No but an engine running like that can damage the valves.
On the right rear of the exhaust manifold ( behind the exhaust manifold) , you will have to turn the engine to get to it . (* check out chilton manaul for 98-? for vans and trucks .
It is right below the exhaust manifold before the down turn of the exhaust pipe and before the catalytic converter.
a cam in engine is to operate the lifters which in turn open and close the inlet and exhaust valves
EGR should turn on Service Engine light on 96 and later. The tube / pipe to the exhaust manifold can also become blocked. EGR could cause rough engine. Many other possibilities.
it wont have valves in the head. If you remove the exhaust pipe from the head and turn over the engine by hand, there will only be a piston and no valves moving.
When the driver let's off the gas pedal going into a turn raw fuel gets pumped into the exhaust manifold. The manifold is so hot the fuel ignites and you see flames from the exhaust pipe. It's totally normal.
Exhaust gases from engine spin the blades which in turn drive a turbine in the inlet manifold that forces air into a engine.
I don't know if this is your trouble, but I had the same situation or similar.It was explained to me that the exhaust manifold on maxima's have a tendency to heat up and warp; separating them from the engine exhaust ports and the bolt breaks. I think you need to replace the exhaust manifold. It is a bit expensive having a professional do the job. Well worth the cash. At least to me.
The engine will have one exhaust manifold attached to each "bank" of cylinders. In a v6 or v8, there would be an exhaust manifold on each side of the 'V'. With the transverse mounting of the front wheel drive, the manifolds are at the front and back of the engine. On a 4 cylinder, there's only 1 bank, so just one exhaust manifold. (NOTE: there hasn't been a 4 cylinder Taurus since 1986) On the front and back of the engine it will have three pipes coming out of the engine that turn into one pipe that goes all the way back to the muffler
A timing belt is driven by the crank shaft and allows the camshaft to turn,which opens and closes intake and exhaust valves in their proper timing sequence.
You might have an oil leak that gets on to the exhaust manifold. Check the gasket around the upper part of the engine.
The exhaust pipe will turn red when the engine is running lean. You may have an EGR valve problem, vacuum leak or other problems that can cause the engine to run lean. A lean running engine can burn valves or pistons and causes other problems. Whatever the cause, it needs to be repaired before you put more miles on the engine, otherwise you'll ruin it, if you haven't already.