in need of some help.

96mx-3 · Post by **96mx-3** » January 23rd, 2007, 3:23 pm

hello everybody

i have a bit of a problem..i bought headers for my 1.8l v6 (96) from ss autochrome..i got a quote for $500 from a guy in a shop to install them..so i took it to mazda to see how much they could do it for..but they wont do it...becuase i need to move the cat. back 8 inches or so and then it will be right under my shifter..and i cant have it there...the other option was to just cutt it out..but mazda cant do that because its illegal..and im jsut wondering if i can get some help or if you know a good guy who has done it before..or if one of you could install this for me..i dont have welding tools..or access to a lift..i tryed going under the car but its alot harder..so if anyone can help me do this install or can do it themselves im more then glad to pay for this to be installed..i jsut dont have any connections in this area..

thanks to any help..

Spinkx79 · Post by **Spinkx79** » January 23rd, 2007, 3:34 pm

Try your local muffler shop....here in my town i use Thruway.

They will do whatever u want and if u get the owner u can most likely get a cash deal.

g/l

PATDIESEL · Post by **PATDIESEL** » January 23rd, 2007, 6:39 pm

he said it was 500 at the local muffler shop...
I'd do the headers yourself. It is time consuming, but can be done with a bit of cussing. The front one is easy, the rear one is a biotch. Then get a muffler shop to connect the headers to the exhisting exhaust. Shouldn't be much to just move the cat and weld some new flanges.

96mx-3 · Post by **96mx-3** » January 23rd, 2007, 10:11 pm

yea but a buddy form mazda said that wed have to put the cat under the shifter and its nto good there ...and its pointless to put on a cat any way because its stock exhaust piping size so to gfo form bigger pipe to smaller to bigger would eliminate gains any way he said maybe 1 to 2 h.p gain anf all that money fior that isnt worth it ...so im jsut gettin rid of it i called another shop and they said theyd do it for 300 so i think im gunna go take a look and try and offfer them less with cash...will c
unless anyone can do it for cheaper

lol

Nd4SpdSe · Post by **Nd4SpdSe** » January 23rd, 2007, 10:48 pm

You may be making several mistakes but not putting a cat

First, when I ran a test pipe instead of a cat, the car was ungodly loud. I will never do that again. And you could get a ticket for improper muffler (I got one). Depending on the cop, if they decide to inspect your car further (i luckily didn't, she was really nice), see "thirdly" below.

Secondly, your headers should be a 2.5" pipe, a high-flow cat should be 2.5" as well, and your stock cat would be the same flange diameter as your stock exhaust system. The only smaller pipe would be going to the stock exhaust system, which *I think* is 1.5", but I can't remember, but you'll be stepping down either way. Yes, you want to optimise exhaust velocity, and stepping up than down would hurt performance, possibly voiding the performance gain (or worse on a K8) form the headers, but that shouldn't be the case regardless. You'll be going 2.5-2.5-1.5 or 2.5-1.5-1.5

Thirdly, it's illegal to not have one. Not only will you fail the pre-e-test inspection, so you can't get e-tested, therefor, can't renew your plate stickers. As well, it's a $395 fine if you get caught by the police/MTO, and you will more likely be towed on the spot since your car is not road worthy/legal.

Fourthly, you will more likely fail your next e-test, so you'll need one regardless.

Fifthly, many people have headers with catalytic converters, and probably all of them are under or near the shifter, and there was been *NO* posted issues relating to exhaust or cats' in proximity to the shifter. Plus, a new cat should have a nice new heat shield

If I think of any more reasons not to, I'll post them up. But trying to be cheap, i'll cost you the same, if not more, if not WAY more in the future. Some people put a straight pipe through a cat (a hollowed cat reduces exhaust velocity, so not recommended for a performance gain) to trick the inspections, but that still wont make it quieter, help your emissions, and cops have probes to feel if the cat is functional. As well, it'll cost you money to get that done, and well, your trying to save money, so that's no help to you either.

If you decide to go through with the no-cat, good luck, but dont say you didn't get warned.

96mx-3 · Post by **96mx-3** » January 24th, 2007, 11:24 am

alright so i have 2inch exhaust...and 2inch cat...ive read aobut the backpressure faq...i still have one question ...is it worth redoing to go up to 2.25 or 2.5 ? the headers are 2.5..so 2.5 to 2 is it that big of a deal ?
worth redoing ?

Devlin · Post by **Devlin** » January 24th, 2007, 11:31 pm

as for installation....john and i were able to do his in his garage w/ just a regular car jack and a bit of handywork.

however if u do that, u do run the problem of the cat being in the wrong spot.......a temp solution would b to attatch the cat at the flange, cut the length of pipe between the cat and the muffler so that the muffler's in the proper spot, and get a length of pipe from the muffler section of crappy tire and clamp u'r exhaust on like that.
this is only to hold things together until you drive it to a muffler shop and get a proper exhaust installed. are you planning on further performance mods? if so, might as well start there

96mx-3 · Post by **96mx-3** » January 25th, 2007, 11:33 am

so the cat cant be futher back behind the shifter? i have mods done i just dont no if i should bother redoing the exhaust to a 2.25 or 2.5 from 2 liek i wanna feel more torque in lower rpm ,i read that 2.25 would be better then 2.5 for that but is it worth redoing for .25 ? cause if it is i mightas well redo it..

Devlin · Post by **Devlin** » January 25th, 2007, 10:40 pm

do u have stock right now?
stock's not 2"....i believe like 1.5 or so
i have 2.25" w/ a ZE (KL01 cams) and at last dyno, i had almost equal HP and TQ.

stock is way too restrictive

96mx-3 · Post by **96mx-3** » January 27th, 2007, 11:13 am

no its not stock...the guy b4 me put it in and its only 2 inch pipe ...so thats why i dont no if i should redo it all for .25 inches bigger

Devlin · Post by **Devlin** » January 27th, 2007, 11:57 am

well...another option, if u'r not planning on selling them ever...

i had my exhaust done b4 my headers as well, and we just cut the end of the Y-pipe off and welded it directly to the cat.

it's a tight fit, and i don't know how recomended it is, but it's doable and u don't havta move anything.

u might even b able to do it better than me and have the flang re-welded to the end of the shorter Y-pipe so u can still replace the cat when needed.

96mx-3 · Post by **96mx-3** » January 27th, 2007, 1:16 pm

i think its jsut easier to move the cat back behind the shifter towards the rear more i jsut dont no if i should redo the whole thing for .25 inches

96mx-3 · Post by **96mx-3** » February 2nd, 2007, 4:21 pm

so jsut an update..still notdone..i took it to midas to see if they would install it but im looking at $700.00 they said roughly..jsut for the headers to be installed...so not going there..mazda wont do it..and neither will over drive....debaiting a swap for a klde now cause get more h.p for same money then jsut put on headers b4 install ...but then id have to find a guy to do motor swap lol mx-3s suck is where im at right now lol

help meee