My exhaust Manafold is craked and instead of just replacing it I want to put headers on. How can I do this with out messing things up like my O2 sensors and my mile per gallon? I have a 97 civc lx, everything is stock right now.

 

What do you mean mess it up. Its probably getting crap mpgs with the cracked manifold. You can pick up DC Sports header for next to nothing. I would look onto that. Nothing but HP will change after the swap. They make 4-1 and 4-2-1

 

Fixed that for you. Lol just an exhaust header will make zero difference in HP.

 

Mess up the gas and air mixture by the O2 sensors sending different signals then what it normally does, or the engine light coming on.

 

Neither will happen. You aren't using a wideband o2 sensor on the LX so it can go just about anywhere. If you relocate the 02 to the collector it reads all 4 even though reading off of #4 works fine too.

The only thing it might change is where in the power band the power is. Probably won't give you any extra power just move it around in the band a touch. Nothing you will even notice.

 

whats a good CHEAP header brand? I'm thinking about getting Matrix 4-2-1 Two-Piece Headers 03-001 by summit racing.

 

Sounds expensive......good pick

 

jc whitney, 56 dollars.

 

Your issue is that you'll be deleting the cat causing an 02 sensor code. So you'll have to remedy that issue as well.

 

And how do I do that?

 

Just get another stock one off of amazon. Adding an aftermarket heaDer will decrease the cars value and only add into maintenance complications in the long run.

No one wants a civic 4 door with a header, they want to see stock and good maintenance

 

 

OK, let's get a couple of things out of the way here real quick.

First off, open your hood. Look down at your engine. How many exhaust banks do you see? Hint: 1. That means you only have one header, not two. Header. Singular. Just one of them.

Second off, putting a header on your car will not do anything. You will gain nothing. The only thing you'll gain is a headache. You'll have to convert to an EX exhaust, including relocating the secondary O2 sensor.

As long as you don't live in California, . Done. Buy it, install it, call it a day.

 

Some time ago my cat went bad on my 97 DX, for the price of the replacement cat I purchased an eBay stainless exhaust header and complete piping. The muffler was crap and the resonator was nothing more than a test pipe so I upgraded to a Vibrant performance 18" resonator and Skunk2 mega power muffler. It has the sound I was looking for but not having a cat has caused some issues.

First, under full throttle she spits enough fuel out of the exhaust to power the car behind me.

Second, I get soot build-up on my bumper and have clogged my muffler so now it sounds like ****.

I have been looking for an inline cat to go into my exhaust system but space is at a premium under the car so finding something that will work is a bit difficult. You will also need to relocate the O2 sensors and use 90 degree angle adaptors so the sensors will fit.

This type of upgrade requires cutting and welding.

 

I know you're trying to help rather than thread-jack, so I won't give you crap for that, but every "eBay special" exhaust setup I've seen has a shitty resonator inline with the B pipe, as well as a fake catalytic converter that bolts in. Your solution should be simple as umbolting the fake cat, taking it to an exhaust shop, and having them cut the flanges off and weld them onto a standard weld-in cat. It's that simple.

 

Just sharing my experience with going the cheap route, which has actually been the most expensive.

And no, it's not that simple. You must have really good muffler shops because every one I have gone to for work are nothing but hacks. It's why I am saving for a welder so I don't have to keep being disappointed. And yes, I have welding experience.

 

Buy direct replacement specifically for your make/mode.