Full catless. Problems...

[DansM]

Hey guys. over the past week i installed my ground control sleeve kit, wheels and my catless x pipe. first off it was way to loud! as i was driving it home i was awaiting my check engine light to come on (increased emissions) but it never did however, waiting at a light, the engine malfunction error came on suprisingly. turned it off and on, then it was gone. I drove it around a little after and i noticed a leak on the drivers side. so i went home and planed on going back to the shop in the morning (today). I got them to put in 2 magnaflow resonators in to deaden the sound and rasp and it worked but the exhaust never lined up well on the drivers side and still leaks. After the 2nd install-the engine malfunction light came on again-stating increased emissions and the rpm limit went to 4k. every time i turn it off and on it goes away but instantly comes back once started again.
I hooked up a scanner and the codes that came up are all misfires as well as a Random multiple misfire. cylinders 5,6,7,8. and Random multiple.
its relly annoying that the exhaust doesnt line up but im more worrired about the misfires and wonder why they are happening now. the obvious reason is the exhaust leak from the drivers side header/exhaust- but will that cause misfires and engine malfunction??? just from a leak? maybe it is the area of the leak thats causing the engine malfunction light to come on? To add, when im driving it faster or in higher revs the engine malfunction seems to not want to come on as instantly as when i turn it on an allow it to idle.

on a second note, while driving there is a noise on the passenger side that increases/decreases with speed or tire rotation. it is as if there is something flaping on the stearing axle or drive shaft. any idea what it can be? maybe something i did during the ground control installation?

Super frustrated! please help.....

[DansM]

i should add that its a freinds shop. they help me out with lifts and tools etc. i do most of the work myself and they throw in a helping hand when they are not busy..... they did the welding of the resonators.

[JD3]

Did you get a tune?

[JS11]

yes leaks can cause misfires. cylinders 5~8 are on the same side as your exhaust leak. it happened to my car before and it went away as soon as i reattached my x-pipe.

[pbonsalb]

Seems like amateur hour to me, but you have to start somewhere and those of us who work on our cars have all been there. I support those who work on their cars even if they are learning and things don't go perfectly.

There are gasket rings between the headers and midpipe. Chances are one of your gasket rings is broken or gone and is leaking.

Yes, a catless, resonator-less x-pipe is stupid loud. It the mating call of the young man, though, and some of them like it.

You probably measured wrong when you cut and welded the resonators poorly, making the pipe not line up well on one side.

To run catless without a CEL, you need a tune programmed for it or a Burger Downpipe Fix or an Akra Delete-R. That said, the CEL for catless will not cause any problems in terms of running or driveability.

A leak at the header/manifold flange could cause issues since that is before the primary 02. Also, if you twisted the 02 out without disconnecting them, you may have cut one of the wires on the sharp edge of the top of 02 sleeve. If you did disconnect them, maybe you did not reconnect them all. Obviously the 02 or header leak affects that bank, which is probably 5,6,7,8 -- the side of your random misfires.

Generally when you have a bunch of problems after doing work, the problems are related to the work you just did. I would go back over everything you did several times. You will likely find the problems.

[DansM]

thats what i was assuming. thanks for the responses. Im sure i cut and welded with enough clearance but, you may be correct about the gasket not being there or broken. henve the misfires on those cylinders on that bank. 5,6,7,8. I do have a tune but havent installed it yet. BPM tune. I just waiting for mike to call to guide me through the process of installation.

Thanks again for the replys and i shall keep you posted on the issue.

[JD3]

Originally Posted by DansM

thats what i was assuming. thanks for the responses. Im sure i cut and welded with enough clearance but, you may be correct about the gasket not being there or broken. henve the misfires on those cylinders on that bank. 5,6,7,8. I do have a tune but havent installed it yet. BPM tune. I just waiting for mike to call to guide me through the process of installation.

Thanks again for the replys and i shall keep you posted on the issue.

Good luck, hope the tune goes well. Stage II I assume?

[DansM]

Originally Posted by JD3

Good luck, hope the tune goes well. Stage II I assume?

yes stage 2. oddly, i cant get a hold of mike to do the flash. does anyone on here know how to do it? maybe can post here on how to do it?

[BPMSport]

Originally Posted by DansM

yes stage 2. oddly, i cant get a hold of mike to do the flash. does anyone on here know how to do it? maybe can post here on how to do it?

Originally Posted by DansM

yes stage 2. oddly, i cant get a hold of mike to do the flash. does anyone on here know how to do it? maybe can post here on how to do it?

Hi Dan,

Sorry I've been a bit behind on emails and PM's. You can always reach me immediately on the # in my signature (the 310 # is my direct cell).

If you are having these issues I would advise against installing the tune until they are resolved.

Engine malfunction should never happen from exhaust modifications - you either have a serious leak somewhere, damaged oxygen sensors, or some other sensor not working properly.

I've seen o2 sensors damaged (too frequently) from exhaust installations. They are pretty sensitive sensors, and sometimes if they get banged or mishandled they can become internally damaged and cause faults.

Once the car is working as designed and does not go into limp mode, that is a good time for us to flash the car with the tune.

There is obviously something going on here beyond the cat efficiency as it will not cause anything but a pesky CEL. Keep us updated with the progress and feel free to give me a ring to discuss.

If you want to install the tune even with these issues, we can do that. But I think it's better to get the physical hardware aspects of the car in working order before finishing the software part.

[DansM]

hey mike. im going to try to resolve these issues first or at least try to. i deffinatly have a bad leak on drivers side. that is why im getting misfire 5,6,7,8 cylinder and random multple misfire-resulting in going into limp mode.i shall try to fix the leak and take it from there. on a post above they mentioned gaskets being installed on the stock cats and headers. When i removed the exhaust i did not see any gaskets? maybe ill give you a ring tomorrow to see if you can give me some ideas.

Thanks!!!

[pbonsalb]

On the header side, there are cone shaped gasket rings. Sometimes people do not notice them. Mine stayed in place on the header side. The header flanges can slide up and down or rotate or even come off though they may seem to be stuck in place. The gasket rings may have been stuck to your midpipe when you removed it. I was not there so I can just guess, but since you said there was a leak there, that is my first guess.

It is also possible if your exhaust does not line up that you did not fully tighten that side and there is a gap even if the gasket ring is in place. I tighten the header end first, since the rest of the exhaust is rubber mounted and can be pulled slightly if needed. Then I go down the line and tighten everything else, with the final tightening of the x-pipe to rear exhaust left for last.

[DansM]

Problem solved. After examining my installation etc.. I noticed that the drivers side header gasket was stuck on the old Cat. UGH.... Well, i carfully took it out and put it back on the header and vuala! Leak fixed engine mafunction fixed. car sounds amazing with the exhaust set up i have. i used 2 resonators only 16" magnaflow glass pack.
Took all the rasp out and just the right amount of sound.

After enjoying the ride home i called Mike up! and flashed his tune in. Very nice guy and great to deal with. Car runs strong and is a joy to drive. I have to get a good camera to post come good pictures and possibly some sound clips. thanks all for your help.

[M3amigos]

Are you running the stock rear exhaust section? I'd love to hear a sound clip since I'm considering the same route as you. I currently have the oem exhaust mod, so it sounds like I'll definitely need to add some resonators to a catless xpipe.

[M3amigos]

Also how do you like the ground control kit, did you buy a full kit with shocks, or just the springs and sleeves? Were you able to readjust your camber back to factory levels?