I searched and didnt see any DIYs on this other than:
"step 1-remove oem header
step 2- install new header."
So I thought I'd write it up for you.
It's not a difficult install, but some of the bolts may be a pain to get loose.
A good trick to use is locking one wrench onto another one essentially increasing the length of the wrench and giving you more torque.
(not my picture)
So, your old header looks like this:
So you say to yourself, "this sucks. I want a cool header that will make my car faster, sound cooler, and look sweet!"
So you order your new shorty header. (Mine's a Spooled Up Racing header)
a new header will have more smooth transitions in the bends, allowing better airflow through the exhaust. This is why its better than stock.
Start by jacking up the front of your car and putting it on jackstands.
(make sure its sturdy before getting under it.)
slide under your car and find where the downpipe meets the shorty header. There will be two spring-loaded bolts there. They are 12mm. Remove those two bolts.
(view of bolts from above)
optional: take out the two 10mm bolts holding the power steering tube and throttle cable to the valve cover. having these cables loose will allow you to move them around and make it easier to reach the bolts on the header.
Now, from the top, find the header (back of the engine [duh])
There are 5 bolts holding it on. The top two are just nuts, the bottom three are whole bolts. All 5 are 14mm.
Its tricky to get into the tight space, but if I can do it, you can too. once you get them all out, the header is loose.
Pull off the header and get it out of the engine bay.
pull off the metal gasket that was between the header and the engine.
Put the new gasket (that came with the header) where the old one was.
Put the new header in place. Line it up with the downpipe, and line it up with the engine.
Start with the two nuts, put them on loosely, then do the bolts. once all the bolts and nuts are on (excluding the ones under the car) tighten them all down. They've gotta be very tight in order to make a good seal and not make your engine smoke.
Once they're tight, get back under the car and reinstall the sprung bolts (no pun intended).
Once it's all tight, you're set.
Start it up. Then check your engine. If its a lot louder, you may not have a good seal and you're likely to have a lot of smoke in your engine bay.
Mine smoked a little bit, but after I drove it around the block, it stopped smoking and set in.
Its pretty straight forward. Go for it, you can have it done in an hour or two.
Great way to add a little power and make your rsx growl!
Thanks for reading. Good luck and enjoy!
before:
After:
"step 1-remove oem header
step 2- install new header."
So I thought I'd write it up for you.
It's not a difficult install, but some of the bolts may be a pain to get loose.
A good trick to use is locking one wrench onto another one essentially increasing the length of the wrench and giving you more torque.
(not my picture)
So, your old header looks like this:
So you say to yourself, "this sucks. I want a cool header that will make my car faster, sound cooler, and look sweet!"
So you order your new shorty header. (Mine's a Spooled Up Racing header)
a new header will have more smooth transitions in the bends, allowing better airflow through the exhaust. This is why its better than stock.
Start by jacking up the front of your car and putting it on jackstands.
(make sure its sturdy before getting under it.)
slide under your car and find where the downpipe meets the shorty header. There will be two spring-loaded bolts there. They are 12mm. Remove those two bolts.
(view of bolts from above)
optional: take out the two 10mm bolts holding the power steering tube and throttle cable to the valve cover. having these cables loose will allow you to move them around and make it easier to reach the bolts on the header.
Now, from the top, find the header (back of the engine [duh])
There are 5 bolts holding it on. The top two are just nuts, the bottom three are whole bolts. All 5 are 14mm.
Its tricky to get into the tight space, but if I can do it, you can too. once you get them all out, the header is loose.
Pull off the header and get it out of the engine bay.
pull off the metal gasket that was between the header and the engine.
Put the new gasket (that came with the header) where the old one was.
Put the new header in place. Line it up with the downpipe, and line it up with the engine.
Start with the two nuts, put them on loosely, then do the bolts. once all the bolts and nuts are on (excluding the ones under the car) tighten them all down. They've gotta be very tight in order to make a good seal and not make your engine smoke.
Once they're tight, get back under the car and reinstall the sprung bolts (no pun intended).
Once it's all tight, you're set.
Start it up. Then check your engine. If its a lot louder, you may not have a good seal and you're likely to have a lot of smoke in your engine bay.
Mine smoked a little bit, but after I drove it around the block, it stopped smoking and set in.
Its pretty straight forward. Go for it, you can have it done in an hour or two.
Great way to add a little power and make your rsx growl!
Thanks for reading. Good luck and enjoy!
before:
After: