04 durango limited 4.7l. when i start engine a loud ticking/exhaust sound comes from the passenger side of engine compartment. the sound is still there but not as prevalent after ignition. i crawled under and it appears to be coming from somewhere between cat. converter and manifold. sending to garage asap. when i called they suggested a broken bolt in the valve. i also just changed the spark plugs about 1000 miles ago and am hoping that wouldn't cause a valve problem. any suggestions?

actually it makes more of a loud rumble sound at startup

 

I bet you have a broken manifold stud or two,
FF

 

thx for imput. been looking thru forum and that seems to be response to other similar situations. also, ive been thinking bout getting aftermarket exhaust and intake once i got the $. If theres a manifold problem this may be the time to do that. any suggestions? also saw someone post that they got rid of the manifold and got headers instead. good idea? wat kind of price difference am i looking at to replace manifold with headers if it even comes to that

 

I am not sure if a lot of manufactures make exhaust headers for the 4.7. You can check out Summit's website or JBA. I have AEM's cold air intake for the last four years without any problems. Magnaflow or flowmaster would be a good choice for a cat-back exhaust system,
FF

 

+2 on broken or loose manifold bolts. Very common on the 4.7 motors.

 

So i determined that it is the rear to exhaust manifold studs, on the right side of engine, that are broken off. Now i want to decide if this is something that i want to fix myself...mechanic showed me the parts and problem...seems do able as long as i can get the old bolts and studs off. Set of 8 gaskets (both sides) for $18.00 and nuts, bolts, and studs at about $3.50 apiece.....

The problem i am seeing/reading in the Haynes manual is that they say specifically for the right manifold of the 4.7 engine you must: drain engine coolant, remove air inlet duct, remove air conditioning compressor, remove accumulator bracket, remove heater hoses, and remove starter...woahhh..what is all this just to remove the manifold? Is all this needed? why just the right side manifold on the 4.7?

that will be the deciding factor as to whether i do this myself or even attempt it. i like to take care of things on my vehicle but removing all these other components will be getting over my head

cant i just get under there remove the manifold from exhaust pipe and engine and re-attach with new hardware and gaskets make sure the leak is gone and be done with it? why remove all the other stuff?