Hi folks. I have a problem with the stock manifolds on my 1994 Firebird V6 3.4L (auto). First of all, the car engine runs kind of rough, and it sounds like there is a manifold leak/crack on the passenger side. This was confirmed by a muffler shop mechanic examining my manifold. He was not able to determine precisly the cource of the problem, as I would have had to pay them some money to attempt dismantling components in order to get to the manifold and do a thorough close-up examination. On the DRIVER side manifold, there appears to be a missing BOLT from the front of the exhaust manifold. Either the bolt is completely missing, or more than likely it broke off.
Because of these manifold issues, I want to get a brand new set of manifolds to replace the stock ones. A friend of mine is a GM mechanic and he can order me the manifolds at dealer cost, but I just checked GMpartsdirect.com and they have an even better price at $127 (US) a piece.
Should I replace my manifolds or just get a set of headers? Will the headers replace the exhaust manifolds, thus eliminating them from the scenario and fixxing my problems? There is a listing on eBay for Camaro V6 headers manufactured by Pacesetter starting at $217. The mechanic at the muffler shop told me he does not recommend headers for a V6... why, I don't know. Are headers overkill for a 3.4L V6, or should I consider getting them instead of ehaust manifolds?
Guidance and advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.