After reading up on other people's experiences installing headers on a 3rd Gen Integra, I've come to this conclusion.

The experience breaks down two ways:
A) The process is simple and easy, with no gaskets torn, no head studs snapped and no exhaust rattles or leaks.

B) The process is long, painful and arduous. Snapped studs, torn gaskets, exhaust rattles and leaks aplenty.

How did your experience go?

Since my OEM header has been on for eight long years, I'm questioning whether it is worth my time to wrestle with rusted bolts. Also, I'd need to buy a Oxygen sensor socket, which I doubt I'd use again.

If my local shop wants $45 for the install, I can earn that money back in 3 hours. If I waste those hours fighting my way through the install, I'm losing money in the end.

So anyway, if you can speak to this topic, please share.

:cheers:

 

rusted bolts = heat, pb blaster, and maybe some gentle taps with a wrench, to break some free...

i took one off of a 92 integra gs and it was smooth and easy.... took one off of a 90 LS and i broke at least one of the studs....

 

I'd say the process was long, simple and arduous, with no gaskets torns, no head studs snapped and no exhaust rattles or leaks.

In installation order:
- it was cool to get my Greddy 4-2-1 SS header via UPS; it looked good on my carpet
- it was fun disassembling the old header, with the ugly heat shields and heavy 2-piece construction
- it was fun using the copper spray-on gasket on a new exhaust manifold gasket. It looks like I could have re-used the old gasket, but if you've already spent the money on the header, another $5-10 for the gasket is an easy buy.
- installing the 1-piece header was annoying. The header kept hitting something as I was pulling it up from the bottom. I needed another 1/4" clearance at one point. I removed a couple bolts to get a little flex in the fan/radiator. I'm not actually sure what did the trick. I just kept jiggling and trying and eventually the header cleared.
- here was the biggest PITA: I mounted the header on the exhaust manifold bolts, and started installing. Then I went below, and couldn't get the header mounted on the lower bracket (on the A-pipe). It just looked like that lower bracket -- which is attached to the header -- was wrong; did I get the wrong header? The secret is to loosely install the header on both mounting points simultaneously: both the exhaust manifold bolts and that lower bracket at the same time. Trivial to do if there's two people involved; a little harder to do solo, especially after you've been holding the header in place for a little while
- I replaced the stock cat during this install; that was way more annoying than the header; with the stock cat in my 98GS-R sedan, I had to deal with the two O2 sensors that did not want to come out of the old cat. Finding where the O2 sensor wires disconnected was an adventure.
- use lots of copper goop gasket maker at the header/cat junction.

No runs, no leaks, no errors.

I'm glad I did it myself; makes me appreciate what I did when I look inside the engine bay.

Good luck!

 

I didn't have any problems when I installed my header. To get off the rusted bolts, I just sprayed down the bolts real good with some PB blaster. To prevent breaking studs,make sure to follow the proper tightening sequence and also use a torque wrench. It's a fairly easy install and you should be able to handle it.

 

Hardest part for me was getting the O2 sensor out. Ended up breaking it, because it was rusted onto the header. At 130K miles it probably needed a new one anyway.

 

'95 GSR 4-door, was 6yrs old & had 106k miles when I got the header. DC 4/2/1 ceramic-coated 2-piece header. No real problems installing it. I don't remember how long it took, but easily within a day.

Nuts/studs at the head & between manifold/A-pipe were OK.
O2 sensor isn't in this pipe anyway...
Nuts/bolts at the cat flange had to be broken/sawed apart, but I was prepared for that.

There's a bracket holding the original exhaust to the front of the block. That doesn't work with the header, I just left it off. It fit up OK with the bracket on the back. I had enough flex in the exhaust hangers, so I could push the cat around during this installation.

 

When I did the header on my GTi - before I came to HAN - it was a royal pain in the ass, despite liberal use of silcone spray lube and quality sockets. I guess I'm a little gun-shy about going through it again in my old age. [:chuckles:]

Great responses thus far. Thanks to all who've chimed in. :goodjob:

In terms of time, how long do you reckon you spent?

And for the record, mine is a 2pc 4-2-1 header.

 

The only problem I've come across installing a header on a few different cars (Friend's Civic, friend's Laser and my RX-7) along with various manifold pulls has been the nut rusted to the stud, and the entire stud comes out. That's a simple fix, just a new stud and nut.

 

PB blaster owns joo!

I'd def recommend you buy some before the install and even soak the bolts down once a night for a week before you want to do the install. Since it is a 2 piece header, it will be simple to put in, you wont have any problems with the radiator being in the way. The only time you might have trouble is the O2 sensor, I believe its like 22mm or 24mm. I worked at a dealership when I installed my old header and used the mechanics tools for the sensor so I dont know how hard it will be with a regular socket wrench.

If everything goes smooth, you could have it done in an hour. If not, then put the stock one back on and take it to the shop. Just my .02

good luck

 

94 Integra...

Removal & install took me 1 hour. I didn't have any broken bolts/studs, replaced the gasket & the donut gasket at the same time. O2 sensor needs a 22mm wrench i believe.