I finally bought the y-pipe after many months of my car sitting b/c of the damn plastic crossover leaking (I think). Well I didn't think this install would be that difficult but it is a son of a b!tch. First it seems like I have everything off of the motor to start. Second, I couldn't get the old y-pipe to seperate (o ring connection) for the longest time (very tight). I got that finally and then had problems getting the old y-pipe out (too close of quarters). Once I got through that I got the new y-pipe in and now I am trying to reattach it to the rear section (o ring connection) but this is harder than taking it apart. So that is where I am stuck now. It wears me out so much I have to take a break for a day or so just to get the strength to try again. I am hoping that this will be the last major hiccup. It looks like after this it will be all putting it back together. Any ideas on making this thing easier.....sheesh.

 

If room is an issue, i would take out air pump, then install it again. CJ

 

It is not hard to remove a "Y" pipe if you know the correct
sequence of parts removeal. It is a must to remove: the air filter system, "Y" pipe to IC pipe, and rear turbo air inlet pipe, and air pump first. Piece of cake after that.

 

Well i have got everything done so far without removing the air pump and it is not a factor right now. It was in the way a few times but I have worked around it. Getting the y-pipe back together at the o-ring connection is where I am stuck now. Maybe I need to go back to the gym to beef up some more.

 

Man... I hope it's not THAT bad lol... mine is comming in this week. I'll have to give ya a holler and have you show me where you got hung up so I don't fight w/ it forever lol.

 

Yeah, I can let you know of the problems I had b4 you start. Everything is just old and been on awhile making it tough to do. I will be glad when it is finally done, if I ever get it done.

 

mr_jonboy,
Are you trying to connect the y-pipe together with the other half still bolted to the secondary turbo? That would definitely make it much harder.

 

No everything is unbolted from the turbos, but all the hoses are still attached to it. Didn't want to unattach those b/c there are so many. I am trying to twist and push the damn thing back together but it just keeps coming back apart. I know that once I get it it is going to be tight like it was when I took the factory y-pipe off.

 

try some oil or grease in there. Weird, mine seems loose in comparison to yours. What o-ring are you using the one that came with it, or the stock one?

 

I put grease on it first and then tryed some wd-40. it makes it more slippery but I still can't ultimately get the thing to snap together. At first I used the new o-ring until I split it in half the first time I tryed to put it together. So i took the old o-ring(still looked good) cleanded it off and now am trying that one. Either way it is a bitch. thanks for the support, I just wandered if anyone else had had these problems.

 

it doesnt really snap together. It just sets in there. There is no "snap" or "click" to hear. Good luck.

 

but it does go together enough to not wiggle out , right? I have got it on there to where it seems like it is ok but can easily be wiggled apart. When I was taking the old one off, it would just barely turn. There is no way it would just wiggle apart. That is why I believe I am not getting it together correctly. Am I correct here?

 

I'm not sure about the efini y-pipe, but when I remove/reinstall my stock y-pipe I always have the 2 halves together before putting it on. It usually takes me about 20min to get it bolted on. Btw, I never found the "area" to be too tight to get it in or out. It seems to go through just right. Good luck, and be patient.

 

Leaving the control hoses attached is a BIG problem. You just lube the "O" ring with grease or oil and the same for the female end. Then push him
straight in with a little rotation. Never had any problems on the many I have done. Maybe you have a wrong size "O" ring.

 

You really dont have a choice as to how far it sits in. Your turbos are a set distance apart, theres no changing that. So all you have to do is make sure the two halves of the y-pipe line up to the turbos together.

 

Well I know the o-ring is correct and Rob's site says that all of the hoses dont' need to be taken off. i will grease the thing up one more time and also grease the female end and try this thing again tonight. But like I said , it goes in but just seems to not be all the way b/c it doesn't take much to pull it apart again unlike the original that was a pain in the @ss to get apart.

 

Well it looks like I got it together last night. I just pushed the two pieces together as far as I could and then bolted it down. Bolted they shouldn't go anywhere and should be a set distance apart, hopefully. I also changed out my o2 sensor since I didnt' do that when I put on my DP. I almost have the whole thing back together now and it should be on the streets by this weekend. Let's hope it runs right now. Thanks for all the help.

 

Congrats!
I'm about to leave work (had to get somthing done and get my digi cam) and head home to wait for fedex to deleiver my fluidyne rad! Tracking number says it arove last night and will be at my house today! [plug] I bought it friday from absoluteradiator.com and it's going to be here today! Great price... fast shipping! [/plug] Maybe I'll fix the GSL-SE's idle prob while I have the day off lol

Drive safe!

 

Yeah , i remember when i was working on my radiator (it got a cracked tank). hell, I might as well have pulled the motor i had to take so much crap out of there. It is definitely a Pain. Good Luck though.

 

I was just about to order the y-pipe to complete the "polished aluminum look" under the hood with the rest of my intake pipes. After reading about this ordeal, I'm not sure I want to!

 

Well I needed to get it in my case b/c of my plastic crossover busting. It looks like other people haven't had that much problems with theirs. I have it on now, it is just a pain to get some parts off the car that have been attached awhile especially in those high heat areas like the turbos. I would say go ahead and get it, it supposedly adds some HP and definitely more reliability on top of that. To get the polished look you are going to have to do that yourself though b/c it comes unfinished casting.

 

This may be a stupid question but why do people instal a Y pipe. Is it just cause the old one cracks?

 

Woooohooo, it seemed to fix it. There seemed to be no more boost varying at the higher rpms. I was getting a boost fluctuation right at the point when the second turbo kicked in and my boost controller was going crazy trying to fight it. Last night the test drive seemed to tell me that at 4500 and beyond it can go again.



and to answer your question, people buy the y-pipe for different reasons. I bought mine b/c I heard from a good source that my problem sounded like a busted stock crossover piece. Sure enough I found that it had slight hairline cracks in it. So that was my reason for buying it. Other people buy it b/c it is more of a reliable piece being all metal instead of plastic and rubber, like the stock piece. And still others buy it b/c it looks better under the hood, or b/c Mazda claims that it adds 10 to 15 hp b/c of better airflow. Any of the reasons are good enough to purchase it.