My son's 1997 Corolla with 1.6L 4A-FE engine has ~100K on the clock.
Factory Exhaust Manifold is cracked and the previous Owner removed the Cat Converter. He then replaced the Cat with a welded pipe section and therefore disconnected the rear O2 sensor. Wires are loose.
Two Questions:
1. From an operating standpoint, will the missing rear O2 sensor cause the engine to run rich or lean? It doesn't seem to affect much, other than a continuous OBD code? Frankly, I can't tell even looking at the spark plugs.
2. The balance of the exhaust system is basically toast due to rust. To replace the cracked manifold, he's considering a header. Any suggestions on "mild" upgrades for same (brands & suppliers). He's NOT going the turbo & NOX level of upgrades, just some mild HP gains and a slight growl in sound. His "budget" is on the skinny side. I'm familiar with V8 muscle-car hot-rodding, but I'm out of my element with the 4-cyl world as far as manufacturers are concerned. To stay legal, a new Cat Converter will need to be part of the mix,; Yes/No? I'm in Illinois.
The o2 sensor for the catalytic converter only controls the car's emissions, and doesn't affect it in terms of the air/fuel ratio. I did a quick search on Google and apparently it is illegal to remove your catalytic converter in Illinois, so your son would have to get a replacement one. You can buy them off eBay for a good price. If your son is after performance, then I'd recommend he goes for a high flow cat. You can also get the headers and cat-back exhaust from eBay too, all for a very good price. There are two types of headers on eBay - The 1.6L version with the screw-in type o2 sensor, or the 1.8L version with the flange-type o2 sensor. It's important that you check which sensor type your son's Corolla has, as some 1.6L engines have been known to have a screw-in type sensor. If you tell me which one he has, I'll provide you with some links.
Since he'd be upgrading to a header, high flow cat and larger exhaust piping, all that's left is to upgrade the muffler. If he wants a slight growl without drawing too much attention to himself then I'd recommend that he goes for a baffled type muffler, such as Magnaflow, Dynomax or Flowmaster. If he goes for a canon type the it will be very loud. Resonators make a big difference to the exhaust note and sound too. I spent a bit of money playing around with resonators recently when I installed my exhaust. In the end I finally got the sound I was after, with no droning or raspiness. Bear in mind that the catalytic converter basically acts as one large resonator anyway, so this should help things to keep quiet. After all is said and done, the car should perform better, but the difference won't be mind-blowing. In saying that, it's still a very worthwhile upgrade, and definitely better than replacing the parts with OEM equivalents
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Thx for the quik reply. He was actually looking on e-bay at a Stainless Steel header that was <$100. I was surprised it wasn't a lot more expensive considering it was stainless. Other than factory-applied ceramic coatings, I've never had good luck with ANY high-temp paint product applied to steel headers, even if it is baked on properly. Since traditional steel headers have a tendency to rust through in a few years, I'd prefer stainless if it doesn't break-the-bank. Did you have any significant problems installing a header (temporarily need to remove anything, loosten motor mounts, etc.?
I'm familiar with Magnaflow and Flowmaster but didn't know they got into Imports. I love the growl of Flowmaster 44's with headers on V-8's.
I'm sure performance-boost with only a header-swap will be very modest at best, but it certainly will breathe better. Frankly, he's looking more at the "ooh" factor and "modified" sound than true performance improvements. Without other significant (and expensive) engine mods (turbo, NOX, etc) it certainly ain't gonna be no tire-burner.
Thx for the quik reply. He was actually looking on e-bay at a Stainless Steel header that was <$100. I was surprised it wasn't a lot more expensive considering it was stainless. Other than factory-applied ceramic coatings, I've never had good luck with ANY high-temp paint product applied to steel headers, even if it is baked on properly. Since traditional steel headers have a tendency to rust through in a few years, I'd prefer stainless if it doesn't break-the-bank. Did you have any significant problems installing a header (temporarily need to remove anything, loosten motor mounts, etc.?
I'm familiar with Magnaflow and Flowmaster but didn't know they got into Imports. I love the growl of Flowmaster 44's with headers on V-8's.
I'm sure performance-boost with only a header-swap will be very modest at best, but it certainly will breathe better. Frankly, he's looking more at the "ooh" factor and "modified" sound than true performance improvements. Without other significant (and expensive) engine mods (turbo, NOX, etc) it certainly ain't gonna be no tire-burner.
No problem. Yeah the eBay header is extremely cheap. A lot of people have used them on these forums with great success. I know what you mean about the ceramic coating. Mine was done professionally a number of years ago and it's starting to flake off. It lasted quite a while though, but at least you wouldn't have to worry about that with stainless. The downside to the stainless header is that it'll make your engine bay hotter unless you wrap it, but since your son is going for looks over performance then this shouldn't be an issue.
Yeah Magnaflow and Flowmaster both make mufflers for imports. The '60 series Delta Flow' muffler from Flowmaster would be a good choice as it's nice and quiet. You can check it out on their site, including a video of what it sounds like, by clicking here. I've got a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler on mine (don't be fooled by the name, you can use it on anything) and it's nice and quiet, yet still loud enough to hear when you put your foot down. You can view the range of Dynomax mufflers by clicking here.
I had no problems installing my header. I removed the cat at the same time as it's not a legal requirement in this country so there was a bit of extra work involved in welding in a resonator, but generally speaking it should just be a matter of bolting everything in place.
There's actually a DIY on how to install the header and cat converter, and a member also took photos of their install the other week. Here's the links:
Hopefully Final Questions; You've offered a lot of help:
I'm not intimately familiar with the Corolla Engine numbering.
His car is a '97 1.6L DOHC 4A-FE engine (as I understand it).
I'm seeing a number of e-bay headers listed for the 1.8L. Are the blocks & heads the same or do I need to need to look for a header specific to the 1.6L. I even did an ebay search for 1.6L and 4A-FE and the one of the hits took me to a sweet looking header by JVT; but the literature noted 1.8L not 1.6L. What will fit what . . . without a lot of re-work and interference? I've put some headers on late 1960's muscle-cars that were a pain in the behind to get installed because of interferences, clearances etc. I've also seen posts on this forum that weren't very favorable with Pacesetter headers on Corolla's. Any Opinions or Comments? As I noted in an earlier post, I'd like to stay with stainless to reduce rust-thru issues. We get a lot of winter road-salt in Illinois.
Kiwi,
After I sent my last message, I re-read your first reply. I entirely missed your offer to point out some good component choices. My son is at work at the momemt so I might not be able to check the style of O2 mounting until early tomorrow. I'll get back to you then. Your responses might eliminate my confustion on the header choices on e-bay.
I also checked out some of the links on your car as well as the mods you've done. It's a good thing you are 12,000 miles from Illinois because my son would be drooling over your version of his car (also white). VERY sweet work.
ebay header, stock cat, no muffler. got loud cruising around 3000-3500rpm but otherwise was not too bad. same setup with a muffler and not going larger than 2" piping would be fine. its a small engine, large piping actually hurts power output!
Hopefully Final Questions; You've offered a lot of help:
I'm not intimately familiar with the Corolla Engine numbering.
His car is a '97 1.6L DOHC 4A-FE engine (as I understand it).
I'm seeing a number of e-bay headers listed for the 1.8L. Are the blocks & heads the same or do I need to need to look for a header specific to the 1.6L. I even did an ebay search for 1.6L and 4A-FE and the one of the hits took me to a sweet looking header by JVT; but the literature noted 1.8L not 1.6L. What will fit what . . . without a lot of re-work and interference? I've put some headers on late 1960's muscle-cars that were a pain in the behind to get installed because of interferences, clearances etc. I've also seen posts on this forum that weren't very favorable with Pacesetter headers on Corolla's. Any Opinions or Comments? As I noted in an earlier post, I'd like to stay with stainless to reduce rust-thru issues. We get a lot of winter road-salt in Illinois.
Quote:
Originally Posted by engineerguy3809
Kiwi,
After I sent my last message, I re-read your first reply. I entirely missed your offer to point out some good component choices. My son is at work at the momemt so I might not be able to check the style of O2 mounting until early tomorrow. I'll get back to you then. Your responses might eliminate my confustion on the header choices on e-bay.
I also checked out some of the links on your car as well as the mods you've done. It's a good thing you are 12,000 miles from Illinois because my son would be drooling over your version of his car (also white). VERY sweet work.
Yeah the fitment of the 1.6L 4A-FE and 1.8L header is exactly the same, except the o2 sensor has a different style of mounting (screw-in vs. bolt-on flange type). As you would have noticed, the majority of the ones on eBay are the 1.8L flange type, but there are a couple of screw-in types out there, such as the JVT one you mentioned
Quote:
Originally Posted by engineerguy3809
I also checked out some of the links on your car as well as the mods you've done. It's a good thing you are 12,000 miles from Illinois because my son would be drooling over your version of his car (also white). VERY sweet work.
Thanks! It's still very much a work in progress, but it has come quite some way since I bought it. The exhaust set-up comprises of a mild steel ceramic coated header (4-2-1), 10" long (4" wide) resonator, 8" long (2" wide) resonator, 2" exhaust piping and a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler on the end with a 3" chrome tip welded on.
Here's a video of the way it sounds. You may have to turn it up a little as the microphone wasn't right up close. Feel free to check out the two previous videos I made when I was experiencing with different resonators. The exhaust tone difference is quite interesting:
EDIT: Oh and don't worry about the smoke in the video. That was just the crap burning off inside the brand new muffler.
OK, his existing 4A-FE 1.6L has the front O2 in the down-pipe directly below the (cracked) OEM cast-iron manifold. It is screwed into a bung on the pipe and faces the front of the car (towards the radiator). Does that help to identify what series header would fit? Any suggestions for an ebay supplier for a S/S unit? Additional info (if it's useful): the tranny is an Auto, it also has power steering and A/C. Any assistance you might be able to offer is greatly appreciated, especially since you've been down this road yourself and obviously been on this forum a while.
I have a question on a couple of the pictures of your original engine. On the right side of the engine bay (driver's side in your case) there is (was) something black between the front of the timing belt cover and the inner fender-well. It almost looks like a thru-bearing and shaft of some sort. Although everything else on the engine looks similar, there is nothing on the US Corolla at this location. What was the black device? Does this have something to do with the RH drive? I can't tell from the angle of the picture how far it extends into the engine compartment. It didn't extend all the way over to the timing cover, did it???
OK, his existing 4A-FE 1.6L has the front O2 in the down-pipe directly below the (cracked) OEM cast-iron manifold. It is screwed into a bung on the pipe and faces the front of the car (towards the radiator). Does that help to identify what series header would fit? Any suggestions for an ebay supplier for a S/S unit? Additional info (if it's useful): the tranny is an Auto, it also has power steering and A/C. Any assistance you might be able to offer is greatly appreciated, especially since you've been down this road yourself and obviously been on this forum a while.
I have a question on a couple of the pictures of your original engine. On the right side of the engine bay (driver's side in your case) there is (was) something black between the front of the timing belt cover and the inner fender-well. It almost looks like a thru-bearing and shaft of some sort. Although everything else on the engine looks similar, there is nothing on the US Corolla at this location. What was the black device? Does this have something to do with the RH drive? I can't tell from the angle of the picture how far it extends into the engine compartment. It didn't extend all the way over to the timing cover, did it???
Ok cool. In that case, theJVT stainless header would be the best choice . The oxygen sensor would sit a little higher than it does now, but the wiring shouldn't need to be lengthened at all.
As for the black object on the driver's side of my car, the only thing I can think of would be the engine mount, located between the windscreen washer bottle and strut tower. If that's not what you mean let me know. There are photos of the engine from different angles on my CarDomain page if you'd like to get a better look.
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Kiwi,
Regarding your picture, yes it's the front engine mount. I was commenting from memory. When I looked again at our car it's the same. Chaulk it up to old age.
Back to my original post. We ordered the JVT S/S unit and it arrived yesterday. I must say, I'm impressed. Mechanically, the unit is VERY well made. The mounting flange @ the head is much thicker than I'm used to seeing on headers. Hopefully, it will install as easy as it looks like it will. As is always the case with exhaust mainifolds & headers, I'm concerned about getting the existing cast-iron manifold off without busting off a bolt. Those are usually the worst bolts on a car to remove without breaking. However, I'm armed with my PB Blaster and we'll take it slow and easy. I've also ordered a replacement Magneflow Cat (previous owner removed it and welded a by-pass pipe) and a new Flowmaster Delta 50. I found a Mom & Pop muffler shop locally that's willing to do the install with parts I furnish and weld up what fabrication is necessary. Will advise as we go. Thanks for the JVT suggestion. Incredible buy @ $80 US; especially since it's a Stainless Steel unit.
Kiwi,
Regarding your picture, yes it's the front engine mount. I was commenting from memory. When I looked again at our car it's the same. Chaulk it up to old age.
Back to my original post. We ordered the JVT S/S unit and it arrived yesterday. I must say, I'm impressed. Mechanically, the unit is VERY well made. The mounting flange @ the head is much thicker than I'm used to seeing on headers. Hopefully, it will install as easy as it looks like it will. As is always the case with exhaust mainifolds & headers, I'm concerned about getting the existing cast-iron manifold off without busting off a bolt. Those are usually the worst bolts on a car to remove without breaking. However, I'm armed with my PB Blaster and we'll take it slow and easy. I've also ordered a replacement Magneflow Cat (previous owner removed it and welded a by-pass pipe) and a new Flowmaster Delta 50. I found a Mom & Pop muffler shop locally that's willing to do the install with parts I furnish and weld up what fabrication is necessary. Will advise as we go. Thanks for the JVT suggestion. Incredible buy @ $80 US; especially since it's a Stainless Steel unit.
Good luck with your install. Yeah PB blaster will help to loosen those bolts. I just finished installing my headers today. Few things to watch out for are.
1. O2 sensor on 1.6L will be really tight fit to line. Check pic below.
2. The bottom pipe will need a custom bracket. I decided to just quickly weld it.
Surprisingly, the old cracked manifold came off without breaking any bolts (or knuckles). PB Blaster assisted. Header went on without much fuss. I picked up a Flowmaster Delta 50 and a a new Cat (to stay legal) on Internet. I did take it to a local muffler shop do the pipe-install between the header & rear bumper. Sounds mellow, as it should. Only outstanding issue is the front O2 sensor. The bung in the header is just in the wrong spot to re-insert old sensor without hitting an A/C compressor refrigerent line. Rather than just forcing a new bend in it myself (and likely kinking or busting it) I'm going to take it to an A/C shop and have them sweep-bend it out of the way. Luckly, Toyota changed to R-134a by this model year so I don't need to mess with R-12 issues ($$$$$$). For the moment, I just left the plug that came with the header in the O2 bung.
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1993 Toyota Corolla
Thanks! It's still very much a work in progress, but it has come quite some way since I bought it. The exhaust set-up comprises of a mild steel ceramic coated header (4-2-1), 10" long (4" wide) resonator, 8" long (2" wide) resonator, 2" exhaust piping and a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler on the end with a 3" chrome tip welded on.
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