testpipe on jacks = fail

[trueno429]

ranting here..ive been doing well trying to get my cat out for the test pipe BUT..
im on jackstands and i cant get the cat and downpipe out from under the car together..
any tips on how i should cut the bolts from the cat-downpipe?
theres no way im ganna be able to unscrew those rusted ass bolts.

[gq9]

Did you try letting it soak for a good hour with rustbuster or something? Then try and crack them loose?

[Papachristou]

usually there isnt even enough of the nut left to put a socket on, get a smaller one and hammer it on then try to break them off or chisel them off

[lotusgardener]

unbolt the entire thing...
make sure you took the airbox out...
pull the cat out while rotating it clockwise...
don't be bashful, pull forcefully and eat your wheaties...

[trueno429]

yeah ive let them soak overnight..all the other bolts were easy to get off.
its too cold outside and dark so im just ganna try again tmw morning.
if they dont screw off im just ganna end up doing the dremel

[kwimberly]

Sorry! Every time I read a post like this it confirms that paying my local shop $100 to install mine was the best money ever spent!

[trueno429]

i cant pull the catout..i dont have enough ground clearance to rotate it out..if i had a lift im sure it would slide out easily so what im ganna have to do is unbolt the cat-downpipe on the floor with the cat halfway in the engine bay

[Turbo1A4]

yea i would have taken it to a shop...try to heat it up with a torch(carefully)

[heateris]

i cant pull the catout..i dont have enough ground clearance to rotate it out..if i had a lift im sure it would slide out easily so what im ganna have to do is unbolt the cat-downpipe on the floor with the cat halfway in the engine bay

pull it out the top, stand on a milk crate and pull it out. i just replaced mine on Sunday. take out the air box first.

[jessefrank]

I origionally did my test pipe on jack stands at about 55k on the clock...I know exactly what you are talking about. Those dang bolts were not coming off and there was no easy way to get the exhaust out because you couldn't get the car high enough to pull the entire thing out.

I used a a combination of tools...started with a dremel to cut the bolt off (slowly was working, but it dosen't cut them off strait and I ran out of cutoff wheels). Then used a sawzall (worked the best but I burnt up all the blades I had and my neighbors). Finally used a modified air cut off tool to fininsh the job. All that and about 3 hours for only 3 lousy bolts.

A lift is a bit more help...but it is still a pain in the rear because you have to cut those bolts off.

Be paitient and take your time...you'll eventually get it.


**Edit** also helps to have a set of stubby wrenchs for the new bolts, if not you can turn the two hard to get ones ever so slightly each time with a full size wrench.

[trueno429]

haha thanks jesse frank, i got 76k on the clock
but yeah i think i might try to take it off from the top good looks
we'll see what happens tomorrow morning

[617 Bones]

pull it out the top, stand on a milk crate and pull it out. i just replaced mine on Sunday. take out the air box first.

That's how I did mines!
But you still have to be on jack stands cause the downpipe will be at weird angles while you are turning the downpipe/cat out of the engine bay.

[sean1.8t]

on my B5, 2/3 of the bottom nuts on the cat>dp flange were spot welded onto the flange. so you could only get them out by taking the bolt out from the top.... so just to make sure, you're not trying to go at them from the bottom are you?

either way i hated doing that mod. unbolting the transmission bellhousing from the block is easier than those damn 3 flange bolts, i swear

[widgget]

i cut my down pipe and pulled it out the top, was replacing the downpipe of course.

[dougyfresh]

unbolt the entire thing...
make sure you took the airbox out...
pull the cat out while rotating it clockwise...
don't be bashful, pull forcefully and eat your wheaties...

That IS the way to do it. Unbolt the entire exhaust and unbolt the CAT from the turbo. Get the car about a foot in the air on jack stands (nice 4ton Craftsman ones work well, they are super stable).

You can then drop the exhaust to gain access to those CAT - Downpipe bolts and cut them off with an angle grinder. Then you can take the CAT out from up top and bolt the exhaust back in place.

Install the test pipe with nice stainless steel bolts on that CAT - Downpipe flange and use locking copper lock-nuts or stainless steel nuts with NordLoc washers. Put a new gasket in too.


I did this when I installed my cat-back to my OEM CAT and turbo. Followed the instructions on a4mods.com to get my cat off the turbo. Didn't take me that much time at all.

[festerfm]

the first time we did mine (was just to replace a blown out gasket) we used a torch to cut off the bottom of the bolt and just replaced the hardware... to tighten it back up, my buddy cut his craftsman wrench in half so it would fit in the tight space. then when we put the test pipe in, same thing... used the half-wrench and an impact w/ extentions to unbolt the pipe, when you put it back in, it helps to have a friend help you since we dropped the whole catback... when we put the test pipe on, we bolted it to the catback while it was off the car then just had one guy hold up the exhaust and the other bolt it onto the turbo... of course, then took the wrench back to sears and got it replaced..

[Wanted]

Get some good quality heavy-duty cut off wheels for your dremel (or angle grinder if you have one) and don't waste anymore time soaking or trying to get the rusted bolts off. Then don't be shy about pulling the piece out - just manhandle the bad boy! Best of luck and keep us posted.

[ExCarpi]

Try and find someone with a plasma cutter or a Oxyacetylene Torch. Then it will only take 5-10 minutes to get the bolts out.

[martini]

O used a dremel tool with one of the cable extensions to cut the bolts out of mine

[B5A4Kevin]

ive never needed anything more than pb blaster and an impact with a swivel socket, but then again i have access to an air compressor/air tools, and live in sunny rust-free fl.

like everyone else has said, take out the air box and get at least 2 nuts from the top, then pull it out from the top, rather than underneath.

[Alphazuzu]

I have the answer this is exactly what I did. Get the car up as high in the front and back as possible and you can get the pipe out. Just swivel it all the way to the drivers side and work it out. It helps to have someone above moving it for you. then cut the nuts and chisle them off.

[trueno429]

haha thanks for the tips guys
i couldnt get it out the top so i tried to get the bolts off from the bottom of the car, it wasnt bad as i thought after 76k
i finished this morning and i noticed SUCH a diff..
turbo sounds amazing, my dv sounds more noticeable, and the acceleration is pretty ill..
but i got a exhaust leak because i couldnt tighten two bolts cuz i had no room..ganna need a lift for those

[festerfm]

were they the 2 that are in a spot where u cant get a wrench on??? i've had issues w/ the gasket there and have had to tighten them b4.. you should have tightened those bolts before you put the cat back on the car... then with u'r exhaust as a whole bolt it onto the turbo... i mean, that was what i found to be the easiest..;.l