Andypot1985

iTrader: (1)

Well for about a year now my car has had an annoying rattle. I have a 2002 with a 6 speed. The rattle would happen only when the engine was spooling down. I would rev the motor up and when i would let off the throttle you would hear the rattle when the motor was spooling down. This would happen in gear while i was slowing down and would happen in neutral if i was just pressing the throttle. I ruled out the timing chain and possibly guessed it was the precats but could never find a true answer on the forums. So about a month ago i noticed that my car felt down on power and then my check engine light came on and threw a P0430. Also on the highway my friend who was following me said that my car was putting out alot of black smoke and things were coming out of my exhaust. So i decided that it was about time to fix the issues and i went ahead and replaced the headers.

So the answer to the rattleing, the black smoke, the particles coming out my exhaust and the SES code was my rear precat broke down and was actually moving around inside of its caseing. This week I replaced the precats with aftermarket headers and now the rattle is gone. My main cat is gutted(shhhh) but I have left the stock exhaust on from the main cat back.

I figured i would do a few FAQs i had when changing my headersand solving these issues.


Q. You have the rattle i described above:
A. It is the precats, changing for new stock ones or changing to aftermarket headers should fix the issue.

Q. What do i have to take apart to get the old headers off?
A. The bottom engine mounts, the engine mount brackets, the Intake manifold, and the radiator fans.

Q. If i put on headers and leave on my stock exhaust will the car be much louder?
A. No, it is a bit louder but i did not notice much of a difference.

Q. Will 4th gen or 5th gen shorty headers fit a 5.5?
A. Yes, i am using shorty headers. (i got them used at a steal)

Q. Will i gain power from the shorty headers?
A. Yes/maybe. My answer is tainted because my car felt down on power before the job and now feels back to normal.

Q. Will the car run rich?
A. Yes. The exhaust smells like its coming from a car in the 60s. It probably does not help that my main cat is gutted. I am going to tune it someday in the future.

Q. Can i do my headers in a day?
A. If you are really good, yes. It took me a few nights to do. All the heat shield bolts were rusted and i did not know exactly what i had to take off.

That is all the general questions i can think of that i had that i could not find solid answers for on the forum. I hope this can help others out in the future.

P.S. do not do the job around a school, church or somewhere where curse words offend people because you will be using alot of them!

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

Interesting stuff, OP. What is it, you think, that causes the pre-cats or cat to get clogged? That seems a pretty common problem here. I'm no gear head, but I'm thinking if you drive around too long while misfiring, you could be dumping fuel and burning the precats into uselessness; i.e., clogging them.

Yes? No? What else?

Funny comment about cursing!

BlackMacks

iTrader: (3)

While I agree with you in that it seems to be a common problem with our cars, and certainly what you describe can lead to accelerated failure, I'll say in my experience it's a common problem with most cars. Catalytics simply break down over time/mileage. They're a super-restrictive super-heated blockage to airflow that temperature cycles cold-hot-cold repeatedly. Over time, they will simply start to break apart or loosen up.

Andypot1985

iTrader: (1)

I dunno, from talking to alot of mechanics they say that the catalytic converters they see in cars today are alot weaker than ones from even 10 years ago. Its just another way for the man to try to get money from us

essential1

iTrader: (5)

These dont need to come out. I did not touch my mounts when I did mine.

Andypot1985

iTrader: (1)

You have bionic arms and hands lol

essential1

iTrader: (5)

Thats what the ladies say...

Seriously though, i've heard that alota people take the mounts out for the removal/install or even go as far as to remove the entire crossmember. But from my experience it just seemed like a waste of time.

crystalline

iTrader: (4)

Probably because your in FL . With the amount of rust from 8 years in MA it would have been a real PITA to take it all apart without removing the crossmember. It wasn't bad at all once it was out of the way. And besides removing it only takes like 1min with an air gun?

essential1

iTrader: (5)

lol. True, I always forget that I'm a florida car. No emissions and no rust. The best place to mod a car.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Crossmember takes like 3-5 minutes total to remove and replace. It gives leverage to tilt the engine in either direction, for the amount it takes to remove, it's well worth it and not a waste, IMO, especially for the rear header.

No emissions or rust here either, FTW!

HotshotVQ35

iTrader: (5)

x2 and im in the northeast

Andypot1985

iTrader: (1)

I really dont know how you guys did it without dropping it, kudos for that. I should maybe invest in some air tools because i did it all with a socket wrench and a pipe to help break loose bolts.