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Author Topic: How To: Install Headers  (Read 35944 times)
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MyNameIsThien
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« on: February 14, 2009, 09:04:18 PM »

Stock Exhaust Manifold Removal


1.Pull your TSX into your work location. This is preferably a clean and flat concrete surface.
2. Pop and prop the hood. If the engine is hot, allow the motor to cool. You can speed up this process by aiming a good sized fan at the motor. (I just rest my plastic-bodied fan directly on top of the motor and fire it directly down)
3. Remove the factory heat shield from the exhaust manifold. There are 3 bolts (12mm) securing it to the upper portion of the manifold. the lowermost bolt is a bit of a stretch to reach - you may have more success getting at it from below. Fortunately I was able to reach it with my air-powered socket wrench (air tools sure are handy sometimes).
4. With a 14mm socket and a breaker bar (use a short extension if you have clearance issues with the chassis brace), loosen (but don't fully remove) the 3 bolts and 2 nuts that hold the OEM exhaust manifold in place
5. Set the parking brake and chock the rear wheels. If you don't have access to a lift, use a good floor jack to raise the front of the car (there is a jacking point centered about 12" aft of the front bumper under the car). If using a floor jack, after raising the car about 10-12" off the floor, place jackstands underneath the jacking points on the sides of the car and lower it onto the jackstands.
6. Put on some safety glasses, then crawl underneath the car with your breaker bar, a socket wrench, a crescent wrench, a small plastic bowl to keep track of the parts that you will be removing and replacing, and 12mm and 14mm sockets. It's probably a good idea to take some socket extensions with you too.
7. Using the crescent wrench (or spanner, if you prefer), loosen the 02 sensor, which you will find just on the left side of the header immediately fore of the flex pipe. Remove the 02 sensor and then use a zip tie or something to secure it out of the way while you remove the header.
8. Remove the (3) 14mm nuts securing the manifold to the catalytic converter.
9. Remove the bolt that secures the exhaust manifold bracket to the engine block.
10. Remove the 3 bolts and 2 nuts that secure the upper portion of the exhaust manifold to the cylinder head.
11. Separate the lower portion of the exhaust manifold from the rubber hanger (near the catalytic converter)
12. Pull the manifold away from the catalytic converter while supporting the upper portion. A helper from above may be useful.
13. Pull the upper portion of the exhaust manifold away from the cylinder head (and clear of the 3 bolts protruding from the head), and then carefully drop it down from the car.


DC Sports Header Installation


1. Inspect the original exhaust manifold gasket and replace it if it is damaged.
2. I should have thought of this earlier myself, but to protect the finish of the header, wrap the header in some old T-Shirts or towels and then secure with masking tape or elecrical tape, being extremely careful not to let the tape actually touch the header at any point - just wrap it around the shirt or towels themselves. This will help protect the finish when you fit the header through the opening underneath the car.
3. The included instructions call for the header to be installed in two pieces, but I believe it can fit as a single piece. I didn't try it that way, but after installing another (1-piece) header, I found it much easier to handle it as a single piece. Be sure to insert the included gaskets when joining the upper and lower portion with the included bolts. (If you successfully install a DC Sports header as a single piece, let us know and I will update the article.)
4. Once the header is lined up properly with the head (make sure the manifold gasket on the head side is properly aligned), torque the nuts and bolts to 33 lb-ft (some may be easier to reach from above). If you are installing the header in two pieces, the job is much easier if you have a helper holding the upper portion in place from above.
5. On the catalyst side, torque the nuts to 25lb-ft. Don't forget to insert the 3rd (included) hard O-ring gasket between the cat and the rear flange on the header.
6. Install the 02 sensor into the bung on the DC Header and torque it to 33lb-ft.
7. Remove the protective padding from the header and then clean the header as well as you can. Double check all of the connections.
8. Lower the car off the jack stands
9. Start the motor and listen for any signs of exhaust leaks. If all sounds well, take it for a spin and enjoy. If there is definitely a leak, don't drive the car until it is identified and fixed.






Courtesy of TOV.
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rjp6262
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« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2009, 09:32:14 AM »

nice DIY only i have an issue. and rather than start a new thread i thought i should post it here.

anyway my issue is that i have stripped the heads to one of the bolts that holds the stock exhaust manifold down. and i have no freaking clue of how im going to get that sucker out of there. any suggestions? maybe cutting the thing out? if so what should i use to cut it out? then if im going to have to cut it out of there, what kind of a bolt should i put in there?

oh and i stripped the bolt head. just to clarify. lol i haven't gotten the thing to budge, thus the head stripping.
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Fenix
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« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2009, 11:46:39 AM »

^ the same thing happened to me, i ended up having to bring it to a garage and have them do it. They did it, and charged me an arm and a leg
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« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2009, 03:18:24 PM »

Uhh ohh.  You're kinda fucked RJ.  The only thing I could recommend is a bolt/stud puller before going to a shop.
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« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2009, 05:08:25 PM »

yeah i can get the 2 nuts and 2 other bolts off and loose, but one is stripped. so im having a shop remove the one bolt and replace it with a new one...thats not cemented into the head lol.
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« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2009, 11:27:26 AM »

can anyone enlighten me on the diameter of the front side of the CAT ?

the flex pipe coming off of the DC headers is a 2.0" opening.... how will this match up with an OEM I4 CAT ?
is it smart to get extra bolts in that area?
knowing my luck i'll snap one and be screwed....

also have been pricing the magnaflow high flow CAT ($110).... which has a 2.25" opening (which i wanna make all my piping 2.25")
would this just be an expander flange that could make the conversion from a 2.0 to a 2.25" ?
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« Reply #6 on: June 15, 2009, 11:36:15 AM »

The DC header is designed to work with the stock cat, so there shouldnt be any problems with fitment. As for the bolts, there spring loaded. I dont think they have a tendencey to snap seeing that there is some give to them. The only thing i can say about the aftermarket cat is that DC will not honor the warentee on their product if its used with an aftermarket CAT
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« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2009, 12:05:30 PM »

stock exhaust piping on my I4 is 1.75"

obviously this starts after the CAT...
meaning the oem CAT has 2.0" inlet and 1.75" outlet?
or does the outlet reduce down to 1.75" from a 2.0"?

trying to get it all figured out to how i wanna do cat back exhaust with the headers+cat setup
sounds liek all i need is a couple of gaskets then
parts 14 and 15 in this link
http://www.hondapartsnow.com/Page_Produ ... appid=8383
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Custom Comptech Icebox, Ralco UD Pulleys, 22mm Progress Tech RSB, LED Reverse/License plate lights, M3 lip spoiler, Hondata Heatshield and P2R IM gaskets, OBX Oil catch can, Hawk HPS Pads

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« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2009, 10:08:36 PM »

hey i stripped one of the nuts that connects the flex pippe to the cat.... what do i do ?

everything else was flawless.... just that one fucking bolt ! GHQJHOWXOLQ ahhhhhhhhhh
so pissed.... i was so damn close...

what should i do ?
does that bolt pop out of the cat flange??
or do i need to somehow get it off and get a replacement nut?

or shoul di just go magnaflow 2.25" high flow cat?
hows that work when the flex pipe off my dc header is 2.0" ?

thanks all
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« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2009, 11:06:36 PM »

perhaps this: thoughts?
http://www.speedycarparts.com/sku/Honda ... 0400207488

or just get part number 3 on this:
http://www.bkhondaparts.com/billkay/jsp ... T+PIPE+(L4)&ListAll=All&vinsrch=no&systemcomp=Electrical%2FExhaust%2FHeater%2FFuel&prdrefno=&quantity=0&act=&count=0&hidSwitch=&hidIrno=

$8 bucks a bolt.... might be a HUGE pain in the ass to get out of my severely rusted flanges between flex pipe and cat...
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« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2009, 05:52:27 AM »

bump....

was anyone ever able to get one of those bolts out of the flange between flex pipe and cat ?
stripped a nut and dont know if i should juust try to have a garage take it off
or just invest in high flow cat and cut the damn thing off

heavily rusted together
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Custom Comptech Icebox, Ralco UD Pulleys, 22mm Progress Tech RSB, LED Reverse/License plate lights, M3 lip spoiler, Hondata Heatshield and P2R IM gaskets, OBX Oil catch can, Hawk HPS Pads

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« Reply #11 on: June 23, 2009, 09:20:44 AM »

What kind of tools are you guys using to strip these nuts?
In my past experience cheap sockets always stripped nuts and more expensive ones usually get the job done.
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Fenix
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« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2009, 09:44:42 AM »

I also found that soaking the bolts in a little WD40 helped to break up a little bit of the rust and make the job eaiser. Carefull not to get it on your tools or youll be banging your knuckles into the header
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« Reply #13 on: June 23, 2009, 09:46:16 AM »

all sockets were Kobalt... not the best i know... but also not some no name brand
shit sucks... i cannot believe the amount of rust in that area...

i want to just cut the nut out... but im affraid i wont be able to get the flanges apart due to the rust problem
depbating just getting a whole new cat since i wanna do a 2.25" piping, 18" magnaflow resonator to a 2.25" piping... to a 14829 magnaflow muffler
just wanted to take it once step at a time and not just go drop 600-800 bucks
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« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2009, 09:12:10 PM »

hey guys just got my DC Sports headers installed on my I4....i notice some nice power and smoothness increase....sound is a little different, haven't quiet diagnosed it fully
get the old sawzall and PB Blast out and kicked my cars ass.... lots of cuts....very dirty...prolly dont smell too hot either...but its done...sorta

question, my O2 sensor does not reach far enough to connect to the downpipe of the lower header piece... i need like another 3-5 inches to be able to screw it back in properly

has anyone else had this issue?
i have the part number for the o2 sensor.... just not sure what the actual connections are (4 wire ?)

http://www.2kracing.com/Product/2720.html
this seems like it would be perfect... not sure if it will fit, says Honda... kinda too general for me to spend the $18 + shipping

let me know what you guys think, for now i unplugged it and kept the 02 sensor screwed in so it doesn't sound like a lawnmower.... bagged/taped off connections for water prevention
thanks

also heres a few before and after pics for those interested in the difference between our OEM headers and DC Sports Ceramic Headers

top shot before install...no heatshield


comparison of the 2...different flow path/distances



downpipe comparison



notice on that last pic how far the 02 sensor location moved.... sucks...
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2006 PWP TSX, 6Spd, Nav, Ebony Interior

Custom Comptech Icebox, Ralco UD Pulleys, 22mm Progress Tech RSB, LED Reverse/License plate lights, M3 lip spoiler, Hondata Heatshield and P2R IM gaskets, OBX Oil catch can, Hawk HPS Pads

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