Hey everyone,
My Chikara header arrived in the mail and I was wondering if anyone had any helpful tips to provide for removing the old manifold and intalling the new header. Thanks!
MANIFOLD REMOVAL
its a pretty simple process, start by removing the front and maybe the rear heat shield of the cast iron manifold. spray wd-40 or some other lube on all the bolts before you start to make things A LOT easier. loosen all the 12mm nuts that bolts it to the head. on the right side on the manifold is a support bracket with 2 14mm bolts holding the manifold onto the block, remove the bolts and bracket. now, there are 3 14mm flange nuts that hold the header onto the downpipe. make sure you get a lot of wd-40 on these, stuck pretty tight when i did mine. you’ll also need a 12inch extension and a rotating extension to be able to reach one bolt, might be some other way, but i did it with the extensions. after removing the 3 14mm flange nuts, the manifold will be free from the downpipe. take the o2 sensor out with the manifold. you might have to squeeze the manifold out through the top, the radiator hoses are in the way, but they move a little and move the manifold the correct way and it’ll come out. spray a lot, a lot of wd-40 on the o2 sensor and let it soak in, finish the other stuff before you go back to the o2 sensor and spray a little more wd-40 on it every so often.
DOWNPIPE REMOVAL
now there are two bolts with springs on them attaching the downpipe to the cat. and also 2 bolts support bolts connected to a bracket welded to the middle of the pipe. remove the 2 14mm bolts on the support bracket and use a combination of a 14mm and 12mm on the spring bolts. holding one side down from spinning as you loosen the other side. keep those spring bolts, you will need them again for the header. also, if you did not buy new gaskets, your going to need the gasket from the end of the downpipe connecting it to the cat, pry it off carefully with a screwdriver.
O2 SENSOR REMOVAL
hardest part for me. you’ll need a o2 sensor type socket, from any place that sells tools. now, this socket may or may not work. mine was a cheap POS and just stripped the o2 sensor. use the… and with a little bit more wd-40 and luck, the o2 sensor should come out with a little elbow grease. if you get screwed and strip it, try using pliers and if that doesnt work, take it to your local gas station or anywhere with air tools availble and give them a few bucks to take it off with the air gun, they can get it off even if its stripped a little.
HEADER INSTALL
basically, if you have a one-piece header, you gotta stick it in from the bottom. you might have to remove the splash guards or supports, but you might squeeze it through, i think most headers for g2’s are two-piece. make sure you install all the included gaskets and use the new bolts that come with it. the header should have a o2 sensor extension cord, use that and make sure the wires dont get too close to the header or it will melt and you will be screwed. bolt the header back onto the head and the cat and your done. hope it helps.
note: if you have an extension to make the ratchet longer and give yourself more leverage it will make it a lot easier.
Don’t forget to torque the head bolts to the specs! you don’t want to break one…
BTW, I have the chikara torquestep header, you’re gonna like it…
Thanks for all the info! I hope to have that installed this weekend! I am really curious to see how it effects the cars performance. I haven’t advanced the timing yet. Maybe I will do that while I’m under the hood. Really spread that torque curve out all at once. :shock:
archivethis
I think there is tightening sequence you need to follow so you won’t warp you new headers . Good luck!!!
Originally posted by Answer
[B]Don’t forget to torque the head bolts to the specs! you don’t want to break one…
BTW, I have the chikara torquestep header, you’re gonna like it… [/B]
Did you get the painted or coated one? I’m wondering how long the paint will last, I dont really wanna spend extra on the coated one.
tighten the bolts on the indie then work your way out rotating from side to side.
indie (inside)
Originally posted by joeygill
[B]
Did you get the painted or coated one? I’m wondering how long the paint will last, I dont really wanna spend extra on the coated one. [/B]
The paint used on these headers is for rust prevention during shipping only–it will burn off the header shortly after installation.
dont break any bolts or u are screwed.
Originally posted by joeygill
[B]
Did you get the painted or coated one? I’m wondering how long the paint will last, I dont really wanna spend extra on the coated one. [/B]
I have the painted one… like XDEep said, the paint is only for protection during shipping and will burn off in a short period of time!