Topic: exhaust question

[pioneer4x4]

i have just taken my header off my 2.5l xj and replaced it with the stock manifold, im going to the muffler shop in the morning to get a down pipe made. my question is.. is it ok to drive it like a mile or so to the muffler shop with no exhaust pipe connected to the manifold? i know its gonna be loud as hell, but my concern is there gonna be any fire coming out of it, cause my fuel lines are pretty close? or any other damage that could happen? thanks in advance

[que89yj]

No problem at all. I bet your going to have some real happy neighbors if you do it early. LOL

[sharpxmen]

make sure you dont burn anything - the gasses coming out of there are very, very hot - on my yj would blow right down onto the front d/s splines and also might get sole of those gasses blowing onto the engine and frame, i would be careful - if you can have something shielding the gasses away from the oil pan and frame/fender would be a better choice. But like he ^ said, you won't damage the engine, but look very well and see where that exhaust gas blows - at least start it and have a look at idle, the moment you start moving the temp goes up exponentially - the less power you put to the accelerator the better. i'd say to at least have a piece of pipe bolted there to bring the exhaust as close to the ground as possible

[pioneer4x4]

yea thats what i was thinking, couldnt get a pipe bolted up, so i cut some holes in a coffee can, it gives me another 6-8 inches or so, i know its ghetto, but i dont have to go that far. just as long as no fire comes out of it. gonna give it as little throttle as possible, if it will even move. i have idled it, but not tried moving it. its verry loud

[pioneer4x4]

Ok so i went to the only two exhaust shops in the town im living in right now, and one of them didn't have the 2 bolt flange that slips over the exhaust pipe that connects to the manifold, and the other one said that i need to take the manifold back off so he can put longer bolts in the manifold. my question is.. is there a coupling that i could get to screw half way on the existing bolts and put some threaded studs in the other half, which would make the bolt longer essentially? if so where could i get them, or any other ideas, i asked if he could just tack weld a threaded stud on them to make them longer, and he looked at me like i was crazy, but a few years ago another exhaust shop did that, but i didn't say anything. i really don't want to take it off again. anything would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

[sharpxmen]

you could try to cut old bolts drill and use a bolt and nut. On the other hand i got my pacesetter header with the downpipe for $165 at street side auto so not sure how much these guys will charge you, you might want to look into that as well.

[jcsanders79]

When I put my header on I drove about 8 miles with the exhaust unhooked.  Didn't burn anything.

[pioneer4x4]

yea i thought about drilling them out, but i ordered a 2.25 flange thats supposed to fit the manifold, its gonna be here in a few hrs. the guy that told me to put longer bolts in, had a universal flange that was kinda thick, but if that doesnt fit,  i may give that a shot. thanks

[sharpxmen]

oh, i see - i thought they were broken. a downpipe (with the flange on it) i think is around $40 maybe even cheaper. if your is old and rusted you could order one of those. or if you really want something DIY and dont want to cut the bolts off you can buy a piece of hex bar, and then drill and tap 2 pieces about 1 inch long, have half onto the header bolts with a counter nut and use regular bolts thru the flange (something like you said to extend the bolts). i think you can even buy these predrilled and threadded at some h/w shops (i'm not 100% but i think the bolts are 3/8-16tpi on the header which is a very common thread).

[sharpxmen]

When I put my header on I drove about 8 miles with the exhaust unhooked.  Didn't burn anything.

he was asking about the downpipe, but he did manage to drive it fine.

[pioneer4x4]

i took your advice about the hex bar, but there wasn't enough clearance for the pipe, so i ordered a down pipe and flange from nacho at amc 4x4 for like 20 bucks, a new one for the same amount of time would have been $80 after shipping and everything. so ill be up and running in a few days hopefully. figured used was better for less since im gonna be putting back on a header once i get a intake manifold and carb in a few months anyway. thanks for all yalls help. ill let yall know how it goes when i get it in the mail.