Just bought some new exhaust and I'm curious if anyone knows whether the exhaust manifold uses pressed-in studs or bolts that'll come out. Also, I plain on doing this myself with a mechanic friend, but was wondering if anyone had some tips or would like to share anything. I have Megan test pipes along with a dual exhaust setup that is going on sometime soon. We have the tools along with air. I don't think he has an air ratchet, but I have that covered, as I have one. I'm guessing for all the bolt on pipes besides the cats-manifold I would use an air ratchet. Kind of scared to use an impact on the manifold bolts. I don't want to twist them off. I hear getting the old exhaust off is the hardest part. Since it's almost 13 years old. I guess some penetrating oil would help. I've read that it takes about 3 hours to get just the dual exhaust on, but I'm doing the test pipes as well. I bought a cheap dual exhaust system off eBay. I've read it has some fitment issues. Seems like most of the people that put it on their self seemed very happy with it while the people that paid to have it put on were very disappointed due to the high labor. One guy said 3 hours with the help of his son, in the driveway, with 2 ramps in the rear. I'm guessing they didn't have air, but you never know. We won't have a lift, but we will have 4 jack stands and he has the oxygen sensor socket, plus loads of other tools. My main concern is the manifold bolts. Will they break? I have replacement bolts, but the way I picture it,.. they are studs, that don't come out. Yeah, so... any input welcome here.

 

The studs are double threaded, they thread into the manifold. Yes it sucks BAD when you snap one off so I would spray the bejesus out of it BEFORE you decide to remove (go to a lube shop and pay them $20 to spray ALL the exhaust bolts from the underside if it's too much of a pita for you to jack it up a couple days early). Use a generous amount of PB Blaster, don't go cheap on it, do NOT use the impact driver to remove them, use a ratchet and take your time, once you break the initial torque off then spray them again, loosen a little then snug them back up, spray again, remove completely.

The level of difficulty depends completely on the amount of corrosion, if this was a winter driver and there was a lot of salt on the roads then it might end up a total nightmare that needs to be sawzalled out, manifold drilled, bolts used to secure. Or it might be pretty clean and not require any special effort besides finding a way to combat cabin drone and rasp from the cheap ebay exhaust.

 

Ok cleric got my oil changed 600 miles early and talked them into putting PB on my nuts lol

 

I hope that them lube techs actually understood what I wanted. I had to tell the guy that I needed all exhaust bolts sprayed, I told him to mainly focus on the manifold to cats.. and he said ok so the cats to down pipe? I said no, the manifold to cats, and he says, yeah the cats to down pipe. w/e, but i told him I am taking the cats off and putting test pipes on and he laughed and finger quoted and said "lol test pipes"....then he relayed the message to the guy in the pit and said here spray all the exhaust bolts... lol so yeah idk then, but hopefully they got it. I hoping the guy in the pit heard everything i said....

 

Yep sounds like he got the correct ones, on a turbocharged engine there is a down pipe that connects to the catalytic converter between the turbo and cat. Some N/A motors as well but manufacturers typically want as few points of failure upstream from the cat.

 

Right on! Well, I think I'm going to do the exhaust somewhere else now instead of at my mechanic friend's house in his garage. I kind of know a guy. He has a mechanic shop of his own. He's more of my dad's friend/mechanic, but we worked with him at a body/paint/mechanic shop that is now closed down. He said I could get in there on a Saturday. My dad told him I'd pay for the use of the shop which I have tools but I'm not going to lug all that with me when the dude will provide his. He's cool and he's a real good mechanic. Hoping he'll be there and help if needed. He already said I could get in there a few ago, but said he wouldn't be around and I don't really want to rummage thru his tool box looking for sockets or an air ratchet or just w/e. So yeah

 

Sounds good, I would definitely not use the air ratchet on those header studs but it should be fine for everything else since it's all going in the scrap pile anyways. Make sure to assemble everything LOOSELY and check fitment as you go, try to give a minimum of 1/4" clearance in pinch points or tight areas so you don't have rattle. Make the fasteners just barely snug, recheck, make sure the tips line up good at the rear bumper and when you're satisfied give everything a final torque.

I think it's 20 ft/lb for the little header studs, if your exhaust system doesn't have recommendations for torque then just use generic grade5 torque values of:

1/4" - 120 INCH/lbs
5/16" - 15 ft/lb
3/8" - 20 ft/lb

This is the diameter of the STUD not the SOCKET used for the bolt/nut.

Take some pictures as you go and upload a video when you're done with the recording device set at about 10 ft back to eliminate microphone popping, good luck!