Well, first off i bought i y pipe and was getting ready to install, only to find out the bolts on the cat are non existent. Its just blocks of rust. I took it to a exhaust shop to see if they would cut the bolts and they said they could but they wouldnt because the hole they would make would be too big for new bolts.

I opted telling them to install a new flange then, cut the existing flange closest to CAT and weld a new one. He then agreed that would be best BUT if i was going to replace the Y pipe, i would be fcked either way because the studs threading on the y pipe bolts are rusted too. he said even if i tried to remove it, the bolt would twist/snap off when trying to remove the nut.


This is after soaking it with PB blaster last night.

He suggested i replace the header itself but thats there's also no telling what condition those studs are in. He said it would be cheaper to replace the manifolds or something that the headers attach to and start from scratch, rather than find out they break and have a mechanic thread new studs in.

Ill take pics right now of the bolts. Hold on.




Oh and to top it off, i found out my Tranny is leaking fluid from the pass. axle i just replaced. I was SOOO fcken careful too, i had 2 people helping me guide it in. It went it so smooth, i dont know how the o-ring got nicked. Its just droping a little but still, another fcken repair.

 

Drill out the studs and replace with bolts. Even if you oversize them, it really shouldn't be an issue. You could even slot the holes and it would be fine. I think I have an extra set of 4th gen stock headers, if you really really need them. Shipping would probably be a lot due to the weight.

 

friend sent me this, he said the bolts on the headers aren't really studs, they just removable bolts with nuts?



Mine don't look half as bad as those... poor guy

 

They use thread-in studs, but good luck unscrewing them.

 

pb blaster isnt doing much.

 

the guys at my shop had to rebuild mine to flanges were bonded ect same as yours. but i couldnt afford to sell my car so my entire exhaust got replaced.
y-pipe was bolted to a flange the exhaust guys welded on.

 

All he has to do is heat the bolts with a torch an wallah. Issue solved

 

Pshhh, you think you have problems with rust...wait until your front core support rots out and your front motor mount is the only thing holding the crossmember in place... That is an expensive repair my friend

 

how much u thinkin on selling your car

 

Hit me up on aim man, Ill get you some help on this.

 

Don't sell! I need you to finish your 00VI thread

Good luck with the repair .... Heat works well. And you could find ways to work around the holes being a little too big.

 

I think im just going to get headers and get rid of it all. I need :

-New cat (suggestions? Im in cali, my fed spec 4th gen passes smog here but i hear aftermarket cats are not as good as OEM)
-Headers (obx 3.5)
-Resonator (??? need research)
-Catback (custom)
-5th gen muffler.


Im guess about 800$ exhaust job here...or some catman headers. XD

 

Those dont look so bad to me I removed those on my 97 with out spraying any lube. Some of the studs came out with the nut but no worry. The Cat to Y bolt were a different story. It took me forever to find a shop to torch them off without some crazy price ($100)

 

blow torch it

 

Thats nothing. Just bite your lip and give'm hell! Now, the one on the cat are a diff. story. I just used an air grinder, cut them off, drilled them out and used my own bolts on both of my Max's. Problem solved. No need to sell, let alone have a shop charge you to do something so simple IMO. (But then again, I've been fortunate enough to have the tools at my disposal)

 

I agree with heat and drilling out + using larger bolts. Sometimes it's the only way... it's a pain to do it though.

Replacing the headers is something I'm considering doing... I got OBX headers for cheap enough that it might just be worth it to go that way vs. spending all the time on drilling new holes in the stock headers.

 

They don't look bad at all. Heat them up with a blow torch and they will twist off like butter. Cut the cat studs off with a grinder, then use the torch again to heat the studs up until they glow. One good blow with a hammer and they will pop right out the other side.

I did my whole exhaust over 2 years ago, every nut and bolt is SS now.

 

So, you're selling your car over what sounds to be $30 of work at a competent exhaust shop? And a $10 axle seal?

 

2 exhaust shops refused to touch it...and if i did make them do it, 80$+ just for y pipe install.



and i have no idea how to tackle axle seal. motorvate is down and i dont think its going back up. Didnt get much info searching either.

 

You have some shady shops around ur area. What kind of a shop is afraid to cut and torch some bolts?
As for the axle seal, you said you just replaced the axle.

 

They said if they tried to remove the y pipe bolts, they would snap off because there's no threading due to the rust eating it away. As for the cat, they said if they made a hole, it would be too big for bolts.

Im going to try the blow torch thing see if i can break some nuts loose without destroying the stud.

I did replace the axle...the only info i got from the axle seal is that a) its a ***** to remove and b) its a bigger ***** to install.

Got any tips?

 

I was expecting to see worse. Spray the nut with pb, heat the nut with a torch (I use one of those small hand held torches), and then try to remove it. This has worked best for me. Might as well try before spending all that money.

 

Don't bother, the blue torch you probably have won't work, no hot enough. The bolts in my cat were torched out, the holes are barely bigger. Just bought some SS bolts and using those. The shops are just lazy ****s it seems.
I guess it's time for headers.

 

Wow I had no problem putting on a Y pipe with my 13 year old northeast car.

 

not hot enough for the y pipe nuts too? i was thinking of grinding off the bolts on the cat.

 

called a local totaled 5th gen maxima site, 100$ for the catalytic converter and muffler.

 

I would probably pay the $80 for the Y install if I was being lazy. I had a shop tell me atleast $100 for them to remove the TWO Y to Cat bolts that were just a mound of rust. I told them to put my car on the ground

 

I'll tell you what I did. I knew this was gonna be a problem cuz I have an MN car and yeah we actually cut the entire cat completely when we disassembled the exhaust.

I bought the entire exhaust system from headers to the muffler. About $800, and worth every penny. Yeah it'll take a little while more but honestly IMO there's no other way of doing it. If you're going EU and running headers or Y-pipe on stock cat-back you're gonna have issues tuning aggressively since your EGTs are gonna be sky-high thanks to your wonderfully lame and small OEM exhaust so for the greater good, get a high-flow cat and look for a cat-back exhaust of some kind.

 

cut the cats bolts off on the y side. Pull the Y (Those bolts will be FINE, those arenothing compared to what I've seen.done) then bolt the new y in place and bring it back to an exhaust shop and have them tack weld the cat to the Y, it takes two seconds and won't leak if done properly, there's three 4th gen's in my driveway right now that have it done like this for awhile and they are all fine.

 

So im going to do the whole exhaust, minus the headers, if i can get the y pipe off.

I have:
-Warpspeed y pipe
-Oem 2001 max gen cat
-5th gen muffler
-custom catback piping
-Need a resonator.

all 2.5"


Question regarding my resonators options; Is the Magnaflow 22" muffler (2.5 in/out) for 65$ my best option?

 

Yeah a 22" resonator is the norm for custom cat-back guys.

 

Ok, front of y pipe : 2 nuts came off clean using the torch method. the third the nut and stud came out together...



Rear of the y pipe gets worse.
I attempted one of the most visible nuts, heated it, pb blasted it, stud completely twisted off in half. Its gonna be a ***** putting a new bolt in there. I dont even know if i should tackle the other 2. They're just as bad with rust.

 

Cut the stock y pipe off close to flanges by exhaust manifold take manifolds off then decide weather or not you want headers or to fix problem it will be easier drill out broken studs well it's off the car that's what I did and then I decided to get OBX headers.

 

the 2 remaining bolts/nuts on the rear flange came off as one.

So basically, i have 1 working nut and 2 nut/studs for the front. (which still seem to have thread in the header flange) and 1 broken stud and 2 working nut/bolts which also seem to have thread in headers flange.

How strong of threads? I dont know.


Working on the cat. I need a grinder for this mother f'er. Im removing it in the rear where the o2 sensor adapter is and removing the y and cat all together.


I came up on a OEM cat so i have no need for this one.

 

Bought a Carbide drill bit and its still not budging. I got maybe 2mm in with the drill bit. It just wont cut. Im starting to think they're grade 8 bolts!

I tried grinding the flange off the cat itself but one of the sides has no room to cut with a angle grinder. The bolt is off center from the cat, the easiest one to cut is lower to the ground and the other is higher near the undercarriage.


If i get a shop to blast them for me, will the b pipe flange melt to the cat flange? Or will i be able to take them apart?

 

***** is OUT! Y pipe and Cat are off. Just gotta figure out how to remove these seized o2 sensors

the rear o2 on the Y is going through some small passage ways that im unable to pass the clip through.


Would cutting the wires and re-soldering them affect readings?

 

Hopefully it go's on easier then it came off good luck.

 

Yea..i bought Cobalt...not carbide. lol

what a waste..

 

Ok so the front 3 y pipe bolts work, but the rear only has 2. I wasnt able to drill out the stud, its barely making a dent. I installed the 5th gen CAT and the warpspeed y pipe like that and i can already tell somethings wrong.

Its too LOUD. Sounds like i have no cat. But its weird cuz the sounds comes out of the muffler, in the rear section starting from the resonator.

Could the missing bolt in the rear y pipe cause the sound to go all the way through res/muffler?


Well, i tried. Looks like ill be ordering headers. Im just dreading the thought those bolts break off on me too...i cant imagine fixing the rear studs in my home garage.

 

A y-pipe will make your car noticeably louder and definitely more raspy, at least in my case it did when I still ran stock cat+catback.

If you are looking for exhaust leaks though, I've always turned on the car while its still jacked up and had someone else gently rev the engine (idle-2200ish) and feel the area near the flanges with your hands for any air. Even spray the flanges with some sort of liquid, and if it bubbles then you have a small exhaust leak.

Good luck nonetheless