Down pipe removal

[Subru]

I heard bolts on the downpipe are a pain to remove, what do you guys do to make em come loose? I dont have rattlegun, just a breaker bar.

Do I need to remove the Intercooler to take off the heat shield and access the bolts?

[Andy_Mac]

Give them all a spray with WD40 before you start and they should come off fairly easily. I needed a metal pipe to slide over the breaker bar the first time I did it to get more leverage but that was a short breaker bar so probably wouldn't with a decent length one.

 

Get the intercooler off. You'll want all the space you can get. 

[Kiwiflyboy]

9 minutes ago, Andy_Mac said:

Get the intercooler off. You'll want all the space you can get. 

 HELL yes to that. If they never been touched they are usually solid and require some good swinging room!

[Kiwi_Fozze]

The lower ones can sometimes be easier to undo from underneath. But yeah, the more room you can make for yourself, the better.

 

[Subru]

*googles how to remove intercooler*

 

Thanks. will spray with wd40 a few days before too, might make a difference...

[Kiwiflyboy]

Also make sure the socket is fully locked to the nut. Don’t want to strip them. That just make the day a whole lot worse


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[Kiwi_Fozze]

Yeah, ring spanner and socket only. Preferably 6 point sockets. Because a stripped nut there will make you cry. A lot.

[chulozumo]

When are you thinking of doing this? I might be able to help.

[Subru]

2 hours ago, chulozumo said:

When are you thinking of doing this? I might be able to help.

Not sure exactly. Sounds good tho

I stripped a nut when trying to get rear strut off old impreza, had to cut it off and replace it. was not fun  

Edited July 19, 2017 by Subru

[IZichard]

3 hours ago, Subru said:

Not sure exactly. Sounds good tho

I stripped a nut when trying to get rear strut off old impreza, had to cut it off and replace it. was not fun  

Invest in a good breaker bar and a set of single hex impact sockets. A good length of strong pipe too and you will be able to get just about anything off without stripping it.

 

Make sure to get a set with 14,17,19,22,24, those are the sizes you will most use on your Subaru. A 32 would be good too as the CV nuts are 32 I believe. I'm not 100% on that though, they might be 36.

[boon]

There's one bolt that is a proper bastard, the best tool for it is a good quality long 14mm ring spanner. The rest aren't too bad to get at with a breaker and some extensions, swivel, blah. Again, only use good quality and give them a bit of a soak in CRC a few hours beforehand; ideally the night before to let it soak in overnight (don't do it when the turbo is still hot!!!!!!!)

[boyracer693]

The Amount of times ive done this lol. I agree with everyone here...you will also need patience. I suggest getting the hard ones out first

[boostin]

On 19/07/2017 at 0:08 PM, Subru said:

*googles how to remove intercooler*

 

Thanks. will spray with wd40 a few days before too, might make a difference...

If you have to google intercooler removal, you're gonna hate refitting it!

[slystiguy]

The first time I did it when I was 17 (shiiit 10 years ago now) I almost cried with agony, Nowadays it takes me all of 15mins to get a downpipe off lol. Having the right tools helps a lot mind you.

 

The others have covered it pretty well

 

 A good 6 point socket set in 3/8 or 1/2 inch, do not use a 12 point socket set on these nuts!

a 14mm ring spanner (preferably with small offset in it is best), grab 2 if you can afford it they're quite handy to have (2nd hand shops are good place to find cheap singles)

PB blaster is my preferred product for rusty nuts

Breaker bars don't normally fit in the tight spaces for the downpipe so I wouldn't be too concerned with it but handy to have around anyway

Pry bars are good to have to help split exhaust bits that are sealed on (These are a cheap and handy investment even if you don't need them for this job so much)

 

 

Remove intercooler and piping

Remove any heat shields

The top 3 nuts are quite easy to get at and shouldn't give issues

the bottom 2 are tricky, 1 is easyish from the top with the ring spanner and the other is a right knobhead in between the steering knuckle/ gearbox/cv joint , you'll probably end up under the car for this one). This one is where I normally end up using the ring spanner

 

Take it slowly, don't put your sockets/spanners on funny angles they need to be perfectly snug on the nut or you may slip and strip it.Use a small hammering device to ensure they're on the nut properly or wedge a pry bar in there to hold it on if it wants to move off. You can use a hammer on the end of a ring spanner to help break the easy access ones. Avoid using socket set to break nuts unless it's a really high quality one and even then it's not ideal (damages them putting too much pressure on them/hitting them ect). If you get the thing off but the nuts took a hiding REPLACE THEM, do not use old exhaust nuts that are not in good order, if you replace them they must be high tensile steel nuts suitable for exhaust temps. 

 

If you're looking for cheap breaker bar extensions (e.g pipe to put over it) go to your local plumbing store and buy galv pipe, it's usually around $10 a meter at retail and it's strong and thick 

[Subru]

4 hours ago, slystiguy said:

The first time I did it when I was 17 (shiiit 10 years ago now) I almost cried with agony, Nowadays it takes me all of 15mins to get a downpipe off lol. Having the right tools helps a lot mind you.

 

The others have covered it pretty well

 

 A good 6 point socket set in 3/8 or 1/2 inch, do not use a 12 point socket set on these nuts!

a 14mm ring spanner (preferably with small offset in it is best), grab 2 if you can afford it they're quite handy to have (2nd hand shops are good place to find cheap singles)

PB blaster is my preferred product for rusty nuts

Breaker bars don't normally fit in the tight spaces for the downpipe so I wouldn't be too concerned with it but handy to have around anyway

Pry bars are good to have to help split exhaust bits that are sealed on (These are a cheap and handy investment even if you don't need them for this job so much)

 

 

Remove intercooler and piping

Remove any heat shields

The top 3 nuts are quite easy to get at and shouldn't give issues

the bottom 2 are tricky, 1 is easyish from the top with the ring spanner and the other is a right knobhead in between the steering knuckle/ gearbox/cv joint , you'll probably end up under the car for this one). This one is where I normally end up using the ring spanner

 

Take it slowly, don't put your sockets/spanners on funny angles they need to be perfectly snug on the nut or you may slip and strip it.Use a small hammering device to ensure they're on the nut properly or wedge a pry bar in there to hold it on if it wants to move off. You can use a hammer on the end of a ring spanner to help break the easy access ones. Avoid using socket set to break nuts unless it's a really high quality one and even then it's not ideal (damages them putting too much pressure on them/hitting them ect). If you get the thing off but the nuts took a hiding REPLACE THEM, do not use old exhaust nuts that are not in good order, if you replace them they must be high tensile steel nuts suitable for exhaust temps. 

 

If you're looking for cheap breaker bar extensions (e.g pipe to put over it) go to your local plumbing store and buy galv pipe, it's usually around $10 a meter at retail and it's strong and thick 

Thanks for these tips, they will come in handy.

I have a bunch of spanners and decent socket sets (toptul set got given to me ) I managed to get the bottom bolts off DP with not too much swearing to put on my zerosports exhaust on, but I found that putting them on with the springs was a pain in the neck (literally got sore neck ).  I actually got about 2m of some really thick steel pipe from my mate to extend the breaker bar too which is cool. Also brought some impact sockets thanks to @IZichard.

[Andy_Mac]

Bar will make it a piss easy job. Thats the one I used for the first time getting the bolts off my DP. Diameter was large enough to slip ring spanners inside too since a few on the Legacy's aren't too socket friendly.

 

 

[boon]

The bottom dick one is way easier with a good socket, a swivel, 2 long extensions and a breaker bar from under the car. Just follow the downpipe up and make damn sure the socket is 100% on the nut and seated absolutely square.

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, boon said:

The bottom dick one is way easier with a good socket, a swivel, 2 long extensions and a breaker bar from under the car. Just follow the downpipe up and make damn sure the socket is 100% on the nut and seated absolutely square.

 

Quoted coz dick.