Pitfalls or tips on replacing the 2-4 header?

[floggingmolly]

Hey all,

Well, I got a nice big crack (actually all the way through) my 2-4 header. The one on the passenger side is broken all the way through. Looks like a pretty involved process as you need to remove all of the exhaust, probably the oil filter?

Does anyone have any tips before I get started? My header pipe has been ordered from Van Cafe and should be here tomorrow, so looks like a weekend project.

Any other good things to check out, service, or replace while I've got these things out.

Thanks
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'85 Wolfsburg Weekender

[wecm31]

The part of all exhaust work that freaks me out is how seized and rusted the bolts can be.

I have looked at my connections to the cyl heads and am concerned that if I ever try and untorque them, I could easily break a stud/bolt off in the head.

Lots of penetrating oil in repeated applications would be my only suggestion.
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Gerald P
1985 Vanagon (Betty) & 1985 BMW R80RT (Wilhelm)
vintage boxers!!

Gone are the days we stopped to decide
Where we should go, we just ride:)

[campism]

Soak everything with PB Blaster before you begin to encourage rusted fasteners to come loose. Expect bolt/stud breakage and subsequent heartache. I'd sawzall off the old stuff to give better access to what remains, and I wound up removing a lot of anything in my way, but I was replacing the main 4 pieces (not the cat and muffler, though I took 'em off).

Consider yourself lucky if you can replace just that one pipe without collateral damage and with only skinned knuckles and blued air. Keep little ears away from the job site.
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[Wellington]

reassembly with brass nuts

[bluebus86]

[SteveVanB]

I got my whole system from eVWparts.
http://www.evwparts.com/vwparts/VanagonExhaust/VanExhaustKit1.html
Not sure if it was DANSK brand. I had none of the fitment issues others gripe about. Maybe I was lucky.....Maybe they felt sorry for me 'cause all the studs/bolts broke off in the heads Definately pre soak with some Kroil. Don't be afraid to use some heat too.....

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91 CARAT

[Greystar]

I just did my 2-4 pipe which cracked by the collector, leaving the flange end in a rusted heap of collector metal(87 syncro). I had to cut off the 1-3 pipe and clean up the collector to reuse. Last summer I had bought parts that I wanted to replace and now was the perfect storm of part replacement hell.
Water pump, all rubber hoses connected to it. Repaint all metal hoses connected to it, some leaked so they got fresh gaskets and clamps. I knew I had a loose stud so I had bought a bottom tap and some 50mm long bolts which I cut the heads off to use as studs. Had to tap 3 holes. Someone asked this about a month ago so I added these: 2 oil pressure switches and rear motor mounts. Took off the oil filter, ac comp. loosened the power steering pump and muffler. Before starting I also had a hardware kit from VC. About the only thing I left off the list was the oil pump seal. Good luck with your 1 manifold job!
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'87 syncro gl

[floggingmolly]

Thanks everyone for their recommendations. I did use plenty of PB blaster and everything came off with no problems (other than the tight space issues), no rusted bolts or anything. Thank god for SoCal weather. What SUCKS is that as I went to put the new header on, I notice one of the metal tabs that holds a bolt for bracket mounting was way too tilted (one of the two by the #4 header) so I tried to bend it back to the proper direction and it snapped off in my hands!! ARGH!

The angle it should be at and the way it should have been attached:

The way it was attached with no clearance to add a bracket or a nut!:

What it looks like now:

My original. This is what it should have looked like:

So needless to say I'm not installing that one. It's not a Dansk but the header doesn't look like the best quality and the weld job on that one bracket was total shit. So now I have to wait til Monday to get a new one shipped. Crap!

I started another thread to see about how to remove my A/C compressor. the one pivot point is really perplexing me. If you have any ideas on that, please post in that thread. Thanks!

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6472552

Scott
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'85 Wolfsburg Weekender

[Greystar]

Tough luck on your bracket. Is that to hold the push rod tube cover on? In hindsight you could have cut a few threads off the bolt or just leave the nut off.
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'87 syncro gl

[floggingmolly]

No, it's a point where one of the rods/brackets comes down at an angle to support part of the exhaust. I hear what your saying about the bracket but I couldn't leave it pointing in that direction. The rod/bracket has to come down at a certain angle to meet up with the point where it connects to the exhaust.
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'85 Wolfsburg Weekender

[bluebus86]

would it be possibel to wld up your original pipe? How bad does the crack look. If the broken bracket and bad weld is any indication, you may find even more probelms with fit.

good luck

[floggingmolly]

I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately the crack is sort of a double crack, a split. It's completely broken through and then there is a second crack. No chance of welding it.
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'85 Wolfsburg Weekender

[floggingmolly]

Well, everything went on pretty well. However, the new 2/4 header and the old 1/3 header don't align exactly so where the collector attaches to the 2 pipes it's not a great fit. I had to try and get all 4 bolts at least on, and then tighten them each down slowly to try and pull all of the pipes together and in alignment. It looks OK, but there is a slight leak because the lining up is not prefect and the pipes are slightly tweaked. Not great quality for sure.

I'll probably disconnect them and try to maybe put in two gaskets at each pipe instead of one and see if that helps. You can feel the air sneaking out, so I'm a little concerned at smog time what they might say.
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'85 Wolfsburg Weekender

[bluebus86]