Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001 12:17:30 -0500
Reply-To: "Karl F. Bloss" <bloss@ENTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Karl F. Bloss" <bloss@ENTER.NET>
Subject: S&S Header installation report (long)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
I just finished installing an S&S Header system on our '87 Vanagon (2.1L WBX
engine). Since I have seen some complaints about dealing with S&S and the
installation of their stuff, I offer the following set of experiences and
disjointed thoughts about the whole process.
Mike Zehring and I placed an order with S&S Headers (www.ssheaders.com)
directly since we ordered 3 set of exhausts, and they promised a 5% discount (2
Vanagon and 1 Jetta system).
S&S claimed that they did not have the Vanagon exhausts in stock, but were in
the process of making them. They accepted a backorder on the systems. The
order arrived with each system being shipped separately, and they charged each
time for shipping. This was rather annoying since it pretty much killed the
small discount.
The packaging was rather spartan, but somehow my exhaust (can't speak for
Mike's...I delivered a sealed box to him...maybe he can report) arrived
unharmed.
I ordered the complete exhaust with header pipes and muffler (no cat). It came
with rudimentary instructions, a set of nuts and bolts (although not enough to
do everything), and gaskets).
The first task was to get the old exhaust off, on which I reported earlier.
Chant the exhaust remover's mantra: Soak, tap, torque, soak tap,
torque...until it comes loose without breaking off bolt heads.
I went to the VW dealer to buy a set of correct bolts and nuts for the head to
exhaust pipe fittings. My ETKA says that I have 2 exhaust ports with threaded
holes requiring bolts and 2 with studs requiring nuts. Bentley looks the same.
I got the head bolts ($4.20 at the dealer) and later found out that for some
reason I have all theaded holes requiring bolts. Hmm...with 201K on the clock,
I'll bet the DPO put some other heads on here. Oh well. I picked the best of
the old bolts out, chased the threads with a die (8mm X 1.25). I also chased
the threads in the heads that I could reach easily. I got an additional set of
8mmX1.25 bolts (13mm head to keep it all stock-ish) washers and nuts at the
local hardware store for the u-pipe, cat and muffler flanges.
Having heard about the slipfit problems, I tried to fit the pipes _before_ I'm
under the van lying in a cortorted position. Sure enough, one of them needed
pursuasion with a rubber mallet to fit, but with some Kroil lube, it went in.
The other one fit just fine.
Following the S&S instructions, I first attached the forward pipe (#1 and #3
cylinders), inserting the bolts just finger tight. This allows for movement
when attaching the other pipes. Although some contorting of finger is
required, it went in without too many uttered curse words. My dual oil
pressure sender did slightly interfere, but I made it work.
Next, the #4 pipe (rear driver's side...I think it's #4) was slip fit and
attached. This one is a bit of a hassle because of the oil filter. I ended up
taking the filter off and things were much simpler that way. With near
freezing temps and 20W50, I didn't get much oil leakage anyway. Again, finger
tight on the bolts. The top one is reached better from the engine compartment.
I have no AC, so it might be harder to reach if you do.
The #2 pipe (rear passenger side) was easily attached...lots of room to work.
HOWEVER...I later discovered that the muffer is bigger than the opening between
the rear shroud and the #2 pipe, so I ended up having to remove it again. So
slip fit it, check out the fit, and then leaving it hang. On second thought,
it may have been necessary to attach it anyway, since the next step is to
tighten all the header bolts. Had I left it hang, it may not have aligned
correctly if I only tightened the other three exhaust ports. Unknown...you're
on your own. :-)
Next is the U-pipe, which is a no-brainer...3 easily accessible bolts. I
supported it with a jack so that it put less strain on the exhaust port bolts
because there are no hangers or supports for the header portion of the pipes.
Don't forget the gasket.
Same thing with the cat. I reused my old cat and took the opportunity while it
was out to loosen the oxygen sensor. It's MUCH easier when out-of-vehicles and
with a big ol' 22mm wrench than risking breaking exhaust pipes and lying under
the van with no room to work.
I left the U-pipe and cat bolts loose so that I could properly fit the muffler.
Again, I supported the pipe and cat with a jack to avoid putting strain on the
head bolts.
As I mentioned, I first found that the muffler could not fit with the rear
passenger pipe attached, therefore I had to unscrew it and just drop it
down...it's not necessary to remove the slip fit.
The position of the muffler, which is not cylindrical like the Vanagon stock
muffler, is rather awkward at first glance. However, with a 3-bolt triangular
flange, there's really only one way it can go. Also, the bracket welded to the
muffler mates with the original on-engine mount. Unfortunately for me, the
tailpipe interfered with the trailer hitch (the kind with a square bar welded
to the tow hooks). Therefore, I had to end up whacking about 2" off the
tailpipe...not a problem though.
If all goes right the second muffler bracket should line up with a bracket on
the rear passenger pipe. I had to end up bending mine a tad, but for a gross
exhaust system, I thought they lined up rather well.
All bolts were tightened, OXS inserted and hooked up, and vroom...she started.
The van had sat for about 3-4 months without much use (too loud!), so I had
valve lifter tap, but other than that it sounded much better than with a
missing collector pipe. :-) I did see/hear some exhaust leaks, so I'll have
to snug some stuff up. Also, the paint started burning off and stinking
(expected).
The test drive was with 7 people in the van on the way to my graduation (Ph.D.
chemical engineering). The Digitool (or Darrellometer and those of us who know
Darrell call it) told me that OXS was working fine after the Temp2 voltage went
to below .30. The exhaust is quite bit throatier than the original, but some
of that could be from not-quite-tight fittings. I'll have to snug some bolts
up, I'm sure.
Having just returned from our 6000-mile trip in the '85 Westy with stock
exhaust, the '87 with this exhaust felt like a real powerhouse, even with 7
people in the van. From the seat-of-the-pants, I can't tell how much is from
the 2.1, how much is from less weight than a full Westy camper, and how much is
from the larger-than-stock exhaust.
Other thoughts:
Get wobbler extenders for your socket set. It makes getting to the oddly-
placed bolts MUCH easier. Harbor Freight has a Chinese-made set pretty cheap
and they worked just fine. Sometimes I had all three 3/8" socket wobblers on
to get the right angle.
Use no-seize goop on the bolts. It'll make removing them in the future MUCH
easier. Careful with the OXS...I hear the catalyst can be poisoned by the
stuff, so use it JUST on the threads.
Invest in a good metric tap and die set. Chase the threads of the head bolt
holes as necessary.
The support structure for the exhaust seems rather minimal. I will probably
construct a separate hanger for the u-pipe near the cat. That way if the
muffler brackets ever rust through, it won't take the whole exhaust with it.
When working in 30F weather, get a Mr. Heater and having him radiate on you. :-
)
I know some others have had amazingly bad experiences with the S&S systems, and
I'm not trying to negate what they've reported. However, even as someone who
has never done any exhaust work before, this was relatively straight-forward.
Maybe I'm lucky in how my engine mated with the exhaust. Maybe I'm lucky I got
a good one. As they say, "your results may vary."
-Karl
PS: I'm in no-mail mode, so if you have any questions or comments, please mail
me directly.
Karl & Kristina Bloss - Trexlertown, PA
'87 Westy Weekender "Bev" - 201K Miles
'85 Westy Camper "Fred" - 44K Miles
http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw - vanagon@makarov.com
PA/NJ/DE/MD area VW bus "group" http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/pavanagon
