How to Install Exhaust Headers

Stainless Steel Headers

Exhaust Headers: How to Install Them

Exhaust header upgrades might result in substantial power gains for your car. Larger-capacity pipes allow for more exhaust to be carried away from your engine, resulting in increased torque and horsepower. Quality exhaust headers, for example, manage engine temperature to minimize overheating and ensure efficient engine performance. Each cylinder’s tubes work together in a concerted effort to guarantee that your engine performs at its best.

Installing a performance header on your own car is a labor-intensive task, but it’s not impossible. A deep socket wrench and some mechanical knowledge will come in handy. Certain areas of the task will be greatly aided by having a partner. Please keep in mind that the following instructions are only for installing the exhaust header and not for a comprehensive exhaust system refurbishment. These will only get you back to where you were with your current mid-pipe.

Please keep in mind: The term “manifold” will be used to represent your standard setup in the following directions, while “exhaust header” will be used to describe your new system.

  • Lay out all of the hardware and implements that came with your new exhaust header. Before you begin, double-check that all required hardware is present, as well as that any essential tools are on hand.
  • Disconnect the negative terminal of your battery. As you go in and around your engine block, it’s critical to eliminate the chance of electrical charge. Disconnect the electrical oxygen sensors. Some applications may also necessitate the removal of your air box.
  • Unbolt your exhaust’s mid-pipe from your factory manifold from underneath your vehicle. To fully access and install your new header, you will need to completely remove this mid-pipe and take it down. It will be fairly heavy, so be prepared.
  • Remove any hardware or equipment that prevents you from reaching your manifold correctly. Alternators may be moved out of the way and spark plugs can be removed. It’s critical to remember where everything goes and how everything links while removing equipment for the sole goal of getting to your manifold.
  • Remove your manifold by unbolting it and removing the bolts. This may demand unbolting from both the driver’s and passenger’s sides, or it may necessitate unbolting from both the driver’s and passenger’s sides. You’ll need to reach and unbolt your manifold from two distinct viewpoint points, depending on how your engine is put together.
  • A word of advice: It’s crucial to keep in mind that not all installation applications are created equal. These instructions will give you a rough concept of how to do this job, but you must follow the installation instructions supplied with the Exhaust Header for your specific car.
  • Determine whether any studs need to be replaced or added to your system and make the appropriate adjustments. Install your new performance exhaust headers to the appropriate spots once everything is in place. In some cases, it’s acceptable to hang your new headers from the studs before securing them for convenience. When you’ve got everything in place, tighten the bolts all the way down to the head.

Re-attach everything that was relocated, disconnected, and placed out of the way earlier after your headers are in position, with all cylinders matching up and all bolts firmly tightened. Everything indicated as well as any air boxes, are included. Reattach the mid-pipe and gaskets to the back end of your manifold, making that the connection is as secure as it was before.

Before you start your engine, connect your battery terminal, and listen to it sing! Check to make sure all nuts and fasteners are securely tightened every hundred miles or so, at least for the first few. The last thing you want is for any component of this system to fail while the car is in motion.

How to Install Exhaust Headers