Magnaflow x-pipe install

AndyHunt · Jan 12, 2004

Has anybody had any trouble installing a magnaflow X? It seems they put a lip on the passenger side flange that should slip up into the header a little bit. After installing mine saturday I found out that the passenger side flange did not seal at all(a new gasket was used). I thought I had tightened the bolts as far down as they would go, but yet its not sealed up...and there is an eighth of an inch gap or so when I look at it from the side in the wheel well. Anybody run into this problem and have any suggestions?

Red Dragon · Jan 12, 2004

I have never had one off, but from reading posts on this forum, many have had problems with the header bolts having a ridge on them that prevents the flange from tightening correctly. Other people have fixed the problem by removing the stock bolt and installing a generic one from Napa. I am sure you will get better responses from those with direct experience.

JonJon · Jan 12, 2004

I had no problem...

01'TRUE BLUE GT · Jan 12, 2004

I know what you're talking about, but I didn't have any trouble either. I do recall having to kinda "square-up" the rectangular part of the tube on mine with a hammer before I installed it. I even re-used the factory gasket and everything sealed up good.

Like mentioned above, make sure the flange isn't bottoming out on the studs before it's actually tight. You could try grinding the shoulders off the studs, but it would be alot easier to just replace them with studs that are threaded all the way down. Another option would be to open up the holes in the flange a little and use some washers under the nut and that would tighten it up too.

cronin49 · Jan 12, 2004

magnaflow

AndyHunt said:
Has anybody had any trouble installing a magnaflow X? It seems they put a lip on the passenger side flange that should slip up into the header a little bit. After installing mine saturday I found out that the passenger side flange did not seal at all(a new gasket was used). I thought I had tightened the bolts as far down as they would go, but yet its not sealed up...and there is an eighth of an inch gap or so when I look at it from the side in the wheel well. Anybody run into this problem and have any suggestions?

I bought a Magnaflow catted x-pipe for my '03 5 speed and the muffler shop went to put it on, then they call me and tell me it is too wide by an inch and a half up where it connects to the exhaust manifold next to the tranny. It is part # 93335. I called Magnaflow and they said they never heard such a thing, that maybe the mechanic doesn't know what he is doing. He had no problem putting my Magnaflow catback on for me. So now I have an x-pipe sitting on the floor! I guess I'll send it back, have to pay a 20% restock fee. I am afraid to take it somewhere else in case it really is too wide. I am wondering should I have them just send me a different one, exchange it? I got it from Partshopper for 399.99, free shipping. What does everyone think? Thanks.

AndyHunt · Jan 12, 2004

01'TRUE BLUE GT said:
I know what you're talking about, but I didn't have any trouble either. I do recall having to kinda "square-up" the rectangular part of the tube on mine with a hammer before I installed it. I even re-used the factory gasket and everything sealed up good.

Like mentioned above, make sure the flange isn't bottoming out on the studs before it's actually tight. You could try grinding the shoulders off the studs, but it would be alot easier to just replace them with studs that are threaded all the way down. Another option would be to open up the holes in the flange a little and use some washers under the nut and that would tighten it up too.

what do you mean by "square up" the tube?

2002BLGT · Jan 12, 2004

AndyHunt said:
Has anybody had any trouble installing a magnaflow X? It seems they put a lip on the passenger side flange that should slip up into the header a little bit. After installing mine saturday I found out that the passenger side flange did not seal at all(a new gasket was used). I thought I had tightened the bolts as far down as they would go, but yet its not sealed up...and there is an eighth of an inch gap or so when I look at it from the side in the wheel well. Anybody run into this problem and have any suggestions?

OK let me fix everybodies problems , any h or x pipe that you are bolting to the factory manifolds , dont waste your time fighting the factory studs , the shoulders dont allow enough thread room to tighten them up good and they need to be tight , take the old studs out and take them with you to match up and use brass nuts with some kind of lock washer on them , gasket , new or use the old one shouldnt matter that much as long as you get it tight , most of the replacement pipes are round , the manifold on the passenger side is kinda rounded off square or oval shaped if you will so you dont have as much sealing area as the original pipe but it will hold . I have had trouble with mine so im speaking from experience , factory studs are the whole problem do away with them and you shouldnt have any troubles or leaks at all .

AndyHunt · Jan 12, 2004

forgot to mention..I don't have factory studs...have JBA headers and have the bolts that came with them

01'TRUE BLUE GT · Jan 12, 2004

AndyHunt said:
what do you mean by "square up" the tube?

Basically just what I said ... the rectangular tube wasn't perfectly square. The sides were sort of bowed in and I straightened them up, that's all. I don't think it was a problem, I'm just anal and wanted it perfect.

TacBear · Jan 12, 2004

AndyHunt said:
Has anybody had any trouble installing a magnaflow X? It seems they put a lip on the passenger side flange that should slip up into the header a little bit. After installing mine saturday I found out that the passenger side flange did not seal at all(a new gasket was used). I thought I had tightened the bolts as far down as they would go, but yet its not sealed up...and there is an eighth of an inch gap or so when I look at it from the side in the wheel well. Anybody run into this problem and have any suggestions?

I had the same problem, all we did was losen all the bolts, repositioned the X pipe then it slid right into place

01PonyGT · Jan 13, 2004

2002BLGT said:
OK let me fix everybodies problems , any h or x pipe that you are bolting to the factory manifolds , dont waste your time fighting the factory studs , the shoulders dont allow enough thread room to tighten them up good and they need to be tight , take the old studs out and take them with you to match up and use brass nuts with some kind of lock washer on them , gasket , new or use the old one shouldnt matter that much as long as you get it tight , most of the replacement pipes are round , the manifold on the passenger side is kinda rounded off square or oval shaped if you will so you dont have as much sealing area as the original pipe but it will hold . I have had trouble with mine so im speaking from experience , factory studs are the whole problem do away with them and you shouldnt have any troubles or leaks at all .

How do you remove the factory studs?? I haven't actually been in there to look yet (it's too damn cold right now to look), but I'm installing my Magnaflow X this week and I thought I'd be able to just bolt it up...I guess not. So how do i take out the old studs? I guess I'll stop by either Adanced Auto or NAPA to get some studs and gaskets, right?

Thanks,
WES

xomp · Jan 13, 2004

01PonyGT said:
How do you remove the factory studs?? I haven't actually been in there to look yet (it's too damn cold right now to look), but I'm installing my Magnaflow X this week and I thought I'd be able to just bolt it up...I guess not. So how do i take out the old studs? I guess I'll stop by either Adanced Auto or NAPA to get some studs and gaskets, right?

Thanks,
WES

the factory studs in the headers are just screwed in... very tightly. i stripped one putting on my x pipe before and i ended up unscrewing the whole stud with the nut on it. ended up using just a bolt to hold on the pipe (wouldn't really recommend doing that).

the passenger side will suck to take off...

xtrm281gt · Jan 13, 2004

AndyHunt said:
forgot to mention..I don't have factory studs...have JBA headers and have the bolts that came with them

I can't speak for a pipe install with headers but I know from experience that you need to tighten up all the bolts slowly and evenly, otherwise yes it will not line up right when you go to tighten up the last few bolts... my .02 for what its worth

StngStr · Jan 13, 2004

xomp said:
the factory studs in the headers are just screwed in... very tightly. i stripped one putting on my x pipe before and i ended up unscrewing the whole stud with the nut on it. ended up using just a bolt to hold on the pipe (wouldn't really recommend doing that).

the passenger side will suck to take off...

Are they screwed in counter clockwise from the top so that when tightening the nuts (clockwise) the bolts don't come loose? If so, that would mean to remove them they would need to be turned counterclockwise from the bottom?

xomp · Jan 13, 2004

StngStr said:
Are they screwed in counter clockwise from the top so that when tightening the nuts (clockwise) the bolts don't come loose? If so, that would mean to remove them they would need to be turned counterclockwise from the bottom?

um.. yea, to loosen you would have to turn the stud counter-clockwise, so they are tightened in the clockwise direction (same directions as the nut that goes on the stud)

2002BLGT · Jan 13, 2004

01PonyGT said:
How do you remove the factory studs?? I haven't actually been in there to look yet (it's too damn cold right now to look), but I'm installing my Magnaflow X this week and I thought I'd be able to just bolt it up...I guess not. So how do i take out the old studs? I guess I'll stop by either Adanced Auto or NAPA to get some studs and gaskets, right?

Thanks,
WES

the stud is shaped like a shock stud on the end , snap on makes a socket for them , might be able to get one thru napa or craftsman too , but if you can get a bite on it with some vise grips you can back it out , or try locking two of the nuts to each other by turning them against each other but it might be hard to get an open end wrench on them to turn them after you lock them together , so i would do that as a last resort , 3 of my studs actually backed out when i took the factory h off the first time . so good luck

AndyHunt · Jan 14, 2004

I got my header studs out by using a small metric wrench that fit the stud head ...that worked great for those..might try that with the flang bolts also.

As far as my problem..I tried losening the nuts as far as I could short of them falling off and reposition the pipe and evenly tighten them back up in hopes it would go in...but it didn't....not even sure it really fits my headers. Think I'm just going to have to completely take the thing back off..I may have bent the lip if it was catching on the flange when I tried tightening the bolts down so hard... Prolly see if I can bend it back or cut it off completly with a dremel and use it like the stock one

muzztangman · Jan 14, 2004

01PonyGT said:
How do you remove the factory studs?? I haven't actually been in there to look yet (it's too damn cold right now to look), but I'm installing my Magnaflow X this week and I thought I'd be able to just bolt it up...I guess not. So how do i take out the old studs? I guess I'll stop by either Adanced Auto or NAPA to get some studs and gaskets, right?

Thanks,
WES

you just double nut it, put two nuts on the stud, tighten the top nut onto the first nut then use the first nut to loosen the stud. easiest way to do it

Magnaflow x-pipe install

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