Here's one for you.

So I go to my local tech to have my Y-pipe installed and he says, "come take a look at this." I walk underneath the car and he points to a bolt that's missing off the flange that connects the elbow piece to the underside of the front pre-cat. I'm going, "OMG!" He says I should take it in to my dealer and have them replace the bolt under warranty BEFORE I install my Y-pipe. I'm thinking that's a good idea, so I drive to my dealer. They don't have the bolt in stock, so they have to order it for me. And how long will it take for the bolt to reach them? Two days from the day they ordered it. So it looks like it's going to be Friday before I'm able to get my Y-pipe installed.

Maybe now I know why, when the car is cold, I hear a funny buzzing sound in my exhaust system and why, when the car warms up, the sound goes away. Doh!

 

This is the bolt holding the front exhaust manifold flange to the stock y-pipe?

 

BTW, I just got back from a meeting and found a huge box propped up against the desk. My y-pipe is finally here

 

No. I just took a look at a diagram of the CA-spec exhaust system. It's actually one of the bolts that attaches the pre-cat housing to the bottom of the front exhaust manifold.

Congratulations on receipt of your Y-pipe. Hope you don't have any missing bolts to contend with when you install it.

 

Thanks! I will have to check and make sure I have all those bolts in there. Thanks for the heads up!

 

Another problem you'll run across when installing the Stillen Y involves the single hole flange that attaches to a triangle shaped rubber mount right before the main cat. This flange does not line up corretly at all (Desert Pearl also noted this on his site). I cut it down and shaped it with a Dremel so I could attach it. This really reduces the noise and vibration you hear and feel when compared to not securing it to this rubber mount. Also you may have to lower the larger front cross member right after the main cat. I had to buy longer bolts and used several washers for this. The b-pipe may hit it upon sudden fairly hard acceleration especially fron a standstill, producing lots of noise. This may not be much of an issue with the stock b-pipe though - but I'm not sure since I had a custom b before installing the y-pipe.

You will definitely like the Y-pipe!
(I should have pictures of mine and the modifications I had to make to fit it well as well as my Ooglie Cali to Fed conversion soon).

 

sleepermax: Thanks for the tips. Both y2kse and I have the Cattman pipes. Hopefully, there are no such issues in the install. Post pics of your conversion when you get the chance. Thanks!

 

I shoulda noticed that! I doubt you'll have any fitment issues with the Cattman y just based from what everyone comments about it. I'd decided on the Cattman also but just couldn't turn down the price Stillen had it for on Maxima day - $329 or so. You've got a 2K so you should be able to remove both pre-cats!

 

Nope. I've got a CA-spec Maxima, sleepermax. So only the rear pre-cat will be removed when the Y-pipe is installed.

 

same here....Cali spec for me. Oh well though...I can live with the front pre-cat

 

So I went to my dealer today to get my missing bolt installed. The person who wrote my Repair Order was not my usual Service Writer. Unfortunately, he ordered the wrong bolt. So what did I do?

You guessed it. I took my Service Writer to lunch!

The correct bolt should be at the dealership tomorrow or Friday at the latest UNLESS it has to be special ordered . . . in which case it could take a week or two to arrive.

Oh well. I waited this long to get a Y-pipe. What's a few more days in the grand scheme of things?

 

Thats an interesting reaction to someone screwing up something. But taking the guy out to lunch is a good gesture.

my y-pipe goes on this weekend. I am getting ready to spend a lot of time underneath my car

 

And hopefully it won't come off again. I don't know if installing the bolt got rid of the buzzing sound in the exhaust when the engine is cold. I'll have to let my car sit overnight to be sure of that.