ilike2eatricers

Ok well since I need to pass smog I bought a corksport downpipe (main cat replacement) and a bonez main high flow cat and will be bolting up the stock catback.

Right now a custom exhaust is installed from the previous owner that has been on the car for a year or two.

How much time should I alot for myself to take off the old exhaust and bolt everything else back on. I bought all new gaskets and should be receiving everything tomorrow.

Is the downpipe hard to get to or install?

One last question. The custom exhaust that is on the car now has no cats but the airpump is still on the car and working. On the corksport downpipe there is a flange for the air pump and I was wondering what would attach to this flange. I havent had a chance to look under the car yet to see if whatever is supposed to connect to it is there. If it is not there what can I do about replacing it with an alternative. I do not want to burn up my brand new cat because air is not being pumped into the cat.

Thanks all for reading this long post.

Ryde _Or_Die

The corksport DP has a spot for the air pump tube to go or for the O2 sensor? Does that DP even bolt up to the bonez cat? Isn't the cat 2.5"? Just wondering by the way.

ilike2eatricers

This is the downpipe I bought


It is supposed to bolt up to the stock cat because the flange is tapered down to 2.5 inch.

I think the flange I was asking about is for the o2 sensor.

I got under my car after I got off work and for the life of me I could not get the turbo heat shield off. I snapped one of the bolts accidently (it was rusted pretty badly).

Any pointers on gettin the heat shield off without destroying it? I broke off the one right in front of my face when under the car looking straight up and removed two from the top in the engine bay and still cant remove it. Am I missing some other nuts or something?

ilike2eatricers

anybody get the turbo heat shield off without breaking it?

ilike2eatricers

bump

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

Wrong thread - sorry.

Hey, free bump.

ilike2eatricers

Well I did some searching and it turns out that most people cut their turbo heat shield or break it since it is all rusted out already.

Mine only has minor rust but I still cant get it off. Help please.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Yeah, usually you just kill the heat shield that's on the pre-cat around the O2 sensor. The fasteners that hold it on are typically rusted in place and snap immediately.

Taking the precat off is the big chore, but it's worth taking it off ONCE and putting on a downpipe that is super easy to remove.

The other chore in the process are the nuts that hold the precat to the turbo. Mazda has lock tabs bent around the nuts that you have to bend out to remove the nuts. Not hard in principle, just not a lot of room to get at them.

Just be patient and take your time - it's not a difficult project, just time consuming.

Also, you will need to drop the WHOLE exhaust - the way the studs are on the cats, you can't get enough slack to remove components without the rest of the exhaust being removed.

Probably a full day of work, but you'll be VERY happy once it's all done.

Dale

ilike2eatricers

Thanks for the reply.

Actually there are no cats on the car right now and I just need to remove the heatshield to remove the old exhaust and install the downpipe. It doesnt even seem like I can snap the heatshield off. I may have to use my tin snips if I can get it off without breaking it.

From the searches some say that they have been running without their heatshields for years and have had no problem whereas others say that the engine bay temps rise greatly and the heat can be felt through the carpet in the cabin. I would like to do it the correct way if possible.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

The heatshield that you have to remove to pull the precat won't have any effect if you don't reinstall it - you'll be fine. The big heatshields under the car that are attached to the body of the car (which you don't have to mess with to do exhaust) will contribute to a hot cabin and the like if you remove them.

The heatshield on the precat makes sense, since the precat gets REALLY hot. Downpipes are much cooler running.

Just cut it off and junk it.

Dale

jetfire76

you shouldnt need to drop the whole exhaust. you can just unscrew the hanger mounts on the midpipe and take off the hangers on the Y-pipe. after you unbolt the DP you should be able to push everything back to get it off. takes a little bit of muscle, obviously, but not too much. the rear hangers should stretch enough to give you the slack to slip the DP off.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Depends on how saggy your exhaust hangers are . I highly recommend doing it the right way - trying to force it to pop off results in damaged gaskets and gouged studs. Been there, tried that.

You save a little time, but end up creating long-term problems - snapping the stud because you gouged it up and the nut is stuck on it, a gasket that leaks, etc. Not worth it.

Dale

Ryde _Or_Die

Yep, I just took off my precat and main cat and left the stock catback.

ilike2eatricers

UPDATE:

I received all my parts bonez high flow main cat replacement, corksport downpipe and all new gaskets.
The corksport downpipe bolts on flush with the high flow cat by the way for anybody wondering.

I am going to install all this with the stock catback. Wish I had a digi cam on me to take pics of the stuff and install. They look nice and seem high quality.

Any last advice on how to go about doing this or any problem areas people ran into while doing their exhausts. Thanks again.

ilike2eatricers

well I installed it all today. Took me a total of about 4 hours by myself and the help of cinder blocks to hold up the exhaust. It was kind of difficult getting some of the rubber donuts off the mufflers by myself and other than that it was easy. Just time consuming like you all said.

The left muffler is in closer to the bumper than the right muffler but it doesnt bug me much since I will be swapping it out after smog.

Review:

Going from a full open exhaust to downpipe/high flow cat I didnt notice too much of a performance loss but dindt really push it too hard.

Going to get it smogged tomorrow... I have my fingers crossed.