Bought header from summit racing - good price. Bought stainless nuts,screws,flat washers and lockwashers. First thing I noticed is in pictures I had seen of the header it had a small tube going to the egr input hole. The header I got doesn't have the tube but instead has a shallow channel cut/ground into the flange from the number 4 runner to the egr hole in head. I was thinking no way enough exhaust was going to get to egr hole but all installed and no faults. Gasket that came with header was nice but when pushing it onto the studs the outer layer-paper-was tearing up. If I could do it again I would use copper silicon high temp and stick gasket to header flange and then push header on-doesn't seem to be leaking though. I torqued to 35 FT pounds per instruction then idled for 20 minuted and retorqued all. Seemed like a lot of torque but didn't strip anything. Not sure if the lockwashers will do any good or bad but felt like I should use them.
I was going to cut the original cat off the twin tube downpipe and reuseit and old 1 3/4 exhaust. Looked inside cat and it had blown out alot of wire mesh looking stuff somewhat blocking exit so I decided I needed a new one. Oreilly had one for $83 a walker "clean air" I hope higher flow. I bought it but same one can be had online for $54 at rockauto.
The reason I bought the header was because the stock manifold was cracked in three places and one pipe of the twin down pipe had broken off inside. Looks like each pipe has an inner pipe and outer shell well one of those inner pipes had broke off and dropped about 4 inches. It seemed cheaper to replace both with header. But when you add the cost of cat it is just as much as buying all new stock manifold and downpipe/cat assy. . But then thats no fun is it.
Took to shop and had them weld two inch pipe from header flange to cat which is 2inch in and out then to a generic round muffler with 2ich in and out and bend a new 2inch tail section. So total cost was approx. header = $200 shipped, Cat approx. $87 with tax, Muffler ,pipe and welding it in $140 so $427........... Wow and I thought I was saving money. All new stock that I could bolt in Manifold $94 plus shipping, Downpipe/cat assy. $135 plus shipping and muffler/tailpipe assy. $121 plus shipping - so all stock = $350 plus shipping not including new heat shield and gaskets so about same price.
Also the 4 wire o2 sensor was a pain to get out of old manifold and the wire barely reached the location on the DT header.
Notes on installation of header - real easy! Also after you install header and before you run car if you want it to look good wipe off all finger prints and stuff with something. If you don't when it burns in the first time you will see all your finger prints and they don't come off after that. Kinda sorry I found out too late but it ain't a show car anyways. Also I didn't get a carb sticker but I am not in California either.
Warning - Unless you can bend pipe good or use a torch to heat and bend you will have to goto a muffler shop. I bought a $5 flex pipe to clamp in to get me to the shop. Reason for this is if you hook a piece of straight pipe to the collector flange it angles to the ground- had to have about a 30 degree bend put on pipe before cat.
Running notes - I think it is kinda loud at the tail pipe and sounds kinda crappy if you ask me. Also more vibration felt in floor board and alot hotter under hood. I am getting old cause I like a very quiet exhaust on a four banger. It isn't too bad just rough sounding most of all under load even load of the a/c .
It does seem to run out better now especially at highway speed. This is my first Tracker, I had a new Sammi in 86 when I was younger that according to my Dad you needed a kidney belt to drive. He borrowed it once and said he didn't have to ash his cig : ). He also tried to get his morning cup of coffee and said that was a mistake.
I am used to newer bigger vans,cars and not sure I will ever like taking this Tracker to work. It runs 4300 at 65 on highway and even with add on hard top is loud and bounces alot or jostles around alot. Gotta crank the stereo to drown out the wind noise at side windows and road noise.
Still it does ride better than that new 86 Sammy which I drove from California to Missouri and back twice--- that was good for a case of 'roids : ) .
Question - If I push it to the floor from a stop it is a dog untill about 2500 rpm then seems peppy. Does better if I shift to 1st and rap it out. I am thinking my 86 Zuki felt better off the line but it was a 5 speed. Is this normal?? Probably that crappy 3 speed auto right?
Thanks,
Mike
