I installed a 3" test pipe this weekend. Cheap chinese crap. The bung for the front O2 sensor orients the sensor in a way that it directly interferes with the exhaust manifold. After fighting with the corroded bolts on my cat, I wasn't about to turn back after getting it out.

So I installed the test pipe as far as I could onto the turbo studs, threaded the nuts on, and torqued it down as far as I felt safe doing so, watching the O2 sensor bend to it's current orientation:



Since it hadn't broken, I didn't think it was going to be an issue. It still may not be, but I ran into another issue before this thing could start giving me problems. Since this damn sensor was in the way, I wasn't able to close the test pipe down onto the gasket and turbo properly and had a nasty exhaust leak robbing me of power and annoying the crap out of me to and from work today.

I came home and thought I'd push it a little further, torquing everything together a bit more. I felt something start to yield, so I backed off for a minute, and decided that the O2 sensor was going to break before the ~.25" stud I was torquing, so I kept going. I was wrong:



Yeah... I sheared that stud apart and I need to know how easy of a fix this is. Has anyone else done anything like this? I can't imagine I'm the only person that's had this happen... maybe in this exact scenario but someone else has broken one of these studs.

Anyone have an idea how easy this is to replace? These studs are just threaded in right? Or am I looking at replacing the turbine housing if I decide to keep running a k03? How bad did I just screw up?

 

ive been trying to install my 3" test pipe but cant get to the 2 bolts on the back-end of the stock cat.. as u probably kno theres very limited space for leverage.. which makes it kinda frustrating when i had all but 2 bolts left to remove my cat..

how did u get to those last bolts?? did u use power tools? i dont feel like shelling out all this money to install something I could [almost] do myself (if only i had power tools to my disposal)...

 

jack your car way up and pull off the passenger wheel

remove the heat shield above the CV boot (held in place by three 6mm hex bolts)

climb under your car and and you should be able to reach them from the bottom. I used a small socket wrench and a u-joint here.

when you're installing it, make sure you install the O2 sensors in your test pipe before you install it so you can make sure you have the proper clearance for them.

is your test pipe 3" the whole way through? if you're mating it up to your stock downpipe, it needs to be 2.5" at that end.

good luck with the install. if you run into the same issue I did, stop what you're doing.

 

i got the Eurocode test pipe (http://www.ecodetuning.com/shop/cart...t_detail&p=370)

yea i jacked my car up on 4 stands, took off my intake/heat shield/headlight & still could not get to those last 2 bolts on the stock cat.. the 02 sensors & first 3 bolts off the turbo flange were no problem, its just those last 3 bolts r difficult to get to.. i managed to get one of the 3, so only 2 remain.. ive tried manuevering thru the side of the axle & the wheel well but still cannot budge.. =\

im currently waiting for a mechanic friend to get a tip for his compressor.. so maybe then we can knock it out with sum power tools.. but in the meantime, im still stuck with that damn restrictive cat.....

 

idk if your original stud was screwed in or if it was machined like that, if it was screwed in, you can put 2 open end nuts on it, turn the one opposite to the broken end in the direction that would remove the stud. you need to hold the nut closest to the broken end while turning the other one in order for the stud to come out. i've been through this with a valve cover stud lol. what i said may not make much sense but do exactly as i say and it should come out. the 2 nuts might get destroyed in the process but eff that lol. put the new stud in in the opposite way you took it out

 

well now you get to take your turbo all the way off so you can drill out that bolt you sheared off. that test pipe would probably work if you get another 02 sensor bung welded in a different spot. or there was also a 90* elbow/adapter for O2 sensors that would work, i cant find the link at the moment.

 

Yeah like ghost said, remove the turbo, drill a pilot hole into the center of the bolt, and use a reverse thread screw extractor to remove the stud. I did that on a 4.2L S4 manifold and it sucked to remove.

 

oh getting it out should be a big deal if it's a stud that screws in. I have a set of easy outs that should get the job done ok. I just hope they're threaded in. I don't see why this would be done any other way, but we'll see when I tear into this.

I'm calling a dealership about this tomorrow as well.

 

Its threaded

 

You got screwed. The O2 sensor has ceramic in it, which is no longer in tact. Additionally, there is a tiny vent to test ambient air for O2 content comparison, which is likely kinked or has broken ceramic inside. A 90 degree bend, your way or adapted with an elbow, is not a good idea if you want your O2 to actually read properly. Take that junk off your car and get a reputable test pipe. ATP sells a 3" for $165.