wrx up pipe

[sabianbenz]

I have been thinking about replacing my stock up pipe and replacing it with a megan racing up pipe. The only draw back is the installation process, anyone know how to perform this task if so I need some instructions .

[mrjoshm]

i installed a perrin up pipe on my '02, here is the install guide i followed when i did mine: http://www.scoobymods.com/perrin_uppipe_installation_instructions-t194.html?s=&threadid=194

but, i did not jack my engine up, i replaced all of the gaskets that were old and i didn't not tap the new up pipe to use an EGT sensor. (this is the EGT CEL "fix" if you decide to leave the EGT sensor out http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/maintenance-service-repair/58505-egt-cel-fix-after-installing-uppipe.html from what i have read it seems like a better idea to leave it out, i have read that the probe of the EGT can break off and fly into your turbo at God-only-knows speeds) i noticed the megan racing pipe has a flex joint, so you might not even have to remove the manifold if there is enough flex, it looks like it comes with gaskets too but i'd buy the crossover pipe gasket and manifold gasket anyway incase you can't flex it into place and have to remove that manifold

[pcowan]

The first uppipe I did was for my Vishnu Stage 0 in my 02 WRX. The instructions are still on the vishun site at http://www.vishnutuning.com/Files/Stage_Zero_Install_Inst_v_3_2.zip

to save you the time, here's exerpts from the text:

First, make sure that you have access to the following tools:

1. Liquid Wrench, WD-40, or similar rust remover / penetrating spray
2. 10, 12 and 14 mm wrenches
3. 10, 12 and 14 mm sockets (recommend at least one flex-head 14 mm socket – once you get a flexhead, you’ll never know how you survived without them)
4. 22 mm (or 7/8ths – fits the same) wrench or O2 sensor socket (socket with slit for wires to fit out of)
5. 22 mm (or 7/8ths) socket with breaker bar
6. Long flat-head screwdriver
7. Several extensions for your socket set (at least six inches of extensions)
8. Needle-nose pliers
9. Boost gauge
10. 2 jackstands
11. Floor jack
12. Shop light or other portable, pointable light
13. Torque Wrench, preferably one that goes down to 15 ft-lbs.


BEFORE YOU START:

Park you car somewhere nice and level where you are allowed to work on cars. Jack the front of the car up and set it on jackstands. You can jack the car by the metal plate right rearward of the oil pan (not jacking by the oil pan itself). If you are working on asphalt, get a flat piece of wood that is big enough for the jackstand to stand on (all four feet on the wood). This is important because in hot environments, jackstands can sink into asphalt. Place the car on the jackstands using the factory jack points right behind the front wheels on the seam of the car under the door. Check your owners manual if you are not sure exactly where to put the jackstand. You can also cradle the rearmost attachment point of the front control arms, holding the car by the engine cross member. Remember that if the car falls while you are under it, you may die. You must use jackstands and you must make sure the car is resting safely on them before you go under the car!

Oh yeah, and remember, when you are working on anything that is threaded in on the car, lefty-loosey, righty-tighty. Turning clockwise tightens, turning counter-clockwise loosens. Also, to standardize things, in the automotive industry, the left side of the car is the driver’s left, or in most of the world, the driver’s side of the car. The right side is the passenger side / driver’s right. When you are facing the engine in front of the car, these directions will sound backwards. Remember that left is always towards the driver’s side.

PART TWO: VISHNU UP-PIPE

Okay, now here is the toughest part of the installation. But worry not faithful reader as following these directions will make you are life easier than just improvising. The first step is to remove the intercooler. You do this by loosening the hose clamp that holds the intercooler to the throttle body, the hose clamp that holds the plastic intercooler "Y" tube to the turbocharger, and the two 12 mm bolts that attach the intercooler to its mounts, at either side of the intercooler. You will also need to remove the three 10 mm bolts that attach the metal pipe portion of the cam breather lines to the intercooler and the two 12 mm bolts that secure the blowoff valve to the intercooler. Make sure not to damage or loose the gasket that sits between the blowoff valve and the intercooler.

With the intercooler now out of the way, you will have better access to the turbocharger, up-pipe, and downpipe bolts. But before you see those bolts, you will need to get the turbocharger heatshield out of the way by loosening the five 10 mm bolts that secure it to the metal heatshield brace (which also needs to be removed, by the way). The heatshield may be hard to remove. They seem to warp with heat; so getting them on and off is a small chore. If you need access, remove the transmission fluid dipstick for access, but try to keep it in the tube for most of the time you’re working in this area, or put a piece of duct tape over the hole – you’d hate to have to tear your transmission apart to get a bolt that you accidentally dropped down the hole!

Before we start unbolting exhaust components, this is a good time to get your hands on the Liquid Wrench, WD-40, or similar product and spray the nuts that secure the turbo to the downpipe and the up-pipe. This will greatly reduce the chance of rounding the nuts or snapping the bolts/studs while trying to loosen them.

Now remove the five 14 mm bolts/nuts that secure the downpipe (the pipe that goes from the turbo to the exhaust pipes under the car and out to the tip). Here is an excellent opportunity to start to see the advantage of a flex-head socket! Once the five downpipe bolts are removed, you will need to un-secure the bracket that holds the downpipe to the transmission. Look about half way down the downpipe; there is a right angle tab that goes to the transmission. Remove that 14 mm bolt and remove the 14 mm bolt that attaches the midpipe to the bracket hanging down from the back of the transmission (PLEASE make sure the car is securely on jackstands before going under the car!). There are also two 10 mm bolts that can be viewed from under the car, just above the passenger side axle.

Next, you will need to pull the downpipe back and let it hang down beneath and behind the turbo. This is to expose the two rear-most nuts that secure the up-pipe to the turbocharger. Loosen those two nuts (douse them with WD-40 or the like and let them sit, if you need) and unthread them almost all the way. Then do the same for the other three 14 mm nuts that secure the top of the up-pipe. Time to start working from the underside (again, PLEASE make sure the car is securely on jackstands!).

See that plastic splash guard that sits between you and the exhaust manifold? That needs to be removed. It is secured by several 12 mm bolts and 3 or 4 plastic fasteners. Now's the time when we start to have a little more fun with that Liquid Wrench spray can. In other words, use it before you attempt to unbolt anything. You may need to use it on the exhaust heat shields. You will need to use it on the lower up-pipe flange.

There is a horizontal heat shield under the passenger-side exhaust manifold and a two-piece vertical heat shield over the driver’s side manifold. To access the manifold bolts, you will need to remove these various heatshields – they are secured with four 12 mm bolts each. There appear to be at least a couple configurations of heatshields. So, start by removing the heatshield on the passenger side. The passenger side heat shield is trapped in place by the O2 sensor. This sensor is best accessed from the passenger side front wheel well with the wheel removed. There is a small access panel held in place by two fasteners and two screws; removing this will expose and give access to the O2 sensor. Follow the wires from the O2 sensor up to the passenger strut tower wall and unplug the sensor. You now have several options on how to remove this sensor – use an O2 sensor socket, use a 22 mm open-ended wrench, or use a 7/8ths inch open-ended wrench. Once you remove the O2 sensor, you will be able to remove the heatshield. After removing the heatshield, you may want to “snip” the area between the hole and the top of the heatshield (turning the hole into an extended ‘U’ shaped cutout) so that you can slide the heatshield on and off in the future without removing the O2 sensor.

Now, you will see two bolts that attach the passenger-side manifold to the cross tube that connects the passenger and driver’s side manifolds. If you can reach those two bolts and remove them (detaching the passenger side manifold from the cross tube), do so. If not, then take off the driver’s side heatshields (also four 12 mm bolts) and release the two bolts that hold that to the cross tube.

Next, unbolt the two nuts that hold the passenger side manifold to the factory up-pipe. Remember that Liquid Wrench or WD-40 are your friends. It may be easier to access the top-most bolt from the inside passenger side wheel well. Once you have removed those two nuts, remove the three 14 mm nuts that secure the passenger-side exhaust manifold to the engine.

Once you have removed those nuts, you can lower the exhaust manifold. If you separated the passenger side from the cross tube, just that manifold will come down. If you had to separate the cross tube from the driver’s side manifold, take down the cross tube and passenger side manifold together.

At this stage, your up-pipe should also be nice and loose. However, you will notice that it cannot slide out from underneath the car for two reasons. One, the EGT probe electrical harness is still connected. And two, there is not enough clearance between the cross member and the engine to slide it out. So, go ahead and unclip the EGT probe electrical connector (next to the O2 sensor connector right by the passenger-side shock tower). That solves one problem. The next problem involves removing the nut that secures the passenger-side engine mount. This is located above the swaybar in the engine cross-member. That 14 mm bolt is hard to access, and you might really think about investing in a flex-head 14 mm socket. Once that nut is removed, use a jack to lift the passenger side of the motor up a few inches. We like to put a wood block between the jack and the oil pan and jack up the oil pan that way. DO NOT PUT THE JACK IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE OIL PAN, unless you want to poke a hole in the pan!

With the engine lifted up a few inches, remove those loose nuts that you had on top of the up-pipe. Then pull the up-pipe out from the bottom of the car. You may have to rotate it in order for the EGT probe to clear the surroundings during removal.

NOTE: Vishnu up-pipes no longer have EGT bungs. The EGT probe was only used for monitoring the cat in the factory up-pipe. A resistor is included with the kit to replace the EGT probe and prevent any CELs. Simply fold the resistor ends in half and insert them into the empty EGT plug. You can cover the resistor and plug with a piece of tape.

Now install the 5 studs into the up-pipe. This step is important: Check your studs. You will see that they have a short and a long side. If they have threads all the way to both ends, we will refer to those studs as “short” studs. If on the long side of the stud, the stud ends with no threads, we will refer to the stud as a “long” stud. You will have some combination of all long, all short, or 3 long and 2 short studs.

The studs go into the top of the up-pipe. You will thread them into the five threaded holes in the upper up-pipe flange. If the studs do not go in smoothly, blow into the threaded holes or blast the threads in the flange with brake-clean or WD40 or something. There may be some steel-wool looking stuff in the threads. The studs should thread down nicely by hand. No matter what studs you have, use two short studs or use two long studs with the long side threaded into the flange for the two studs at the back of the flange, over which the downpipe will be installed. These are the two that are distant from the other three – the three that form a triangle can use any length of stud, the two others must have only a short protrusion. All of the studs should be threaded down until the non-threaded mid-section comes down to the up-pipe flange.

PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE HEARING ABOUT VARIANCES IN TURBOCHARGER INSTALLATION ANGLES. PLEASE FOLLOW THESE NEW INSTRUCTIONS TO ASSURE A LEAK-FREE INSTALLATION. Once you have removed the up-pipe, the turbocharger is free floating. The two brackets that locate the turbocharger attach to the up-pipe and to the engine. Please LOOSEN all the associated 14 mm bolts. That is, on the little bridge-type bracket that goes to the top of the head, loosen completely that 14 mm bolt that goes in the head. Then, on the triangle-shaped bracket that is bolted with three (3) 14 mm bolts (one (a nut on a stud, actually) to the up-pipe, one to the side of the engine, and one to the top of the head), loosen the two remaining 14 mm bolts. Once all of those are loose enough that the brackets flop around, then you are ready to proceed with the installation.

Now, install the Vishnu Up-pipe, re-using the factory metal gaskets or new gaskets if purchased with the kit. Put the top gasket (which may have stuck to your turbo or may still be stuck to your stock up-pipe) on first and wiggle the up-pipe into place. To keep the up-pipe in place and secured to the turbo, screw on the two rear-most nuts (one to the turbo, one to the bracket) slightly less than finger-tight. Then put the rest of the nuts on (two remaining turbo nuts and one bracket), slightly less than finger tight, too. Crawl under the car for the bottom half of the install. Hold the exhaust manifold in place and put the three nuts on that hold the manifold to the block. Just put them on far enough to hold the manifold in place. Then attach the two bolts that hold the manifold to the cross pipe (or the cross pipe to the driver’s side manifold). Make sure to keep the gasket in good condition and do not bend or kink it. Tighten those bolts finger tight, too.

Now for the critical gasket at the bottom of the up-pipe. You need to keep the gasket centered about the pipe hole in the up-pipe. You may consider using a dab of make-a-gasket to hold the metal gasket in place. New or used gasket, it may leak if you do not make sure the holes are lined up. Line up the gasket correctly and attach the manifold to the up-pipe. Tighten those bolts right to their Torque Spec – 26-30 ft-lbs. Yep, that is light. You do not need to crank down hard, and doing so will warp the cast iron flange once it heats up to operating temperature. After tightening the flange on the bottom of the up-pipe, go back to the top and tighten the three nuts that hold the turbo to the up-pipe. Just those three. Then go back under and tighten the manifold to the engine head and then the cross tube bolts. Then go back on top to tighten the last two up-pipe nuts – to the brackets. Now make sure to tighten the three remaining bracket bolts – one on the small bridge-type bracket and two on the triangle-shaped bracket. Dizzy yet? But this technique actually seems to ensure the best possible, leak-proof results.

Once you tighten up all the exhaust bolts from the bottom of the car, it is time to reinstall the O2 sensor (and electrical clip). We honestly believe that you will be much happier installing the O2 sensor into the manifold and then installing the heatshield, but to do that, you’ll need to do as we described above and cut that round hole in the heatshield to make it “U” shaped. Otherwise, you have to slide the O2 sensor into its hole AFTER putting on the heatshield. Good luck tightening it to its spec of about 25 ft-lbs.

Note that you should leave off the heatshields for now. We will put them back on after testing the system for leaks. Next, re-install the downpipe (nuts and bolts to 26~30 ft-lbs), intercooler, intake box, battery, and windshield washer bottle. If you took off the passenger side wheel to access the O2 sensor, put that back on and torque those lugnuts to about 75 ft-lbs.

Time to test for leaks. Either fire up the car in its current position (MAKE SURE IT’S OUT OF GEAR, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE STILL ON JACKSTANDS!!!) or drop the car down onto its wheels and take it for a spin. Have no fear; your car is perfectly safe to run with the current modifications and without the Ecutek reflash. Of course, your car will not have all the power of the Stage Zero, but you are just looking for leaks. The exhaust will smoke if you used Liquid Wrench or WD-40 so don’t worry about that as long as it goes away after 10-15 minutes of running/driving. A leak will make itself known by a high-pitched noise typically heard more often when the exhaust components are cold. Firing up the car and walking around the engine bay will help you localize any strange sounds. Of course, once you drive around, you will hear a whirling sound louder than normal. That is your turbo and you can now hear it better through the up-pipe because it is a much thinner gauge material than the cast iron stock pipe. This noise is not loud; it is just different than before, as you come on the boost.

Once you are satisfied that there are no leaks, reinstall the plastic splashguard and exhaust heatshields. This includes the one on the downpipe at the top. This heatshield warps pretty badly with heat, so it will be less “fun” to reinstall. You will use all but 2 of the bolts to attach this shield, as two of them went into a bracket on the stock up-pipe.
--end--

all rights blah blah blah Shiv.. blah blah Vishnu Tuning blah blah stollen.
--pete

[pcowan]

the parts listed above are for the whole kit, you won't need the needle nose pliers or the 22mm socket. I found considerable help in the use of a crowbar though which is not listed. It was useful to help get the engine back on it's mounts.
--pete