vn exhaust header leaking

[vnv6s]

When i bought this VN with 2.5" lukey catback exauhst the guy said there was a hole in the exhaust, but on inspection the exhaust is fine alomst new throughout with no cracks or holes.

The is some leakage on the header and im trying to find out if its a standard or aftermarket header. When I took it off it had no gasket and i know extractors dont use gaskets but this dosnt look like an extractor. so i cleaned up the header and exhaust manifold and put it back on but still the same thing. The other side has no noise or leaking and I CBF checking it as ill have to dismantle too much.

Should there be a gasket there and If so why would someone put it back on without one.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Originally there were no gaskets used on manifolds, just sealant. If they are cast heavy things with two bolts that hold the engine pipe to it, then it would be a factory manifold. Use an O2 sensor safe sealant like Ultra Blue or Silver Seal when putting it back together and you should be right.

[vnv6s]

yea it must be a factory manifold, will try get some sealant on it now and see what happens.

P.S im use to 202 engines so the 3.8 V6 is a little different lol

[Cheap6]

Originally there were no gaskets used on manifolds, just sealant.

Actually, with nothing at all. The factory manifolds don't need one to seal if the mounting faces are clean and flat.

With the original cast iron manifolds, the leak may be from a crack (in the manifold), between the runners for cyl. 3 and 5. (If it is the LHS). Sometimes it can be hard to see, esp. if it hasn't been leaking long enough to build up much Carbon residue.

If that is where it is leaking from, forget a new genuine manifold - they are ~$300 last time I checked. Most of the ones from wreckers are also cracked - look very closely because sometimes the cracks are very small/just starting - but the manifolds can still be found (VP and VR use the same part). Alternatively, there is a QLD based co. (I'll dig it up if you need it) that makes a reinforced replacement for about $180, or it's time for extractors.

If you do use a cast manifold, there is another reason to use a gasket and that is that it allows the manifold to move relative to the head, meaning the replacement manifold is less likely to crack.

[vnv6s]

well i tried the sealant and still has a small leak so im guessing it is cracked as Cheap6 said, so i've decided to save my time looking for another manifold that is in good condition and just get a set of extractors.

Thanks for the help guys