i'm missing 4 out of 8 of my exhaust manifold bolts on my 89 ka. i just got a new header and was wondering should i do the removal myself or take it to a mufflershop? my main concern is that because the bolts aren't there do you think there might be a chance that the manifold might be fused onto the head or am i just worrying too much, also how do i get the egr pipe off the manifold?

if your not sure, it may be better to take it to a shop to do it so if some break, they can get them back out

4 out of 8 huh? i did my own. the heads aluminum so its not fused. its sort of a chinese puzzle to lift it out. the worst part was the egr pipe. you have to soak it in pb blaster repeatedly and let it sit for hours. you might have to heat and bend it a little if it doesnt line up with the new header. forget about the aiv pipe. i just hacked it off. you can buy a plug for the hole and remove the whole assembly its for emissions but you can pass without it.(check the frame under there while youre at it). use rubber caps for the intake holes. might also help if you hand thread 2 studs into the head just to hang it on while you get the other bolts in. you can buy gasket adhesive to stick em to the block. just dont plan on getting it all done in one day.

while we're on the subject ive got questions too. the header install sheet i didnt bother to read said to use anti sieze on the threads. how important is that. i removed 2 manifolds without issue only the bolts heads were badly rusted, but i can see what a nightmare it would be if they siezed. also the fsm states 12-15 ftlbs. i did em by hand so i have no clue if its close or not. what happens if they are removed and retorqued one at a time? if 4 bolts holds it on i cant see the harm but im not much of a mechanic.
Modified by gumby at 6:51 AM 11/11/2004

Yo,

I got an 89 240sx single cam, and I just (like, today) replaced my exhaust manifold with a Hotshot header. I, like you, was also missing 4 out of my 8 exhaust manifold bolts. It's no problem. You'd be surprised the holding power that stock manifold has with only four bolts, and 3 out of the 4 I had left were on ONE side. I checked the exhaust manifold gasket on the weakened side to see if it looked like it'd been scorched or burned or had massive carbon buildup (which would lead me to believe that i had a horrible exhaust leak) and there wasn't any.

I installed my header today, but unfortunately, I was only able to replace 2 of the 4 missing bolts. The bottom two bolts on the left bank of the exhaust side were broken completely off inside the head, and there is no retrieving them. They are almost a half-inch buried and WAY gone. So screw it. I installed the header anyway, and used a VERY thin bead of Ultra High-Temp JB WELD on both sides of the gasket for the left bank. Let it set up for 2 hours, fired the car up, and everything ran perfectly. with the electric fan off and the hood up there was zero air circulation through the motor (no clutch fan), so I held a cigarette lighter to the header and moved it around all sides of left and right bank ports looking for an exhaust leak to extinguish the flame. Nothing. Not a single leak, running on 6 bolts on a FRESH install with brand new gaskets and a tiny amount of JB Weld.

Do the install yourself. A shop will charge an arm and a leg to install your header; it's a performance item. That means that most muffler shops will send you to there 'other department', the one that rapes you gently with a chainsaw and takes all your money.

Took me two hours to install my header. The fun part was driving to the muffler shop with NO cat and NO muffler to have my custom downpipe, hi-flo cat, pre-silencer and MagnaFlow can welded on WITHOUT getting noticed by the cops. It was so goddamned loud I could barely think properly, and keeping my foot out of it was next to impossible because the car (with race-built head, decked and ported w/ PDM cam) wanted to rev.

As for EGR pipe from the manifold... I used a bit of WD-40 and a crescent wrench. Busted it right off no problem.

Hah. Good luck bro!

Oh and Gumby - the anti-seize stuff they're talking about is lubricating oil. WD-40 or some other kind of penetrating oil. 3-in-1, a TINY amount of 10W-30, it'll all work fine. It keeps the bolts slightly moist inside the head so they'll come out easy. I wish the original owner of my car had known that.

thanks for all the info and quick replys. another question i had was what if the bolts are broken in the head, how do i get those out? how would new bolts go in? would a muffler shop be able to get those out or am i screwed because they broke off in the head?

also what is this pb blaster? i've heard of it efore but didn't know what it was or where to get it from?

nice work newcastle, but you gotta remember your in california this guys in chicago. rust is big a factor. i have the same setup without the silencer havent started it yet but im expecting ill have to add one or become bacon bait

anyway, you can buy a bolt extractor set but its hit or miss. you drill a hole in the bolt for the closest diameter and use a vise grips to thread it in counter clock wise as hard as you can while praying the extractor doesnt snap off too. otherwise i guess youre going the JB weld route

pb blaster is a penetrating oil. anti sieze comes in a tube and contains copper for hi temp applications around the spark plugs and O2 sensor threads. i used it on the egr pipe as well.

for future information: you can use high temp rtv (red) without the chance of welding the header to the motor or having to spread it so thin.

hey...my exhaust (sohc) was also missing 4 bolts on the left side..i replaced 3 with new bolts but could get the 4th to lign up...mine leaks real real real bad...is that from the manifold warping?? im about to buy another manifold (just the top part) and see if it bolts up tightly with a new gasket and all the bolts put it..should it not leak anymore?? let me know. thanks

here's the scoop guys, i took my car to merlins, because it's about 1 minute away from my house. i'm running on open manifold right now. i asked the guy if he could take off the 4 bolts and the egr pipe and install the header, he said he could do it for 70 bux, i said fine, he then said if the bolts broke off in the head that he would not be responsible. i don't have any new bolts, just the gaskets. i'm so confused right now, i think the other four that are missing are broken off in the head. what should i do now? i have a whole new exhaust system and i don't havea clue how to take it off now...should i go at it myself and risk breaking off the other bolts in the head. i know some of you guys just jb welded it but isn't their anything else i could do. how exactly does a bolt extractor kit work and where could i get it from? will there be enough room in the engine bay to use it? i'm just running short on time and money. i have no insureance, my tags just expired and i failed my emissions a couple months ago that's why i bought all this new stuff, it took me along time to save up for it too.

not to sound like i'm whining or anything but it's just frustrating not knowing what to do about a problem. so if you guys could tell me anything else that would help me out i would greatly appreciate it.

The bolts that were missing on my manifold just fell out...one way to tell is stick something long and narrow in the block to see how far it goes in...if pretty far then they probably fell out. Sears or any local hardware place carries the extractors...to use, start the process with a drill bit and drill into part of the bolt, then use the extractor, it should thread into the bolt and then as the extractor goes in, reverse threads pull the bolt out. Let us know how it comes.

what did you guys use to plug the aiv bung hole?

edit: how did you remove the egr pipe as well, i can't get mine off, i used a big *** plumbing wrench too and it still won't come off, also which way do i turn it, towards the drivers side or away from the drivers side?
Modified by DrifterXRPS13 at 3:23 PM 11/13/2004

if you can unscrew the thing you can stick 2 nickles in to the hole and screw it back in real tight or just order a plug from hotshot its like $8.

egr should be counter clock wise. brush off all the rust and baste it in penetrating oil repeatedly. keep rapping it with the breaker bar handle to vibrate it, get out a torch and heat it if you have to. try not to mutilate it or you'll need another. might as well price it now.

the header bolts are 8mm diameter 1.25 pitch 30mm length

they shouldnt break if you go real slow and use steady pressure. soak it heat it use a cheater bar for extra leverage. a mechanic may have more of a feel and better tools but they'll do basically the same thing. if they're gonna break they're gonna break. even if the heads shear off the bolts you'll still be able to remove the manifold , then you can soak em better and lock a vise grips onto the studs.

Modified by gumby at 1:47 AM 11/14/2004
Modified by gumby at 2:09 AM 11/14/2004

Hey guys please help! I have taken out my stock exhuast manifold and we cant get the hotshot header for my DOHC engine in. The steering column is in the way ! How the hell do i get it in , or remove that. there is like a condom over the shaft and i have no idea what to do. The Chilton Sucks ***.

i tried to pull the column out on my wreck for practice and it wouldnt budge for me even though i had everthing unbolted. i'll post a scan of the diagram but it didnt help me any. didnt the headers come with an install sheet? the sohc fit 1-2-3.

you're screwed

hey guys good new, i got the old exhaust system off and let me tell you it was a ***** to get off. i had to saw it off in 3 pieces with a dremel, works great, went through a lot of discs though.

the header is from obx(i know, i know), the cat and catback are from brm, stainless steel all the way! woot! for the second that i had the aiv bung plugged with a plastic, it sounded like an old school v8, nice deep rumble.

the sohc header went right in and fits nicely, only problem was the o2 sensor location...it's all the way down to the firewall and it bent the white plastic tip. badl location, cause if i have to replace the o2 sensor i have to take off the header all over again.

questions though, what size bolt would be needed to plug the aiv bung, i dont feel like spending 22 bux to buy a bolt. also, what size nut would fit the manifold stud?

thanks