Anyone using the magnaflow y-pipe and cats?

[coax]

Thoughts

Finally got the exhaust installed a few weekends back and have had a chance to drive it a bit. I replaced the ypipe, cats, muffler, resonator, O2 sensors (with denso) and most of the mounting hardware.

Overall impressions:

• With the exception of a few of the crush bends, I would have liked to see an OE exhaust when it was new. Much sturdier and solid than what I replaced it with.
• I'd say overall i am happier with the magnaflow from its fit perspective, and not as happy with the noise and fitment of the borla system.
• I expect that I'll end up having to take the exhaust to a shop to have them hopefully fix some of the fitment issues with the rear panhard (see below) as well as possibly install a different resonator to fix the drone.
• First time I have worked with exhaust, and it went OK. I think in the long run I didn't really accomplish doing it without going to a shop as I expect I'll have to take it somewhere for adjustments. Just requires a 1-2 hr drive from up here in the mountains.

Noise:

• Much quieter at idle.
• Much more noisy at middle to full throttle, especially in the 2-3k rpm range which is where i spend most of my time when driving around town.
• The noise isn't loud really, its just a vibration/resonance/etc that will get quite annoying on longer trips or up mountain passes where the truck is driven at full bore for a while.
• May replace with the 2.25" Vibrant...the OD on the borla pipe is 2.25" and according to vibrant they spec via ID, so good chance it would just sleeve right on. http://vibrantperformance.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1022_1033_1055&products_id=46

Power:

• Definitely feels as if the truck lost some power after the install. I had hoped with the new cats and the new o2 sensors it would have picked up a few horses, but no such luck. Not sure if this is due to the fact the system is a bit more sealed, if I installed the second CAT backwards, or just the overall system.

Mounting

• For using 2 different manufacturer's items to replace the whole system, it went *OK*. Ended up having to shim the middle exhaust mount hanger with about 1/4 or 1/2 of aluminum bar as the whole system when put together was in a bit of an arch.
• So far no contact with the body or frame but it does wiggle around due to the flimsy mounts on the borla system.

Magnaflow cats:

• While only 400 grade stainless, the construction on the ypipe and the cats seems decent.
• The ypipe bolted right up with no issues or extra force needed. It snugged right up to the support as well with no issues. Ended up having to cut off the old support clamp and just used a stainless constant tension clamp I had laying around.
• The front cat is mounted horizontal unlike the OE system. The second cat can be mounted either way, and according to the tech I emailed at magnaflow, it can indeed be installed either way.
• I bought an additional shield for the front o2 sensor as the magaflow ypipe positions this sensor right behind the front wheel with a clear shot for any ejected stones and rocks. A few bucks for a bit of extra insurance.
• There is no stone guard on the main tube where the OE system had one.
• The cats don't have a perforated heat shield on them where the OE ones did.
• Overall pretty happy with this portion.

Bosal Cat-Back

• Not quite as happy with this purchase. While the steel quality is better it just seemed not to fit quite as well, the mounts have more flex in them, etc.
• I was hoping the resonator on the borla was restricting the flow but in the pics below you can see its a pass through design.

Issues:

• I had to replace the o2 sensor studs on the borla system with new ones from toyota. The ones that came with it were too short for a sensor, gasket, and shield to give the locknuts enough purchase.
• As I mentioned above, the system has a bit of an arch to it necessitating a shim of the middle exhaust mount.
• It appears as if the rear panhard rod will contact the exhaust under full compression of the DS rear tire.
• The vibration/resonance. I'll have to figure out what to do about this.
• I haven't really checked for leaks yet with a vaccum, so hoping that it all mounted together pretty well, but need to find the time to test soon.

 

[coax]

Pictures

Pictures in no particular order:

 

[coax]

First impressions are good. Has a bit of rumble when hitting the gas at idle and a bit louder than stk on highway. I'll post up some pics this weekend.

Congrats on getting it installed! A few questions if you don't mind.

• How'd the overall mounting come out?
• Did you notice any change in power?
• Which way did the shop mount the second cat?

 

[alia176]

Were you still thinking of going with the Vibrant resonator?

 

[coax]

Were you still thinking of going with the Vibrant resonator?

I am still considering it, just not quite sure on how to execute The two things that I'm getting hung up on:

1. Had the Borla resonator had some sort of restrictions in it which could contribute to the power loss, I'd replace it in a second. But the borla appears to be a straight pass through. So I don't think going Vibrant will help the performance, though it may help the noise.
2. I was going to attempt to put the vibrant in right above the rear axle/rear panhard bar. When I crawled under the cruiser I noticed that there really isnt enough clearance for the stock exhaust tube, let alone a larger diameter resonater. So....now I think I'll end up having to take it to a shop to do a few more slight bends/splices on the rear portion of the borla. (I had looked at getting some flux core wire for the mig and splicing the resonator in myself, but I don't have the ability to mandrel bend tube. Unfortunate as any decent shop is a good hour away.)

 

[bryson]

That pipe does look close where it crosses over the rear panhard, but I'd be surprised if you had issues with them contacting. That end of the panhard moves VERY little compared to the axle end... If you think about it, one inch of vertical change in the pahnard that close to the frame mount probably equates to 12+ inches (just guessing on the #'s...) of movement at the axle end. My guess is that although it's tight, you won't have issues with the exhaust and panhard interfering with each other.

 

[Diesel 80]

I really should be more active on the forum.... almost missed this. We are dealers for Magnaflow among many other exhaust manufacturers. I just checked into part#'s 23120 & 23622. Due to MAP guidelines, I can't post prices but will be more then happy to verbally give members their cost on these items.

Cheers,
Brian
(951) 766-6000

 

[Diesel 80]

CARB LEGAL Part#'s REAR 447217 FRONT # 447103.

 

[NavyDoc]

OLD THREAD BUMP!

I need some expert advice. My 94 is getting a new HG right now. Looks like the cats are done due to the coolant being burned up in the exhaust and rusting EVERYTHING. So I need to replace basically everything past the exhaust manifold. I ordered a muffler and tail pipe from Bosal (I know the quality isnt the best). The OEM section of exhaust between the cats and the muffler looks fine. My question is if I order this Magnaflow kit, can I make it easily work with my exhaust set up. My understanding is that the OBD II 80s had the Y pipe before the cats while the OBD I 4.5Ls had the Y pipe after. I was thinking about just having my old Y pipe cut out and an exhaust shop weld up a flange/exhaust piece between it and the 2nd magnaflow cat. But then Im not sure what to do about the O2 sensors. I was thinking I could either remove the PAIR system and put the O2 sensors there (I saw a thread about this). Am I creating more work for myself or is this the best way to fix the exhaust without spending a ton of cash on it? I tried the salvage yard route, but I wasnt able to find what I needed.

Also, I dont need to pass emissions, but I would prefer to not be throwing codes.

 

[PDoyle]

If you plan to keep the truck it is always better get OEM. How many miles are on it now?

 

[NavyDoc]

If you plan to keep the truck it is always better get OEM. How many miles are on it now?

I do plan on keeping the truck. 220k. Im putting a new HG plus all of the other stuff that was recommended in this thread: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ev...y-80s-build-thread.711362/page-3#post-8385780

 

[PDoyle]

I do plan on keeping the truck. 220k. Im putting a new HG plus all of the other stuff that was recommended in this thread: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ev...y-80s-build-thread.711362/page-3#post-8385780

Ok, thats cool. I see the gaskets for the exhaust. Don't see the PHH hose replacement though.
To do it correct you want new exhaust manafolds with gaskets a new y pipe (1 cat is included.). Forget the idea of no inspection. What if you move? Doing it correct will get you no warning lights on the dash for a long time. What about a new radiator?

 

[NavyDoc]

Ok, thats cool. I see the gaskets for the exhaust. Don't see the PHH hose replacement though.
To do it correct you want new exhaust manafolds with gaskets a new y pipe (1 cat is included.). Forget the idea of no inspection. What if you move? Doing it correct will get you no warning lights on the dash for a long time. What about a new radiator?

I bypassed the rear heater- that was the first thing I did when I was trying to figure out why it was loosing so much coolant (which led to me figuring out the HG was blown). Im military, so I can keep the vehicle registered at my home of record, so no worries about inspection.

It has a new radiator- the PO did it.

I thought the only difference in the manifolds between the 93-94 and the 95-97 was the bungs for the PAIR system...is that incorrect?

 

[Kuneefay]

I do plan on keeping the truck. 220k. Im putting a new HG plus all of the other stuff that was recommended in this thread: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ev...y-80s-build-thread.711362/page-3#post-8385780

Think about finding a good exhaust shop that can custom make you a stainless steel exhaust. Had about 8' of 3" stainless manderal bent and cat installed inline for my excursion for $550. You can save alot of money rather than going oem and get better flow by running a high flow cat.

 

[PDoyle]

Think about finding a good exhaust shop that can custom make you a stainless steel exhaust. Had about 8' of 3" stainless manderal bent and cat installed inline for my excursion for $550. You can save alot of money rather than going oem and get better flow by running a high flow cat.

Get better flow? Whats flow?

 

[PDoyle]

It has a new radiator- the PO did it.

I thought the only difference in the manifolds between the 93-94 and the 95-97 was the bungs for the PAIR system...is that incorrect?[/QUOTE]
Not sure of that, but they come with crush washers. Use once and need new ones. Crush washers are on all the OEM exhaust components, meaning tight tolerances.

 

[iptman]

There are no exhaust shops in the DC area that mandrel bend SS or mild steel for that matter. There are a couple who use SS but it's all prebent. I went with 2.5 inch 14 gauge press bent from the Magnaflow y pipe back and am very happy with the results. I went up over the frame as well.

 

[NavyDoc]

There are no exhaust shops in the DC area that mandrel bend SS or mild steel for that matter. There are a couple who use SS but it's all prebent. I went with 2.5 inch 14 gauge press bent from the Magnaflow y pipe back and am very happy with the results. I went up over the frame as well.

Will I have any issues doing what you said with the magnaflow y pipe on my 1994?

 

[iptman]

Not sure since the 94 is OBDI. I got the extra O2 sensor flange from Slee and had Murphy's in Warrenton do the exhaust from behind the y pipe. If all you need is the 1 O2 sensor before the cat then you should e fine. I put on the y pipe myself then drove from Fairfax to Warrenton with straight pipes.

 

[Heckraiser]

I installed the Magnaflow y-pipe and 2nd cat a few months ago and fit was dead-on perfect. All the welds looked fine, no workmanship issues to report. Knocked my emissions back into the happy polar bear zone. I guess 300k is about all the stock cats were good for