So here we are under the vehicle and what we are going to do now is go step by step on how to remove the exhaust system. The first thing we are going to pull apart is we are going to separate the rear muffler from the remainder of the exhaust system. There is going to be two 8 millimeter bolts over here or nuts that you are going to remove that hold the mounts and there is going to be four on this side.
Then what you are going to do is disconnect the four bolts right here at the flanges and then the rear muffler will come off. Now in order to get the center section out of the vehicle, we have got to remove the cross brace. To get the cross brace out, we've got to take three one on each corner, one in the center 10 millimeter bolts. We are going to then remove the four 8 millimeter bolts here and leave the bracket on the center pipe. We are going to leave this area connected, since we want to take the whole piece off as a unit and we are going take these four 8 millimeter bolts apart here and that will take the entire exhaust system off the vehicle, except for the catalytic converters which that'll be another project.
So what we are going to install on this M3 is going to be a complete Super Sprint Exhaust system including race muffler, center resonator, metallic race cats which are down stream similar to the European models and the stepped headers. The stepped header is here, the new version stepped headers will go directly into your section one or into the original metallic cats or connecting pipes. The nice thing about these new version headers they'll also fit right hand drive cars.
Okay here comes the more difficult part of this exhaust project, that's installing a set of Super Sprint Headers. Now, when you do this project, allow yourself about 5-6 hours to this job right. There is a lot fasteners to disconnect. There is a lot of things you have to be careful of, so you get it right, you don't want to damage anything on to the car and you also want to make sure that you don't have redo anything.
So as we are looking on the car here, I have already removed the plastic coil cover and I've got another video that we've done that explains how to do that. Now what we are looking to do here if you get closer to the exhaust manifold here, I'll put a light on it. We're are going to remove this heat shield right here. There are three bolts, there are 8 millimeter bolts that hold on this heat shield. There is 0ne, there is two and all the way in the back here, there is a third one. There is also a 6 millimeter one to 6 millimeter bolt. These are 10 millimeter heads, this will be an 8 millimeter bolt with the 13 millimeter head.
Now what we want to do to make access a little easier, we are going to take the coolant hose off right, since it's right in way of the bolt and then we are going to take the coolant bottle out. To remove the coolant bottle, what you have got, you have got a cheap metal screw here, I have disconnected you are going to disconnect the window washer reservoir filler right over here. It comes to one side, you are going to want to disconnect this line right that goes. It's the over flow, it's the breather to the radiator on the other side and then we are going to disconnect the hose that goes right down to the radiator feed line which is this line right here.
Now the whole unit will essentially just lift out of the vehicle, sits on a low rubber grommet and what we are going to do is just for right now I am just going to move it over to one side so you kind of see where we are going here.
First thing, what we are going to do remove this air pump hose right here. Now these both on both sides have quick disconnects, you just kind of squeeze them right here, you have to squeeze a little firmly and then they will pull straight back and then you'll do the same thing likewise over here. That hose will come out. Now what we want to do, we want to take these bolts out right here. To get them out quickly you want to use a quarter inch drive swivel but to get them started, to loosen them up I would recommend using a wrench so you don't damage your swivel assembly.
Now this a relatively new car or a relatively low mile car. I am going to loosen all three of them. I got this one back here. This is relatively low mile car, so it's not going to have a lot of rusted fasteners and connecters on it, and this a 35000 mile car, so it's basically we are taking the bolts out for the first time and it seems to be working pretty well.
Okay, we've got the three bolts out of the heat shield but it's not going to come out yet we got to move it down away but this air diverter valve here needs to come off first and we are going to take these two nuts off here to get those off. Okay, we have loosened the heat shield and at the back of a shield all four of the O2 sensor wires are under a little wire clip, you have got to disconnect those first. That will allow you to push the heat shield back far enough to pull it out to the front.
Here's the two clips at back that are holding the O2 sensor wires. Make sure you disconnect those wires, then pry the heat shield down at the body, there is a second heat shield you are going to pry it back slightly and then you are going to pull that heat shield out through the top like that. It might take a little bit of moving but it will come out.
Okay we've got our heat shield out of the way and here are the headers or the factory catalytic converters with their headers on it. I've got the quarter inch drive ratchet in position, if the studs and nuts aren't too frozen, you could probably take them off with the ratchet assembly as you see it I can see that I can probably do about 12 of them right now from this vantage point from up above here.
Now what you will have to do is put a little a WD-40 on them to loosen them up a little bit and you may have to use a shorter extension on some of them. I doubt if you'll longer extension on any of them but once they get started you should be able loosen them pretty easily they are all copper lock nuts, so they should release without too much trouble. If you gave got car that's got little bit of rust issue on the studs which you might want to do is just to give them a little bit more time may give them an hour, so soaking with a WD-40.
Now way at the very back, back there on number 6, it might be a little more difficult to get but I couldn't imagine you can probably get all but the bottom one on that side and will do the rest of them from underneath. Now, we are going to go ahead and start taking these nuts off the top and we will see how many we get and then we'll let the car up and do the rest from the bottom.
Okay, we managed to get all of the exhaust nuts, all 18 of them came off from the top there was 1 or 2 that could have little easier from the bottom. The most difficult one was on number one the bottom one, that was number one flange. Now, we have pulled the headers back off the head a little bit and we've only at this point got about two hours into the project.
First thing you are going to want to do is to remove the little holder that holds the O2 sensor connectors, and it's got two -- looks like it's got two 6 millimeter nuts holding it down. There is a little plastic clip that goes into a bracket it'll release. You'll roll the piece over like this and you'll see that you've got the O2 sensor harness that stays with the vehicle and then the actual O2 sensor that connects to it and follows along the bracket, and then you'll pull those out one at a time. They'll come out of these little harness pieces just like this and then what you are going to do is you are going to disconnect them one at a time and the O2 sensors are labeled. Obviously the harness piece that connects to it from front to rear is labeled 1 through 4 at the back of the cylinder head, down inside underneath the cowl, you are going to see that there is the exhaust temperature sensor connector right there you'll disconnect that also and then all of the wire harnesses for those sensors will down the back side of the head and you'll see from the back side of the head underneath the vehicle that there is plenty of room to pull those wires on through.
Okay now what I have got here is I have fed all the O2 sensor wires and the exhaust temperature wire out the back side underneath the vehicle. So they can get hung up on any thing. I have got the two cats loose and I am feeding then our together and bringing it down, you kind want to bring then together to get it out far enough then you can work with the rear set. The rear set it looks like it's ready to come out and there we go, we got the first one out and here comes the front set and there we go.
Okay here's what it's going to look at the side of the cylinder head without the catalytic converters or any kind of headers on it. We have got our exhaust ports there, some of our exhaust gaskets are still hanging. We are going to use new gaskets to make sure we don't have any leaks from when we are finished.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services