I believe I am in need of replacing the manifold gaskets due to the fact that I can smell exhaust inside the cabin and there is a ticking noise that has gotten progressively worse from the right side bank of the engine compartment. I was looking inside and it looks relatively easy but I wanted to ask if anyone has encountered any issues that I should be aware of when doing the job or has any quick tips to make my life easier?

Second part....when up shifting there is an intermittent clunk. It does not happen all the time and is hard to reproduce when needed to diagnos. I was told by a mechanic 2 years ago that it could be a mount on the rear axle. Has anyone ran across this issue and if so what is the fix if you know.

Thank you for your help.