hello what's better- the braided type or the full metal type? i got now a braided one from GSF and the exhaust blows, i don't know if it's from there. thx
the metal one is a right git to fit unless you remove the manifold, and if you were doing that i would bin the whole rubish system and go for a gti 6 bolt manifold and system instead. i bought a kit from vw and there was no way the sealign ring was goign to fit without some persuasion with a hammer, and there was no way the manifold was coming off easily so i just packed the old thing out with loads of sealing paste and left it. few months down the line when i came to fit my gti system i was right about the manifold as one of the studs had rusted away to a small lump of metal so head had to come off so it could be drilled out and re-tapped
I replaced the wire one with a metal one, stopped the blowing. Only tricky bit was getting the clips back on...
1. remove manifold and downpipe 2. post picture on forum of you giving them the middle finger 3. fit gti 6 bolt manifold and downpipe 4. fit gti 8v system if you have a 1.6 5. ???? 6. PROFFIT!!
i've had a gti system before and it was also blowing badly, no matter what was done. it was the biggest mistake because so much money went to the drain trying to solve the bloody noise. the exhaust i got now was taken from a s/h 1.6 and once i installed it with a new GSF sealing ring i couldn't stop laughing at how silent the car was for the first time, and car felt better than with the gti system. but soon the blowing started again this week i let the engine sip a little atf and saw the smoke clearly coming from the manifold to downpipe joint and from between the 2 manifolds, so possibly the exhauts manifold got cracked now too. is there a decent sealing ring that works? it's absourd that every mk2 i see passing in the street sounds sweet.
Can I just mention the quality of the C-clips might effect things, I have this down pipe, sealing ring and Febi-bilstein C-clips ready as spare for my Mk2 Scirocco GT2. I think the quality of C-clips and corrosion can influence a poor seal. Not looking forward to this job now. I know I might have to do this soon and will be adding a heat shield because the steering boot has perished from a lack of protection (no doubt a garage flinging it away) This may be different from a Driver?
That's a good point actually MacColl. Did you use new C-clips erantomer, or re-use the old ones? 'Cos I do now remember a bit of a struggle, even with the proper tool. I initially refitted the old clips, 'cos they went on relatively easily, then with everything pulled up nicely into position by them, took them off one at a time replacing with the new ones that came in the head kit. Scary amounts of energy stored in them when they're stretched out wide!
the clamps i got with the kit had a smaller gap so after i fitted one i could absolutely not fit the other, so i had to re-use the old original ones, but they seem tight. where did you buy them?
I think this may be the problem. I remember thinking the same about the new clips, but they did go on with that two-stage procedure. The metal of that sealing ring is very soft, so maybe it has to actually deform a bit under the compression of the tighter clamps to seal effectively. Would have been much easier I think if I hadn't bolted the inlet mani onto the head as well as the exhaust before attaching the head and then this stuff. lol
These clips were just a random purchase on Ebay, new old stock kind of affair. This was a good few months ago. I think I recall reading a threat about the GSF ones being poor in terms of lack of tension but don't quote me on that. Just found this..? http://www.vwheritage.com/vw_spares...ntry_GB.htm?crumbStartPage=2&crumbStartRow=14
the metal ring wasn't so hard to fit with the manifold on, but now i'm stuck as it won't come out. you can hardly hammer it with a screwdriver only in one side. what to do? will a torch help here? or is it a manifold out job?
