OEM 2003 Dodge Neon Exhaust Manifold

2003 Dodge Neon Exhaust Manifold Parts and Q&A

• Q: How to Service and Repair an Exhaust Manifold on 2003 Dodge Neon?

  A: Before touching the exhaust manifold for service and repair, you should disable the battery and put the car on a lift. Before anything else, take the nut that fastens the wire harness heat shield to the exhaust manifold support bracket off, then take out the exhaust manifold support bracket. After that, disconnect the fasteners holding the exhaust flex joint to the exhaust manifold flange and then roll the exhaust forward so it will clear the studs. Drop the vehicle and unconnect the make-up air hose from the cover at the rear of the cylinder head and also disconnect the oxygen sensor harness clip and connector. Take out the bolts that connect the heat shield and upper heat shield to remove them and remove the bolts holding the manifold. When that's done, lift the exhaust manifold from its position above the cylinder head and at the top of the vehicle. Get rid of the gasket, if you have one and thoroughly clean the manifold and cylinder head. Check for flatness near the manifold inserts using a straight edge, with a variation of 0.15 mm within every 300 mm (0.006 inch every foot) of manifold length and replace the manifold if it shows any cracks or distortion. To install, put the exhaust manifold and gasket in the correct location, then bolt the manifold securely using the right series of steps up to 23 Nm (200 in. lbs.). Set the lower and upper heat shield on the exhaust manifold, bolt them into place and tighten the bolts to 11 Nm (95 in. lbs.). Make sure to plug the oxygen sensor's electrical connector and harness clip in, after which line up the make-up air hose on the cylinder head cover port. Once the vehicle is up again, set a new flex joint at the manifold gasket, install the exhaust part to the manifold and tighten the fasteners to 28 Nm (250 in. lbs.). Set up the exhaust manifold support bracket and attach it with all fasteners, then attach the wire harness heat shield-to-support bracket bolt. Raise the vehicle after disconnecting the positive cable, then attach the negative cable to the battery.