Downpipe removal questions.....

[Daft]

So I'm in the midst of removing my downpipes to gut the pre-cats. A buddy of mine is going to weld on the new bungs for me over the holiday weekend so that won't be an issue.

Anyhow, I've got to get the downpipes out and it seems like it's going to be a real pain in the ass.

I removed all the stuff I needed to get access and I've removed the heatshield bolts, cross brace, spring tensioners near flex sections. The Bentley manual says to remove the axle heat shields and then remove the axles and tie them up. I removed the heat shields but, I don't have a 10mm triple-square bit so I'm thinking that I might be able to get the pipes out and leave the axles attached.

Then the manual says to completely remove the tranny side mounts. Ummm, ok. I removed the 2 13mm bolts that attach them to the subframe but, let's be honest, the bolts that hold the mount to the tranny are almost impossible to get to. They are 8mm hex key headed bolts and they are in the tightest places ever. I have am 8mm hex key socket but, there is no way on earth that it will get in those areas with a ratchet on the back of it. There's like 4 of them per mount as well. I have a big 8mm hex key, whoopty do, I won't ever break them free with that.

Does anyone have any useful tips on what I might use to get these out? More importantly, is it possible to slip the downpipes out past the tranny mounts?

Secondly, the O2 primary O2 sensors are pretty hard to get at from the top. Can I just leave them in and drop the downpipes with them in place? Same for the passenger side EGT probe. There's no room to turn it from above and I really can't get to it from underneath (there's a tranny mount in my way...lol).

This is the suck...

On a side note the bolts/nuts that hold my exhaust clamps on look like they are completely fused as one, I'll be shocked it they come apart without snapping in half. Luckily the hardware store sells the same ones.

[mwbunns4]

alright man, i just got done removing and instaling aftermarket dps on mine. what i ended up doing doing was cutting around the heat shields so as not to remove the egt and primary o2 sensors until you can pull the DP down to get to it. you dont have to remove the cv axles, but you do need to remove the axle shields. it helps to have the front wheels of for that, and just get long extensions. and it helps on the drivers side to take out the trains mission mount and "ear" to get it out and back in. if you have any other questions, PM me.

[Daft]

I think I'm throwing in the towel on this thing. Some of these DP flange nuts are nearly impossible to remove.

I got two off on the driver's side. I got the top one off on the passenger side. I got the EGT sensor out too.

Between the O2 sensors, the top DP flange nut and the one closest to the trans on the driver side, the completely frozen exhaust clamp and being tired, I quit...lol

I even went to sears today and picked up a flex head 17mm gear wrench and a flex head stubby ratchet to help in this situation. No dice.

The biggest issue is the top DP flange nut on the driver's side. There is literally 1" of space between it and the firewall. The only things I can get in there are a box wrench or an open-end/box end combo. The box wrench is longer and should give enough leverage to crack it free but, there's no where to go due to the O2 sensor clips above. The other direction is the all the tubes/hoses behind the intake manifold.

I have to do my intercoolers next weekend, I won't mind that at all compared to this mess.......

[Mantis]

I hear you Daft, I spent an entire day trying to do DP's, I managed to get the passenger free but not out, the drivers I couldn't get free due to that damned top nut. I felt weak and defeated after that and had to go about several other small easy mods just to regain some lost confidence. Not sure if this is true but I have heard that TIP DP's are next to impossible to remove. If this is the case then I am using that as my excuse. lol

[Gigi]

Sorry to hear man but that is exactely why I paid GMP 3 or 4 hrs labor to do the removal, shipping to VAST and re-install for me!
I have a TIP and the mechainc said it was a PITA, he dropped the subframe a bit for removal.

[Daft]

Yeah, I loosened the subframe too but, those damn DP flange bolts are almost impossible to get at. I have like 10 different 17mm wrenches and none give enough clearance to break them free.

When the turbos were swapped, the dealership dropped the whole subframe to do the job. I'm certain that they used an impact gun to tighten some of this stuff down. It's just too tight.

[AudiA4_20T]

Brett you want me to do this for you? I did it on my buddies S4 without taking out the axles... You can get at those trans mounts you need some 8mm hex sockets and a set of alen keys

[Daft]

I just put it back together tonight. I'll regroup after I install my new intercoolers and fender liners next week and figure out how I can beat those DPs into shape.

I'd even possibly buy a spare set of downpipes and gut/weld them ahead of time but, I have a BEL motor and a manual tranny. So, I can only use downpipes from 2003+ manual cars...

Clint, I have a socketed 8mm hex and keys but, the A6's tranny mounts are really hard to get at. According to Greg, I should be able to slip them out next time without removing the tranny mounts and just lowering the subframe a bit to make wiggle room.

[Daft]

Just an update on this task:

Last Saturday night, I finally replaced my downpipes! I took the car to SSP Tuning and we droped the whole engine. Once Greg saw the area that we had near the flange, he then understood why I gave up.

Plus, the tech that installed them at Riverside Audi must have put them on with an impact gun. We needed a 2' pipe on a wrench to break them free!!

Thanks again to Greg and all the guys down at SSP that helped me out!