damn exhaust. .. damn friend, obviously not a true guy

  1. Infrequent Poster Joined: Sep 2014 Posts: 234
    #1
    Alright folks

    Me and a mate fitted my 4 branch decat manifold on a my phase 2 saxo vtr a few weeks ago... half way through his girlfriend started ringing him saying he needed to take his kids to their grandparents.... then he starts to rush.
    So, my exhaust once fitted kept falling off where the decat pipe meets the manifold and i kept having to jack me car up and put it back on... turns out he'd not attached the bracket on the decat to the gearbox. Found this out after putting my foot down out of a roundabout and loosing it again. Went in for a look, bodged it on to get me into sheffield (was in the middle of nowhere). Apparently hardware stores dont sell individual nuts and bolts and if they do theres a minimum order of 25 quid.
    Ended up squeezed under my car at halfords of all places. Got the bolt to fit into the gearbox (m10 if anyone is wondering)... all going well.... turns out he'd tightened the exhaust clamp so tight he'd misshaped the decat where it has the slits so i couldn't line the bracket up where it needs to be.
    fucked the exhaust off and just had to drive across sheffield with no exhaust from the manifold back sounding like id bought an exhaust from halfords and ditched my car at a garage...
    Said theres me car, sort it, thanks.

    moral of the story. .. if your mate says he's done it, assume he's a complete fucking idiot and check it yourself, because his mistakes have made me the idiot and made me resort to a garage..
  2. Saxperience Hardcore! Joined: Dec 2007 smurfland. Posts: 17346 Ex saxo owner.
    #2
    Moral of the story is if you want something doing properly do it yourself.
  3. Infrequent Poster Joined: Sep 2014 Posts: 234
    #3
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stevo67 View Post
    Moral of the story is if you want something doing properly do it yourself.
    Agreed.

    I wish i had a garage so i could dig a pit or get a propper ramp like a garage. So fiddly under a car on axle stands.
  4. Infrequent Poster Joined: Oct 2012 Dorset Posts: 237 Citroen Saxo Furio 1.4l
    #4
    do lots of research on the forums etc, gain a little bit of knowledge, order the bits you may need ( always bester to replace EVERYTHING e.g. bolts, nuts, pipes. But only if you can afford, then like other have said DIY! that way, you know what you've done, and you'll have an idea of what might have gone wrong. Plus the only person you can blame then is yourself. Never trust someone else.
  5. Infrequent Poster Joined: Sep 2014 Posts: 234
    #5
    Lol i blame myself, its my car and down to me to make sure its right. Ive learned the hard way. Doing my brakes next week and will certainly be doing it myself.
  6. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Jul 2011 Newcastle upon Tyne Posts: 7779 Phase 2 VTS , E61 M5
    #6
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrrwill View Post
    moral of the story. .. if your mate says he's done it, assume he's a complete fucking idiot and check it yourself, because his mistakes have made me the idiot and made me resort to a garage..
    D4MJT is married now
    1 user thanked this post:
  7. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Aug 2008 The wrong carpark Posts: 5152 Xantia 1.9TD
    #7
    Decat pipe...mk2???
  8. Infrequent Poster Joined: Sep 2014 Posts: 234
    #8
    Well, i say decat, the manofold itsself is the decat as its phase 2... but the 10 inch joiner pipe between the manifold and the centre pipe. Whats the true name for it?
  9. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Aug 2008 The wrong carpark Posts: 5152 Xantia 1.9TD
    #9
    Is your mani in 2 sections or something? You should only have one long centre pipe that runs from the join just behind the gearbox up to the join at the backbox. If the mani is one piece you shouldnt need to bolt it onto the box (i never did) as it should be supported on the head and the exhaust by the hangers. It helps, but its not a dealbreaker. Have you got new bolts and gasket for the joint? As i find they never go on right the second time around.

    The only other thing i can think of is you've got a mk1 centre with a mk1 decat to make up the gap!
  10. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Jan 2010 Stourbridge Posts: 7338 Nissan 200sx S14a
    #10
    For future reference, Screwfix do packs of 50 or 100 nuts and bolts for around £5.
    I have about 100 of each size in a drawer in my garage. As someone said above, I will always replace nuts and bolts for new items when they've been removed.
  11. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Aug 2008 The wrong carpark Posts: 5152 Xantia 1.9TD
    #11
    The gasket sets can be had for around a tenner toi
  12. Newbie Joined: May 2014 Posts: 14
    #12
    make sure you use bolts/nuts that are the right tensile strength as originals..you don't want to snap/stretch the new bolts or worse have them shear when its back in use.
  13. Saxperience Forum Bum Joined: Mar 2009 Morpeth Posts: 2539 BMW 116d Regional Toner Sales Edition
    #13
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrrwill View Post
    Agreed.

    I wish i had a garage so i could dig a pit or get a propper ramp like a garage. So fiddly under a car on axle stands.
    The moral of the story is stop being a bender lol

    It's only a manifold and decat pipe, fitting with nuts and bolts, it's not like the car needs to be 10 feet in the air so you can fabricate and TiG together a bespoke system lol.

    Armed with 2 axle stands and a trolley jack, I'm pretty sure you can manage to get an exhaust changed
  14. Saxperience Hardcore! Joined: Dec 2007 smurfland. Posts: 17346 Ex saxo owner.
    #14
    Or go onto ebay & buy some 2nd hand ramps,easy job done.
  15. Infrequent Poster Joined: Sep 2014 Posts: 234
    #15
    Yes, but i work away from home all the time, so i cant carry everything aboot all the time. Got caught off guard... ramps/ axle stands are my next investment. Ive just being making do finding a high curb or jacking up and putting stuff under the wheels.
    Its the first car ive had that i can be bothered to pull apart and play with so am slowly learning. Parts and tools is costing me a fortune so having to slowly fill my shed.

    One thing... are axle stands stable? They look like they have a narrow base..

    Cheers
  16. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Jan 2010 Stourbridge Posts: 7338 Nissan 200sx S14a
    #16
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrrwill View Post
    Yes, but i work away from home all the time, so i cant carry everything aboot all the time. Got caught off guard... ramps/ axle stands are my next investment. Ive just being making do finding a high curb or jacking up and putting stuff under the wheels.
    Its the first car ive had that i can be bothered to pull apart and play with so am slowly learning. Parts and tools is costing me a fortune so having to slowly fill my shed.

    One thing... are axle stands stable? They look like they have a narrow base..

    Cheers
    They're only as stable as the surface you use them on and the location you use them on the car. But providing they're sold by a reputable company and have 3 points of contact with the floor they should be fine.

    Regarding the cost of tools, they should last you a lifetime. Look after them and they'll look after you. The only tools I've had fail on me are the Halfords tool kits. Others swear by them, but my ratchets always start to slip.
    I've since bought Snap-on and the difference in build quality is huge (as is the cost unfortunately).
  17. Infrequent Poster Joined: Sep 2014 Posts: 234
    #17
    Cheers pal, i never buy cheap tools definitely not worth it. I did buy a halfords advance socket set (fingers crossed no problems yet) but then i never use it to tighten up fully.
  18. Infrequent Poster Joined: Sep 2014 Posts: 234
    #18
    Oh and in response to 'chincostu'... yeah my manifold comes down then bends under the care where it becomes one pipe, but then between the manifold and the centre pipe there is a joining pipe between 10 and 12 inch and a bracket which connects the system to the gearbox. Its a phase 2 mani on a phase 2 saxo. Sooo i dno lol
  19. Saxperience Hardcore! Joined: Dec 2007 smurfland. Posts: 17346 Ex saxo owner.
    #19
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrrwill View Post
    Yes, but i work away from home all the time, so i cant carry everything aboot all the time. Got caught off guard... ramps/ axle stands are my next investment. Ive just being making do finding a high curb or jacking up and putting stuff under the wheels.
    Its the first car ive had that i can be bothered to pull apart and play with so am slowly learning. Parts and tools is costing me a fortune so having to slowly fill my shed.

    One thing... are axle stands stable? They look like they have a narrow base..

    Cheers
    Of course the surface you use them on will affect stability,one tip is to place them on a square piece of thick wood.
  20. Established Member Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 1368
    #20
    Nothing wrong with Halfords tools, pretty good quality, and when they do break, they have a lifetime warrenty.
  21. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Aug 2008 The wrong carpark Posts: 5152 Xantia 1.9TD
    #21
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrrwill View Post
    Oh and in response to 'chincostu'... yeah my manifold comes down then bends under the care where it becomes one pipe, but then between the manifold and the centre pipe there is a joining pipe between 10 and 12 inch and a bracket which connects the system to the gearbox. Its a phase 2 mani on a phase 2 saxo. Sooo i dno lol
    like the sportex manis, where the 4 go into 1 pipe but rather than being welding its clamped together?

    had images of it having a mk1 system with a mk1 decat shoved in!

    as far as it goes, you should be able to gently bend the metal around so the clamp fits properly. or just get someone to weld it
  22. Infrequent Poster Joined: Sep 2014 Posts: 234
    #22
    Maybe yeah, not that it makes any odds as its up and running fine now... if i get chance ill upload a picture today. How do you upload pictures?