Hi all,

i got budget Y pipe for my 01 max. i tried to change it by my self, unfortunately it is very difficult to remove the bolts. even removing the metal cover that shield the bottom of stock Y pipe. I used WD40 already and did not help.

Then i called nearest muffler shop, and they want me $120 (1.5hr) for the instalation only. Does this sound right?

Any trick to remove those bolts and nuts by my self?

Any help is much appreciated, Thanks.

 

I just had a muffler shop put mine on because I knew it would be a pos. If you don"t have a cutting torch forget it. They charged 70 CAN. for the job and it took them over 2 hrs .

 

thats about right.. INFNINTI charges 80 dollars and hour to do any work.. so at 120 thats about right. but i would shop around and find some local muffler shop. he could do it for less

 

Did you use the wd40 and let it soak? You have to spray the hell out of it and let it sit overnight. Air tools help also.

I would try spraying and letting it sit if you have the time.

 

when i put my wsp ypipe on i got everything loose by hand, with the use of a breaker bar and a lot of huffing and puffing, but mine went in easy, and by the way have fun with that budget, it's a pain in the *** to put on, SOONR1's budget is a pos y-pipe and the quality is sub par to me. but enjoy other than that

 

Because of that bar, my auto repair history has been a lot easier. I seldom have to use wd40 or air tools to remove anything due to this pipe. I slip it on the end of the my wrench to make it into a cheap breaker bar. It works. You should be able to remove those rusted nuts with ease.

 

he has a 2001. depending how much he has driven in salt etc, the bolts could be more rusted. the breaker bar may help. it may also strip them

 

That sounds fair.... most places here won't even do it because apparently they are liable for a fine if caught doing non-street legal work... BUT... its fairly easy to DIY...

I used Liquid Wrench and got almost everything off fine. Almost.

Ya need to be very careful that ya don't break any bolts though. I did break one of those 10mm bolts from the heat shield you're talkin about. The bolts on my primary pipe came out just fine, but I broke a bolt on the secondary because the nut was so tightly rusted on. Fortunately the whole bolt came out and I wasn't stuck with half a bolt in there, and I replaced it with a smaller bolt and nut, although, its not as tight as it should be.

Be very careful with the bolts coming out of the cat, because if they're the same as the 2002, then the bolts are welded on to the cat and breaking those will mean ya gotta either get a new cat or get new bolts welded on. I just took the car to a muffler shop and had em torch those nuts off and replace em with new nuts (they charged me $20 for labor) so that I'd have no trouble doing my y-pipe install.

I know ya have a 2001, but there's a write-up of what I did on page 5 of my homepage... I'm sure the basic steps are the same...

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/694087/5

 

I made my first attempt at my ypipe install this weekend, and i broke every bolt I put a wrench to. Going to take my car to a muffler shop and see if they will cut all the bolts loose and replace, then I'll change out the pipes.

 

damn 120 dollars! turbo95max will do it for 40-60 dollars.

 

is that a little blood donation from previous work? pipe works well...i have one too

 

just put mine in 2 weeks ago....i soaked the bolts with power lube for four days in a row prior. All but one came out easy.. Tahnk god i Have a torch and a lift!!!All went well.. total install time 1/2 hour...my shop would charge $101.50 to put the y pipe in..

p.s you do not have to take off the sheild you need a swivel socket 14mm and a long extension..

 

When you say heatshield do you mean the shield that bolts under the stock y-pipe? THat's more of a skid plate and doesn't go back on anyway. Go ahead and break the bolts. Should be no problem.

Oh yeah, I second the breaker bar suggestion. It'll save a lot of strain and busted knuckles.

 

I broke 1 stud, drilled it out and out and installed a new bolt. Muffler shops will save you time but you can DIY.

 

I've done a couple motor swaps and turbo installs in that garage, along with countless other things. The car in the picture was undergoing a headgasket swap. There are so many stains in that garage. My mom is mad at me for that. I will prep the ground for some garage floor paint, so I can just wipe the stuff off if something spills on the ground.

 

damn I was about to post about the Y-pipe, I have the cattman Y-pipe and I went to a shop to try to put it on and he told it would take 2 hr ($85 an hr.) and plus i needed to install the front strut bar and rear sway bar, he said everything is about $275....Does this price seems to be reasonable or should I bring the KY?? cause that sounds a bit too much??? how much you guys think I should spend on all 3 to be installed?? Thanx in advanced...

 

No, that price is outrageous! Try to find a meineke or a midas or somewhere that specializes specifically with exhaust/mufflers to do the job. Personally, I just did it myself to save the hassle and money, but to each his own. BTW - I got quoted $75 by my local muffler shop (Performance Muffler) to install the ypipe.