Ok, I just bought some ART pipes and got the passenger side installed fairly easy, but I cannot get the driver's side stock cat off. We've gotten 4 of the bolts out (2 at the Y pipe and 2 at the headers). The one we have left is the same one (but opposite side) as the one where you use a ton of extensions and go down through the engine bay.

Weve sprayed the crap outta it but we just cant get a socket on it to loosen because there is an arm in the way. How did you guys do it?

P.S. it may be a little different than 03-06 since theyre different motors.

 

Just walk away from the car!


Take a deep breath.


Return, double check tools.


Get good leverage over the bolt.


Then apply Strength and turn left to loosen!


Return to computer and thank me later!

 

I just cant get the socket on the bolt. Do you go through the engine bay? And how did you get around that steering rod?

 

yes


extension are required!

 

pop hood remove intake its right there go from up top. btw it took 3 of us to get it the first time one held the socket on and made sure everything was good from undneith and 2 of us to to break the bolt lose we even brke our aluminum rod we used as a breaker bar

 

I'll try again in the morning. We broke our u joint we used to get around the steering rod so we have to go get another and gonna get the best spray we can find to eat away at the corrosion.

 

what are u spraying it with

 

I used like half a can of wd40 on all the bolts. What's better than that?

 

WD40 isn't that great for getting bolts loose. Try any of these.

"Penetrating oil ..... Average load

None ...................... 516 pounds
WD-40 ................... 238 pounds
PB Blaster .............. 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench ...... 127 pounds
Kano Kroil ............. 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix....53 pounds

The Automatic Transmission fluid (ATF)-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone.

Note the "home brew" was better than any commercial product in this one particular test. A local machinist group mixed up a batch and all now use it with equally good results. The home brew is Highly Flammable---Use Caution !!!

Note also that "Liquid Wrench" is about as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price."

 

get the liquid wrench but make sure you get the penetrating oil not lubricating oil

 

I'm not even sure I used a penetrating oil, changed mine by myself

Sack up and get the bolt off

 

 

FInally got it off with the liquid wrench! After busting a couple knuckles it finally gave way! Thanks for the help guys!

 

Awesome feeling it's it?

Pics of demon bolt if you didn't already destroy it. Lol

 

Man it was the best feeling getting that damn bolt loose! It came out unscathed, but the one on the passengers side snapped in half at the cats flange. Weird..

But after getting everything installed, the art pipe on the drivers side sits up a lot higher than the passenger side and rattles against the body of the car around 2200 rpm. And the part that attaches to the bracket in the middle of the car wouldn't flush up so I had to force it all together (I think because the pipe is sitting at least an inch higher than the passenger pipe).

Also is it normal to have a slight hissing sound during break in? Cuz I think I hear one but didn't know if I had a leak. Everything looks flush and I can't see where there would be a leak..

 

You'll get a slight hiss on medium to hard accel, it's the rest of the exhaust along with the gas speed increase.

The alignment, if the pipes were straight, should be the same both sides, perhaps something is bent on the manifold?

 

Do you think there is any way we could have bent the headers when we were trying to break that last bolt free?

And Im pretty sure the rattle I was experiencing was the resonator tube rattling against the heat shield above them, but we bent that back and it seems to have disappeared.

Also, we hear a slight rattle/hiss sound in the Y-pipe area when the revs are dying down (it always happens right at 1750 rpm). I have a hiss when I am moderate-high acceleration which is what I think you are talking about in your first point?

Lastly, will that hiss go away if I bought a new full exhaust (like the TDX2 or ARK GRiP)? What about just an XYZ pipe?

 

It's possible, depending on how much force was applied, just seems less likely.

When i fitted mine, i remember they were close to the heat shields, but as i torqued down the bolts (not just full tight on each one, then move to the next) everything came into line again, i would check all that.

If you have a hiss on decel, you've got a leak.

Full TDX2 does not hiss, drone or rasp.

 

I am almost positive I don't have a leak because I have checked all four flanges and they look good and when we torqued it all down we tightened them equally first so it fit flush and then torqued.

But is there anyway to check where a leak would be coming from? Other than just redoing all the bolts on each flange?

 

haha i used atf-acetone to get loose my crank pulley bolt, after using rust eater to get rid of as much as i could, def works.
to davidv ive found crows foot wrenchs are typically bad on exhuast since there so rusty they end up slipping and rounding the bolts and nuts.