mechanicnoob

i have a 99 civic and i was wondering what the proper jacking points are..?
do i put the jackstands on that little slit that sticks out on the bottom?
where do i place the jack? seems like i jacked up the car and put it down again and now the car sits higher than usual.

also, what tool do i need to replace the bolts off the header? i was thinking a socket wrench would work but now that i look at it..i dont think it will..any suggestions?
just need these two questions answered ,thanks

Hybrid-Fusion

Yep, if you look in the manual the "two little slits" (made of metal) that appear to come out of the plastic rocker guard is what you should use to jack on.

mechanicnoob

ok cool
now any idea how to remove those bolts holding the header?

and i bought an aftermarket header
is that screw that fills the hole supposed to be where the o2 sensor goes

ifIexplode

Its probably a 10 or 13mm i forget.. not sure of the torgue specs though. and yes the hole is for your o2

mechanicnoob

wait you need to torque these down??

reaper2022

you'll probably want to torque them correctly... if you do something right the first time, you don't have to fix it later. As for the torque specs... search on the internet, or get a repair manual (if you don't already have one)... my Chilton's repair manual has been my bible since I got my civic... anyway, have fun removing all the bolts on your stock header that are no doubt seized...

mechanicnoob

haha doh
well i still dont know how to remove those bolts
what tool do i need?

reaper2022

to remove the bolts? It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure an open-ended wrench will work fine... I'm not sure what size though

MiamiEJ1

wrench will work

mechanicnoob

k thanks
and sodering is not necessary for the o2 right?? :[

ifIexplode

you might, depends what header you bought, just install it and see if it reaches

reaper2022

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mechanicnoob &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">k thanks
and sodering is not necessary for the o2 right?? :[</TD></TR></TABLE>

I just used inline connectors and some extra wire on mine...

mechanicnoob

anyone have pics of what the o2 sensor is supposed to look like finished
i have no idea what to do even

big-cat

depending on what motor u have u might need to soder, i needed to with my d16y7(cx,dx,lx) models. umm to take them off u might want to first warm up the egine to normal running temp. turn it off, spray pb blaster on the bolts and wait about 5min then while its still warm break the nuts free with a.......its either 12mm or 10mm socket or just reg your wrench, one of those 2 sizes though.

some one correct me if i am wrong but im pretty sure u torque them down to 25 ftlbs when u put the new header on. enjoy.

mechanicnoob

i have a d16y8

big-cat

than u should be alright and no sodering for u. y8's do have some rusted out bolts on the old heat sheilds that cover the catalitic coverters, that is going to be annoying. but u could just either cut your heatshield or unbolt it if its not to bad. your going to want to spray some pb blaster on your o2sensor bolts WHEN THEY ARE WARM as well. other than those tiny little annoyances its pretty easy.

mechanicnoob

i just went under my car today and was overwhelmed
i have no clue on where to begin and what do even do with the sensor

i couldnt even remove the heat shield
big *** fan in the way

reaper2022

lemme guess... a/c, right? that's always fun to work around... that's why I said "open-ended wrenches" and not socket wrenches... I take it this is your first header install? The first is always the hardest.

mechanicnoob

yeah

big-cat

yep lol that is the fan lmao. u might want to try and find a write up lol, no offense.

reaper2022

well, I'm bored, so here it goes lol (please note that it's been over a year since I've done this, and I'm typing this all from memory, so I might forget something. Also, I'm using my car as an example. It's a Z6 as opposed to your Y8, but I think it'll be pretty accurate nonetheless.)


1) Obviously, prep the car for the install. This means jacking the car up, using jack stands, and I prefer to disconnect the battery. (You don't really need to, I'm just a little over-cautious)

2) Remove the heat shield. Since you have a/c, you'll be using an open ended wrench. I forget the size. Have fun with this part: it's the easiest part on the uninstall. Also, remember to unclip the wires for the o2 sensor. You'll need to lengthen the wires anyway.

3) Remove the bolts connecting the manifold to the engine block. If I remember correctly, you can use socket wrenches on this.

4) Oh, boy! The fun part! Now you get to remove the bolts attaching the stock y-pipe to the catalytic converter. These bolts will be horribly rusted and/or seized. A little PB Blaster goes a long way here.

5) Yell expletive of choice when the wrench slips and your hand meets the undercarriage of your car.

6) Remove the stock manifold (in one peice). It's easier to get it out from underneath the car.

7) Remove the o2 sensor from the stock mani. Place it in the new header. Also, remove the doughnut gasket from the stock y-pipe and put it on the new header.

8) Put the new header in place using a new gasket. Bolt it to the engine block, just enough to keep it in place.

9) Bolt up the header to the cat. This'll probably take a little bit of wiggling, which is why you don't want to bolt the header down tight in step #8. After the cat and header are bolted tightly, you can go back and torque the header to the block. like Big-Cat said, it's 25 ft/lbs.

10) Yay! You get to go back under the car! (at least you're getting your exercize... ) Cut the wire(s) (Y8's have heated o2 sensors, right?) from the o2 sensor about halfway between the sensor and clip. Strip them, and use inline connectors to add extra wiring to the middle. This extra wire will allow the o2 sensor to reach the other end of the clip (located at the bottom-left corner of your valve cover if you're facing the engine bay from the front). Just make sure all the wire extentions go to the right wires. Crossing wires is always bad lol

11) Clip the sensor wires back up, reconnect the batter, lower it off the jacks and jack stands

12) Start up the car; take it for a test drive. While you're driving, listen for exhaust leaks.

13) After the test drive, let the engine cool. Trust me, the header will take forever to cool down. Once the header is cold enough to touch, re-torque all the bolts in case they came loose. You'll only have to do this once.

14) Enjoy your free-er flowing exhaust, throatier engine sound (slightly), and power gains!

Hope this helps! Like I said, though... it's been a while since I've done this kind of thing, so my memory is a little foggy... I might have missed something.