Drove my 2 door Escort the other day, didn't get far before I heard a huge bang, and then the engine was EXTREMELY loud...
When I stopped, I discovered why it was so loud...
The exhaust manifold is now a two-piece item...
Have a look for yourself:
Broken manifold pic
I think it was caused by the fact that when the new exhaust was installed ages ago, they didn't install it properly, and the weight of the entire exhaust system was being held in place at only two points, one of them being the exhaust manifold at the engine itself. This did not become apparent until the manifold broke the other day as shown in the picture above, and the entire exhaust dropped almost to the ground, so before I stopped it was actually scraping on the ground when I went over a bump.
I've learnt my lesson now, don't assume that because you've paid for someone to work on your car, that they've done the job properly.
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