Banks Exhaust Installation

Transcription

1 Banks Exhaust Installation Introduction I have a 1997 Jeep Wrangler (TJ) with a 2.5L engine. Recently, my catalytic converter had taken a turn for the worse. The catalyst bricks had started breaking apart months ago and now they were clogging my exhaust and preventing me from accelerating. Along with this problem my exhaust header had started cracking a few months ago, adding to the performance loss, not to mention the broken exhaust stud (rear). In the last week or so before the install, I could not drive any faster than 40-45mph and it took nearly 6 miles to get to that speed. Needless to say, I had to park it. Fortunately, my wife could ride to work with her sister and I was able to use her Nissan XTerra while fixing my Jeep. Exhaust Header There are not a lot of choices for exhaust headers for the 2.5L Jeep engines. I decided I wanted stainless steel for durability. I had heard horror stories about installing most of the few header options (most that I know of are NOT stainless), but there was one that I had not heard of people having problems installing and is a direct bolt on with no fabricating or modifications. Gale Banks Engineering makes a stainless steel exhaust header for the Jeep 2.5L engine. This was the one I wanted. I do not have the tools to be making modifications to something that should fit right. Catalytic Converter I read some write ups on the internet about Catalytic Converters and since the exhaust header was a performance modification, I wanted to make sure things would flow through the exhaust and not get backed up. After doing a little research and reading some of the work that Ben Obi-Wan at I decided on Random Technology s Hi-Flow Stainless Steel Catalytic Converter. Cat-Back Exhaust System To be honest, I really didn t research Cat-Backs that well. I was aware that Borla made a Cat-Back and Gale Banks Engineering did as well, both of them making Cat- Backs in stainless steel. However, Gale Banks Engineering s Stinger Cat-Back system had a direct flow from end to end, as opposed to Borla s offset design. Additionally, my header was going to be a Banks Header, so I might as well go with Banks on the Cat- Back. Then there is price, which definitely encourages me to go with Banks.

2 Purchasing Now the time had come to purchase the required parts. Here is a brief run-down of my purchases. Rock-It Tube (Turbo City) Banks Torque Tube Header (Quadratec) Random Technology Hi-Flow Cat (Quadratec) Banks Stinger Cat-Back Exhaust (OK4WD) Note: $15 less than Quadratec + FREE SHIPPING. I found out later that Quadratec advertises they will match anyone s price. It would have been great to get it all from one source. At this point it would be a good time to start soaking all the intake/exhaust bolts and studs with PB Blaster on a daily basis. Installation #1: Catalytic Converter and Cat-Back On Friday June 10 th, 2005, the adventure begins! Over the weekend I ordered all the parts I needed, header, cat, cat-back, and a Rock-It tube from Turbo-City. While I was waiting for the various pieces to arrive, I started working on the logistics of what to do first and whether or not I could do it or not. I am somewhat mechanically inclined. Although, I am not a mechanic and the most I have ever done was change a wheel cylinder or the brakes, or the clutch master/slave cylinder system (bolt on unit from Chrysler). I realized that this was really going to be a two part project. One being the catalytic converter and cat-back system and the other would be the exhaust header. However I needed to figure out which should be done first. First I was going to do the header, but after the performance of the Jeep for the few days before parking it, I decided it was paramount to get the cat and cat-back in place FIRST! Then I would deal with the Exhaust header LAST! Next I wasn t sure whether I would install the cat and cat-back or take it to a shop. I do not have a torch or the tools to cut the old exhaust out of the way. After talking to some people and reading a lot of write-ups, I decided that I was going to take the Jeep to the shop to have the cat and cat-back installed. This was good thing, since there were some regulatory issues regarding the cat. Additionally, there were modifications that had to made to the head-pipe and catalytic convert to get the parts installed. I definitely made the right decision.

3 Saturday, June 18 th 2005 at 0800, I took the Jeep to Pro-Formance Exhaust in Ocala, Fl. Here is a layout of the exhaust system that will be installed (a) Jim commenced to cutting out the old exhaust system. When he had cut the muffler from the catalytic converter, we were able to see just how bad the catalytic converter was. (b) That is unreal! That is major clogged. As a matter of fact that was the ONLY brick remaining. The other one had disintegrated and chunks of it were in my muffler. No wonder it sounded like a coffee can with marbles in it!

4 Issues related to installing the Random Technology Hi-Flow Catalytic Converter on my 1997 Jeep Wrangler with the 2.5L engine. First, be sure the muffler shop cuts the old cat where the head pipe is welded to the OEM catalytic converter. You want to preserve the head pipe hanger/support. The OEM head pipe and catalytic converter is a one piece item. There isn t much room between the head pipe hanger/support and the intake to the catalytic converter. See image c. The intake pipe is the SAME SIZE as the head pipe. Here is a picture of the two catalytic converters side by side. The new hi-flow cat is much smaller and weighs only 5.25 lbs (weighed on the UPS scale at the office). ( c ) (d)

5 It was a good that I had Pro-Formance Exhaust install my catalytic converter and catback. Jim had to make modifications to the head pipe and catalytic converter. This also confirms that it is NOT always a direct fit, even if the manufacturer claims it to be. After about an hour and a half, Jim had completed the installation and this is what it looks like now. (e) Thanks to Pro-Formance Exhaust in Ocala, Florida for the fine installation job! The ride home was awesome! It was like having a new Jeep. The exhaust tone is nice. Unfortunately, it sounds similar to those little imports that people drive around now with the noisy mufflers. EXCEPTION: I think the Banks muffler is more subdued and doesn t have that high pitched noise that many of the modified imports have. As Gale Banks Engineering says, it is a throaty sound. At idle, it gives a low rumble. It can get loud on higher RPM accelerations. Over all I am happy with the sound and the performance.

6 Installation #2: Banks Torque Tube Header Now it is around 1200 on Saturday and I get the Jeep home to begin the work of removing the badly cracked header (f) and installing the new Banks header. The caveat to this is that my rear exhaust manifold stud is broken (g); it has been this way for a couple of years. (f) (g)

7 The first step in this process is to break out the Chrysler Service Manual for my Jeep. This manual is invaluable! If you do not have one for you Jeep and you plan to do any serious work on the Jeep, then you need this. Section 11 in my manual is all about the exhaust system. So I go to the sub-section about removing the exhaust manifold. The first things to do is to remove the Power Steering pump (if equipped) from the bracket and secure it to the front of the Jeep so it is out of the way (it also mounts to the intake manifold, which has to come off before the exhaust header). Tips: The directions in the Banks installation guide are very general! Be sure to follow the directions in the Service Manual for removing the exhaust manifold. The service manual will give you step by step directions and will have you remove things in the proper order so that you have the room to remove the next item(s). Use masking tape and number each sensor wire BEFORE removing ANYTHING! Take pictures as needed so that you can see all the tags of tape and their numbers (h). This will help when the time comes to re-attach everything. Take your time! DO NOT RUSH! (h)

8 Using the Service Manual, I did the following: Disconnect the Power Steering Pump bracket and hang from my brush guard with a hanger. Label all the wires and cables (except obvious stuff) on the intake/exhaust side of the engine. Un-bolt everything and set aside. (IMPORTANT: When disconnecting the fuel line from the fuel rail for the injectors, be sure you remove the fuel filler cap and replace to depressurize the system.) Auto Zone has a $5 tool that will help remove it (i). The intake/exhaust manifold bolts are all 9/16. Banks recommends using a 9/16 swivel socket (u-joint socket) for bolts 2 through 5. The swivel socket was a lifesaver! Note: Because I applied PB Blaster to the intake/exhaust bolts and remaining stud, they all came out like they were buttered. That stuff works! (i)

9 After getting the exhaust manifold off of the Jeep, I can see just how bad the cracks were. (j) Front of header (k) Back of header

10 By Saturday evening, I had everything removed (l) and I would be able to begin work on the broken rear stud Sunday morning. (l) Sunday morning I had to make my morning runs to the Auto Parts store for bits and extractors, Home Depot for a right angle drill attachment that will turn my drill into a right angle drill and a set of center punches. Note: Due to the space, a right angle drill or dremel tool flex drive should be used to drill out a broken rear stud as opposed to a standard drill. These are things I tried in an attempt to get the broken stud (m) out of the head. I tried the tapping method with a hammer and punch Applied large quantities of PB Blaster Used Dremel tool in an effort to put a nice dimple in the center of the broken stud. Used right angle drill with left twist bits (Titanium bits are worthless) Used right angle drill with right twist cobalt bits (works great) Lastly, I attempted to use a bolt extractor on the broken stud.

11 (m) This is the broken stud Unfortunately, Sunday evening the bolt extractor broke in the stud! At this point I was pretty freaked out! I knew well enough what had to be done now Pull the head and take it to the machine shop! This of course sent me into a panic attack. It was too late; I was too tired to mess with it! So I decided I would get cleaned up and read the Service Manual about the remove and installation process for the engine head. Needless to say, Sunday night, I hardly slept a wink. I even had nightmares about how it would turn out. At some point I did fall asleep and when I woke up Monday morning, I was very resolute in what I was going to do. I was going to pull the head and take it to the machine shop! So I called in to work and told them I would not be in and I proceeded to remove the head. Here are some words of encouragement and tips if you are in a situation such as I found myself. First of all, if you have already removed the intake and exhaust manifolds, you are half way there! After reading the Service Manual, I really didn t have a whole lot more to do, to get the head off. The tools you will need are 18 Flex Handle or breaker bar, 9/16 or ½ deep well 12 pt socket, ½ drive. You definitely need the Chrysler Service Manual at this point! IMPORTANT: When removing the Rockers, pivots, capscrews, and push rods, be sure to keep track of where you took them from and what order you pulled them so that they can be re-installed in the same order and in the same place! This is VERY IMPORTANT!

12 Here are the general steps for removing the engine head from this point. Disconnect all the hoses going to the thermostat housing Disconnect the distributor cap and plug wires Remove the A/C compressor (if equipped) mounting bolts and slide out of the way (off of bracket). Disconnect the two bolts holding the A/C bracket to the head Remove wiring harness cable guide and cables from the head bolts on the intake/exhaust side of the engine. The cable guide just pulls up off of the head studs. Take out all the spark plugs Un-bolt the valve cover. Break loose the Valve cover with a screwdriver and set aside. Unbolt the cap screws to the pivots of the rockers and pull each assembly. NOTE: Put each push rod, cap screw, and rocker in a gallon size ziplock bag and label it. There are 8 sets on the 4 cyl. I started with the assembly closest to the firewall and moved to the front of the engine as I remove each assembly. I labeled each zip lock bag Rocker #1, Rocker #2, etc, as I took each one out. See (n). Un-Bolt each head bolt and set aside. Break head loose Take to machine shop (n)

13 (o) After removing all the head bolts I was able to pull the head (p) and see how far off center I was on the bolt extractor (q). (p)

14 (q) You know I should have left the bit where it was before hand, it was closer to center. Unfortunately, at the angle I was working it is very difficult to see if you are center or not. NOTE: Considering the time I spent trying to get the broken stud out, I could have pulled the head twice! If I ever have another broken stud, I will just pull the head and take it to a machine shop! It just isn t worth all that time wasted if you break it. But that is just my opinion. This is also a good time to inspect the piston and piston bores. ( r )

15 I was pretty impressed with the condition of my engine. It has over 120,000 miles on it and has very little crud in it. The valve cover gasket was very clean. The bores were in GREAT shape and didn t have too much carbon on the piston faces and a had a light coating of carbon on the valve faces. Interestingly, the carbon on the pistons flaked off after being exposed to air and moisture. I ended up using a shopvac to remove all the carbon flakes before I reinstalled everything. Re-Installing the engine head The first thing I needed to do was to remove the old head gasket. The OEM head gasket for the 1997 TJ 2.5L engine is a composite gasket that is designed to go on DRY! (No sealants), being sure to get all of it removed from the surfaces of the head and the block so that there will be no leaks. Be sure not to get any of the crud in the piston bores, if so vacuum the bores out. Do not gouge or mar the surfaces! Next I needed to use two of the longest head bolts (the ones with the threaded top) as alignment dowels. This means I needed to purchase two new ones and a head gasket. The bolts were $4 each and the gasket was $33. Actually, according to the manual, you are only supposed to re-use the head bolts ONCE! If you see paint dabs on the heads of the existing bolts, this may mean they have been re-used already. If you are unsure about whether they have been used, replace all of them. In my case, I was able to re-use the bolts. I had to cut the heads off of the two bolts and cut a slot in the end of the bolt. See: pic (s1 and s2). This is for alignment so that the gasket and head are aligned properly and the bolts will thread. The slots will help in removing them after the head is in place using a screw driver. (s1)

16 (s2) Now that I made the alignment dowels, it is time to put them in the block. According to the Service Manual, I need to put them in the #8 and #10 holes (t). Now I put the head gasket on. The Service Manual warns The numbers MUST be facing UP (u). (t)

17 (u) Now it is time for me to put the head back on the Jeep. I attempted to put it on while standing on the driver s side. However, the head is just heavy enough and the dowels are just long enough, and there is very little margin for error, so I had to stand with my right foot on the exposed engine mount (u) and my left foot on the passenger side tire well so that I could lift straight up and down. To clear the alignment dowels, you must be directly over the dowels and the head most be straight. Then the coolant hard line next to the water pump does not allow much room to work. After a couple of minutes of frustrating work, I was able to wiggle engine head into place and torque the bolts to spec (v). (v)

18 Install the Banks Torque Tube Header OK. FINALLY! I am ready to put on the header. Here is my cracked factory header beside my new Torque Tube Header (w). (w) The first thing I need to do is put in the front and rear studs. I could not find what the torque specs were on the stud itself, so I tightened those to about 20 ft lbs of torque. Once the studs were in place I could now put the gasket that Banks supplied in place (x). (x) Once the header gasket was in place, I could now put on the exhaust header first and put bolt #1 in (loosely). Once the exhaust header was in place, I could now fit the intake manifold on the head and put the remaining bolts and washers in place. After both the exhaust and intake manifolds are place, torque all the bolts down to spec in the proper order. I actually messed up and did not do them in order, so I loosened them and re-tightened them in the proper sequence (y). On the subject of torque

19 specs, there are some differences between the Banks specifications and the Service manual. According to the Service manual bolt #1 is to be tightened to 30 ft-lbs and bolts #2 through #7 tightened to 23ft-lbs. The Banks instruction says torque ALL bolts to 25 ft-lbs of torque. I did the following I tightened #1 to 30 ft-lbs per Chrysler spec. I then tightened #2 through #7 to 25 ft-lbs per Banks spec. My theory was I wanted to keep the torque amounts proportionate to each other like the manual. (y) At this point it is time to attach the head pipe to the exhaust header flange. Banks provides a flange seal and two bolts with 4 washers and 2 nuts. I had a little trouble getting the bolts tightened to spec because I didn t have a very long extension. I would say an extension that is 18 or longer would be extremely useful. Once the head pipe was connected to the exhaust manifold, it was time to refer back to the Chrysler manual regarding the Head Installation so that I could pick up where I left off on the line that said install intake and exhaust manifolds. The rest of that section walked me through putting all the parts back in place and reconnecting all the sensor wires and vacuum lines. Actually I remembered pretty much where everything went. As a matter of fact, when I put the wiring harness back on the intake/exhaust side of the engine, all the injector and sensor connectors fell right in place, so it was a no-brainer. Biggest thing is to be sure you put the plug wires back on the CORRECT spark plugs in the proper firing order. I referred to the ignition section of the service manual for that information.

20 After everything was in and tightened to spec. I drained and replaced my oil and filter. I then had to pour all the coolant I drained from the block back into the radiator (it was clean and relatively new, since I had replaced my radiator with a all-metal 3- row). Now comes the moment of truth. I have to crank it up and check for leaks of coolant and to be sure that oil does not mix with water. It was a little un-nerving to crank it for the first time. I had visions of clanking and an exploding engine. However, it cranked fine. It kind of sputtered a little as the fuel pump pressurized the system and the cylinders started firing. After about 30 or 40 seconds it smoothed out and gave a nice mellow rumble. Here is the finished product (z). (z) The project went great! There are no leaks and the oil and coolant are staying in their respective places and not mixing. The engine definitely has more torque, but seems to be higher RPM side. In all fairness, my situation was so bad with the clogged cat, that I cannot be sure what is being fixed and what is new. I am very pleased with the results and I am glad I did it. However, I don t want to do something like this again in a long time. It is not hard, just very TIME CONSUMING! It took me about 12 hours from the time I got the head home and the time I took picture (z).