DIY tips for installing extractors yourself??

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

If you are fitting X Force extractors, the LHS is a bitch. The plastic plemum against the firewall has to be undone and pulled up a bit to get them in.

 

[jbray1984]

Jbray, I think the o2 sensors have a connector in the wiring loom, I know as a fact for the post cat ones as I did my cat back myself. Pre cat sensors will be the same I guess....They look like a 4 wire water proof deutz flat plug. You disconnect them first, then undo the o2 sensors as if they are normal bolts.

Oh well, I paid for 2 oxy sensor extensions already on ebay. Doesn't matter.

Yeah I do have 2 jack stands, what I meant was using the jack holding up the weight of the cat and headers as I undo the last 2 header bolts from top.

Thanks, yeah I found it right after I posted...
I was trying to disconnect it somewhere around the bolt, not realizing that the plug was further up. Didn't look far enough lol.

 

[RoaringSky]

If you are fitting X Force extractors, the LHS is a bitch. The plastic plemum against the firewall has to be undone and pulled up a bit to get them in.

OK. Cheers. Mine is xforce. How to undo and remove the plastic covers on the fire wall?

 

[mikey-]

Pull the clips up, then it should just pull off.

Either way, that's if your dropping your extractors from the top I think NAAF was saying?

I put my extractors up from the bottom.

 

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

I don't think X force fit from the bottom from memory. I replaced a set of X Force with Hurricanes and they wouldn't come out the bottom. The Hurricanes went in from there, but the X Force has to come out through the top I think.

 

[RoaringSky]

Pull the clips up, then it should just pull off.

Either way, that's if your dropping your extractors from the top I think NAAF was saying?

I put my extractors up from the bottom.

OK. Where are those clips u r talking about? I'll try to fit them from underneath but if I can't then I have to do it from the top.

 

[mikey-]

Trust me, I looked at doing it from above, there is no room, its stupidly tight.

Where as they slot in piss easy from the bottom, not sure why you'd try doing it from the top first?

 

[RoaringSky]

I installed the extractors and cats myself today. From the bottom, I never intended to put them in from the top. Bit of a misunderstanding there I guess.

Few tips for ppl who are looking into this in the future:

1. The stock header bolts are 1/2", soak them in CRC for few hours before trying to loosen them. I soaked them for 5 hours before I went out then came back.
2. You don't have to remove the plastic covers on the firewall on the passenger side, there's plenty of room as long as you jack up the car as much as possible.
3. Driver side is much harder, the steering column needs to be removed and zipped tied up and aside, but there is a big black rectangular wiring loom plug in the way above it, next to the booster. Pull its locking tab out, then disconnect it, swing it aside, and then the column can swing up enough.
4. The dipstick. It was the BIGGEST bitch of a thing for the whole job. It goes down between no. 3 and 5 port, and tucks JUST behind the engine mount to reach the hole in the sump. So with the new extractors, put it in position, hook up the cat back loosely, then feed the tube down between no. 3 and 5, then between no.1 and the block, then JUST behind the engine mount bracket to reach the sump. I wasted at least 2 hrs just to figure it out, as I was taking it off and put it on, putting in and take out, look on top and go under the car etc to figure out where I was at. Almost decided to remove the starter and bend the tube to custom fit it... Lucky I didn't after some careful observation and a helpful desk lamp!
5. An extra pair of hands and eyes will go a long long long way for this job, refer to last point. It will half your effort and work time, trust me on this! I was working by myself completely, without a hoist, had no idea what I was doing, and I spent 9-10 hours working on it. Thank god its all over!
6. Wear mechanic gloves!!
7. Get a new set of leads and plugs before hand like I did for back up. As I presumed, I got a miss after completed the job. I think a lead is gone during removal. They have done 85,000km so they are getting fragile. Will change them tomorrow.

After all, it is well worth the effort. Good experience for myself and now I got a car that sounds like a real V8. Time for a tune in 3 weeks!!

 

[mikey-]

Glad you got it done.

Don't stress about the miss, just make sure your leads and clipped right onto the plug. You can even ditch the metal surround if it makes it easier. I had the same thing happen, just can be a pain getting the leads to clip on correctly sometimes.

No idea about why people removed plastic covers? I never did.

I also never undid any tabs near the steering column, I just undid it at the base of the shaft and held it aside?

Haha and leave the dipstick in, I justed undid it then pushed it aside, put the extractors in place, pushed it back in place the did it back up?

 

[RoaringSky]

Glad you got it done.

Don't stress about the miss, just make sure your leads and clipped right onto the plug. You can even ditch the metal surround if it makes it easier. I had the same thing happen, just can be a pain getting the leads to clip on correctly sometimes.

No idea about why people removed plastic covers? I never did.

I also never undid any tabs near the steering column, I just undid it at the base of the shaft and held it aside?

Haha and leave the dipstick in, I justed undid it then pushed it aside, put the extractors in place, pushed it back in place the did it back up?

I think the miss is from the massive exhaust leak that it has. They didn't supply me any baskets for the cats...I thought it will be OK. But hell no! Massive leak even at idle. When under load I think the pre cat and post cat Oxy sensors don't agree with each other as the cat is leak I g badly from the mating faces. I changed the leads to new ones today. No difference. It only happens when car is warmed up. So in Closed loop using oxy sensor data it will chuck the piss when I put the foot down even just a little bit more.

My dipstick was fed in between 3 and 5, I had no choice but to remove it otherwise I can't take the factory headers out unless separate the cat and remove from top...

Any way its all done thank god.