn't do it personally. I'm not an engine expert, but common sense tells me not to run it like that. I would try to catch a ride or borrow someones car for 45 minutes before I would possibly do more unnecessary damage to my engine. just my .02

[kwmech]

I'd put the wheel back on first.

[unclewatts]

Wideopenracing15 is right. I have heard several knowledgeable people say that you can warp your valves because cold air can get into your combustion chambers. Besides, you'll definitely get a ticket for excessive noise if you come within a half mile of a cop.

[Green Machine]

Exactly how much exhaust is left ? Makes a difference if it broke off right at the manifolds or if you have a crossover pipe left or 2-3 feet of pipe still on there.

[KEL]

I agree with putting the wheel back on first.

[Longhorn Man]

I call BS on the cold air warping the valves.
I drove an 81 chevy citation for about a year.... through an Ohio winter even... with nothing but an exhaust manifold. Never a single problem with the valves.
This is a bogus old wives tale.
At best, it is left over from old times and is no longer aplicable, but still preached.

Grab some ear plugs, and drive it to the pipe shop.


Put the wheel on first.
Recheck the lug nuts after 3 miles, then again at 6, and then when you get to the piipe place.

[pumpkin]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

BSI call on the cold air warping the valves.
I drove an 81 chevy citation for about a year.... through an Ohio winter even... with nothing but an exhaust manifold. Never a single problem with the valves.
This is a bogus old wives tale.
At best, it is left over from old times and is no longer aplicable, but still preached.

Grab some ear plugs, and drive it to the pipe shop.


Put the wheel on first.
Recheck the lug nuts after 3 miles, then again at 6, and then when you get to the piipe place.

Now this is the truth,,,,,,,,,,,,,,damn old wives. They only possable danger is catching something on fire as the flames shoot out of the manifold.

[Longhorn Man]

the fire out the manifold is true.

[69GMCLonghorn]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

I call BS on the cold air warping the valves.
I drove an 81 chevy citation for about a year.... through an Ohio winter even... with nothing but an exhaust manifold. Never a single problem with the valves.
This is a bogus old wives tale.
At best, it is left over from old times and is no longer aplicable, but still preached.

Grab some ear plugs, and drive it to the pipe shop.


Put the wheel on first.
Recheck the lug nuts after 3 miles, then again at 6, and then when you get to the piipe place.

You readily admit in public that you drove a Citation?!?! You are a brave man!

Funny related story: 100 years ago when I was in high school auto shop, the teacher (who smoked and drank beer in class!) had his wife's Citation in the shop. It had run out of water and she kept driving it until the top end siezed. So we pulled it apart, did a valve job on it and got it running in about a month. 2 weeks later, it's back in the shop, top end siezed AGAIN... There was a slight water leak in the radiator, and AGAIN she didn't look at the temp gauge and drove it till the valves fell off... He junked the car, and probably his wife after that.

[Longhorn Man]

i was in highschool when I drove that turd... I beat the crap out of that thing and it kept asking for more, but the ramping over the tracks finally claimed it.

[Jack_71C10]

I drove a citation x11 in high school and college also.
It was pretty quick, but my neck was always sore from looking
at the radio sideways.

[72BlckButy]

I drove my '69 i-6 250 without exhaust on several small trips (under 10 miles) before I was able to make a 20 mile trip to the exhaust shop. No issues....

[bobbo]

It is an old wives tale...I drove my truck 15 - 20 miles after getting the first motor in to the exhaust shop with no pipes off the stock ram horn manifold. I have heard that it can damage valves, but haven't ever heard of it happening. I understand the thought of cold air POSSIBLY warping the valves, but maybe you need better parts.

[71tahoe]

I've heard the valve warp thing too. There would have to be an extreme temp diff to do that. On the remote, remote chance that it might possibly have a very small, insignificant possibility of being true, September in Arkansas is NOT cold!!!!!!!!!!

Drive it (with wheel reattached of course)

[mikey531]

Back in the day we used to race old coupes with nothing but six inch pipes bolted to the block. We didn't know about headers and warped valves just raced all year !

[Wideopenracing15]

That maybe true about the valves not warping but i wouldn't drive it very long without pipes. You can never tell me that it could be good for it.