I'm halfway through my Miltek install and I'm stuck trying to get the four rubber grommets off that hold up the back portion of the exhaust. Those nubs on the end are making it a major PITA. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get them off? Thanks.

 

it took me a large amount of force, as well you have to get part of the rubber grommet over the hangers lip. a flat screwdriver might help you work it over the edge of the hanger. But, be careful not to tear or destroy the hanger with the screwdriver. With this car, something tells me you'll be waiting a week or so to get a new one.

 

Try a little WD-40 or other similar spray lube, that with a little elbow grease and a something to pry with is how I did mine.

 

Actually try a lot of WD40. lol. The first time I removed those pieces, I tore them. I ended up cutting off the stock hangers and slipping them off to preserve the pieces. The second and third times, I lubed them with WD-40 and carefully worked them out. It will work, with a lot of patience.

 

Thanks. I finally got them all off. Lots of WD-40 and channel lock pliers applied in the correct position did the trick. Once I got the first one off, the others went much quicker (BTDT factor). Now it's time to get to the hardware store and buy some washers to space the Miltek down a little. I'll probably finish it up tomorrow...it's getting cold out there.

 

Well I couldn't wait. I did a test fit of the back piece tonight. I used nuts to space the outer hangers down but there wasn't anything to do for the inner hangers. The tailpipes are very close to the plastic so I'm going to take it down tomorrow and use the AutoZone replacement grommets. I didn't want to use them since they are about 1/4" too skinny and I was afraid that they would move around when installed. I'll have to risk it.

Also, I have a couple questions. First, the Miltek came with two gaskets. Am I supposed to use one of them for the connection between the header and the resonator or should I use the stock gasket for that? Also, what joints should I use the paste on? Thanks.

 

Better then wd40 is dish soap.

 

Well it's done. I ended up using those AutoZone grommets and they spaced it down perfectly. I didn't use any washers or nuts as spacers under the mounts. I have an '02 so I could only space the outer mounts anyway. I was a little worried as I was tightening everything up but it pulled everything perfectly straight. After a warm-up and spirited run, the tips pulled about 1/2" to the right. I'll have to mess around with it. I've heard of using hose clamps to set it straight. How exactly do you do this? All the mounts are front-to-back, there's no side-to-side adjustability besides the rubber mounts swinging.

Anyway, it sounds great! Nice low tone and definitely not ricer. When driving normally, you can barely differentiate the volume difference from stock. Once you get on it, it comes to life. It pairs very well with my Webb Sportbox.

 

Your side to side issue may be the way the center pipe is clamped together. Rotating the two pipe halves clockwise/counterclockwise may help you get it centered.

 

I don't think that's the problem. The rear section is bolted to that center pipe. Rotating the center pipe would also rotate the rear section. My tips are level and even vertically.

Also, they were dead even horizontally before I started it up for the first time. It moved due to heat and/or vibration.

 

Yeah, that's my point. If the pipe is not vertical, it may be causing the side to side problem. Oh well, good luck. Let us know what you figure out.

Oh, and enjoy the exhaust!

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I still need to crawl under there and try a couple things. I've been too busy having fun driving . Over on MINI2, one of the GT Tuning guys in the UK talked about using jubilee clips (hose clamps) to prevent the rubber mounts from swinging freely. I PM'd him about the exact procedure. I'll also check how that center pipe is sitting. Maybe it can be tweaked a little.