mikey-
Member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2013
- Messages
- 225
- Reaction score
- 4
- Points
- 18
- Location
- Perth, WA
- Members Ride
- VE SS Sportwagon
When I refer to the front or back, or LHS and RHS, it is as viewed from the driver seat.
Basically my technique was to start at the back removing everything and work forwards, then start installing at the front and work backwards.
Time Needed:
I don't do a great deal of work on cars, and my old man hasn't done a great deal in the last 20 years either, but we are both handy enough on the tools.
It took us approx 3 hours to do it all.
If we were to do a second set, I'd say <2 hour is achievable now we know what we are doing, and some of the tricks and problem areas.
What I used:
4x Axle stands
1x Crappy little trolly jack
Basic hand tools
Prep:
1. Put the car on stands, or ramps. The higher you get it, the easier your life becomes.
2. Be careful doing this, I never feel safe putting a car completely up on stands, but it's gotta be done for this really.
3. I unplugged the battery at this point as well, not sure if you need to, but I did it.
Removal Cat Back
1. Undo the 2 bolts on each side that hold the rear mufflers to the middle section of the cat back.
2. Pull both rear mufflers out of the rubber hangers. Mufflers now removed.
3. Remove the tunnel brace (4 more bolts)
4. Unplug the 2 O2 sensors (just unplug them for now, they will be way to tight to bother trying to undo them while underneath the car)
5. Undo the 4 bolts that hold the cat back to the factory cats.
6. Slide the rear of the cat back out of the rubbers and lower it to the ground (2 people made this easier, one at each end).
This took me approx 30minutes. Now I've done it once before, I'd say the next time would only be a 15minute job.
Removal Exhaust Manifold and Cats
This took me I'd say over an hour and a half. Realistically, now I've done it once, I could do it in 30 minutes.
I made a decent mistake here that now you guys wont have to as I'm telling you not to. Leave the cats attached to the exhaust manifold. There is no need to remove them, it's a pain in the ass to do, and it gains nothing.
1. Unplug the 2 O2 sensors in the cats. These are abit harder to reach the plugs, but it's do-able.
2. Remove the leads, they just pull off at the top and bottom, nothing fancy, but they might be tight.
3. Undo the bolt holding the dipstick bracket to the head, no need to remove the dipstick, just push it out the way a little.
4. Go along and crack all the bolts on the exhaust manifold, I think they were 1/2" (bloody yanky engine, everything else was metric).
NOTE: The rear LHS bolt is such a pain to access, it took me ages to remove, doing on tiny tiny increments of a turn.
5. Now remove all of the bolts, except I left the front and rear bolts still in the manifold, but quite loose.
6. Get someone under the car to support the manifold and cats, while someone removes the last 2 bolts.
7. Both sides will drop through to the bottom without any issues. Nothing needs to be moved, this is straight forward.
8. Throw horrible stock cats and headers in bin (I kept mine, just incase of defect)
Installing Extractors:
1. On the RHS you will see a steering shaft that goes from the firewall down to the steering rack. On the steering rack end there is a bolt that clamps this shaft to a uni-joint type thing. Undo this bolt. I had to open the clamp up a little with a screw driver and the shaft came off the uni-joint pretty easily. I then cable-tied the shaft to something on the RHS of the engine bay to keep it out of the way.
2. Place the O2 sensor extension harness on the LHS, this is hard once the extractors in (RHS does not need an extension).
3. Place the exhaust manifold gasket against the head and screw the front and rear bolt into the head a just enough so you can sit the extractors on these bolts. Do this to each side.
4. Pass the extractors up from the bottom and sit them on the 2 bolts you just prepared. Now begin to add the other 4 bolts into the head. I had someone support the weight of the extractors while I put the bolts in. Snug them all down gently.
5. Torque the bolts to 15Nm first pass, then to 20Nm for a final pass.
NOTE: This is what I did, it might be wrong, but it was the info I found on the net.
6. Attach the steering shaft again, I found this was easiest from underneath the car.
7. Put leads back on.
8. Screw back down dipstick.
Installing Cats:
1. Push the cat onto the rubber exhaust hanger.
2. Place a gasket between extractors and cats and do up the 4 bolts.
3. Repeat for other side.
4. Install 2 O2 sensors and plug them in.
Installing Cat back:
1. Put the rear of the center section on the rubber hangers.
2. Place a gasket between cats and cat back and do up the 4 bolts.
3. Place the rear muffler in the rubber hanger, do up the 2 bolts (repeat for other side).
4. Install 2 O2 sensors and plug them in.
And thats about it I think!!!!!! I'll read it over, see if I can think of anything I missed... But it's all pretty easy. Only thing that gets in the way is that steering shaft, which is really simple to move. And only pain in the ass bolt is the LHS rear exhaust manifold one.
Basically my technique was to start at the back removing everything and work forwards, then start installing at the front and work backwards.
Time Needed:
I don't do a great deal of work on cars, and my old man hasn't done a great deal in the last 20 years either, but we are both handy enough on the tools.
It took us approx 3 hours to do it all.
If we were to do a second set, I'd say <2 hour is achievable now we know what we are doing, and some of the tricks and problem areas.
What I used:
4x Axle stands
1x Crappy little trolly jack
Basic hand tools
Prep:
1. Put the car on stands, or ramps. The higher you get it, the easier your life becomes.
2. Be careful doing this, I never feel safe putting a car completely up on stands, but it's gotta be done for this really.
3. I unplugged the battery at this point as well, not sure if you need to, but I did it.
Removal Cat Back
1. Undo the 2 bolts on each side that hold the rear mufflers to the middle section of the cat back.
2. Pull both rear mufflers out of the rubber hangers. Mufflers now removed.
3. Remove the tunnel brace (4 more bolts)
4. Unplug the 2 O2 sensors (just unplug them for now, they will be way to tight to bother trying to undo them while underneath the car)
5. Undo the 4 bolts that hold the cat back to the factory cats.
6. Slide the rear of the cat back out of the rubbers and lower it to the ground (2 people made this easier, one at each end).
This took me approx 30minutes. Now I've done it once before, I'd say the next time would only be a 15minute job.
Removal Exhaust Manifold and Cats
This took me I'd say over an hour and a half. Realistically, now I've done it once, I could do it in 30 minutes.
I made a decent mistake here that now you guys wont have to as I'm telling you not to. Leave the cats attached to the exhaust manifold. There is no need to remove them, it's a pain in the ass to do, and it gains nothing.
1. Unplug the 2 O2 sensors in the cats. These are abit harder to reach the plugs, but it's do-able.
2. Remove the leads, they just pull off at the top and bottom, nothing fancy, but they might be tight.
3. Undo the bolt holding the dipstick bracket to the head, no need to remove the dipstick, just push it out the way a little.
4. Go along and crack all the bolts on the exhaust manifold, I think they were 1/2" (bloody yanky engine, everything else was metric).
NOTE: The rear LHS bolt is such a pain to access, it took me ages to remove, doing on tiny tiny increments of a turn.
5. Now remove all of the bolts, except I left the front and rear bolts still in the manifold, but quite loose.
6. Get someone under the car to support the manifold and cats, while someone removes the last 2 bolts.
7. Both sides will drop through to the bottom without any issues. Nothing needs to be moved, this is straight forward.
8. Throw horrible stock cats and headers in bin (I kept mine, just incase of defect)
Installing Extractors:
1. On the RHS you will see a steering shaft that goes from the firewall down to the steering rack. On the steering rack end there is a bolt that clamps this shaft to a uni-joint type thing. Undo this bolt. I had to open the clamp up a little with a screw driver and the shaft came off the uni-joint pretty easily. I then cable-tied the shaft to something on the RHS of the engine bay to keep it out of the way.
2. Place the O2 sensor extension harness on the LHS, this is hard once the extractors in (RHS does not need an extension).
3. Place the exhaust manifold gasket against the head and screw the front and rear bolt into the head a just enough so you can sit the extractors on these bolts. Do this to each side.
4. Pass the extractors up from the bottom and sit them on the 2 bolts you just prepared. Now begin to add the other 4 bolts into the head. I had someone support the weight of the extractors while I put the bolts in. Snug them all down gently.
5. Torque the bolts to 15Nm first pass, then to 20Nm for a final pass.
NOTE: This is what I did, it might be wrong, but it was the info I found on the net.
6. Attach the steering shaft again, I found this was easiest from underneath the car.
7. Put leads back on.
8. Screw back down dipstick.
Installing Cats:
1. Push the cat onto the rubber exhaust hanger.
2. Place a gasket between extractors and cats and do up the 4 bolts.
3. Repeat for other side.
4. Install 2 O2 sensors and plug them in.
Installing Cat back:
1. Put the rear of the center section on the rubber hangers.
2. Place a gasket between cats and cat back and do up the 4 bolts.
3. Place the rear muffler in the rubber hanger, do up the 2 bolts (repeat for other side).
4. Install 2 O2 sensors and plug them in.
And thats about it I think!!!!!! I'll read it over, see if I can think of anything I missed... But it's all pretty easy. Only thing that gets in the way is that steering shaft, which is really simple to move. And only pain in the ass bolt is the LHS rear exhaust manifold one.
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