Toyota Corolla DIY

2003 Corolla S

INSTALLATION EXPERIENCE:

My car and exhaust pipe were a little warm because I had driven it around before I was getting ready to start. So…

1) You MUST be on a flat surface. DO NOT attempt this is on an uneven pavement. It will cause profuse bleeding and possible dismemberment. Common place to do it is in your garage.

2) Wait for the vehicle to cool down. This is extremely important not only because the pipes are hot, but because the nuts will contract and expand with heat and cold, and may twist or warp if they are still hot.

3) Jack up the car from the rear and support with jackstands. You will mostly likely have to jack up the car VERY high because there is only one place where regular sized jackstands will fit, and that is the bar that runs from wheel-to-wheel. If you don’t have a jack with jackstands, go buy some. A complete set will run you $30-$45, and you can reuse it when it comes time to do oil changes and stuff. (I will post pictures of the jacking point and jackstands point as well, since some people confuse the spare tire area as the jacking point.)

4) Get some WD-40 or other greasing agent and spray it over the nuts and coil that attach the stock muffler to exhaust piping. Wait for the grease to work for about 5 minutes.

5) The nuts are 14mm Hex if I remember correctly. Get yourself a socket wrench, attach the head, and get those nuts off. If you are standing in back of the car, facing the rear end, then the direction to loosen the nut would be counter-clockwise.

6) Once the two nuts are released, the “coil” thingie (don’t know what the actual name of this piece is) will slip off and the exhaust and muffler will be separated. There is a gasket between these two pieces. Leave the gasket as you will need to reuse it.

7) Now for the fun part. The stock muffler is hanging at two points on rubber hangers. If you are absolutely sure that you will never need your stock muffler again, then cut the metal flangs that are attached to the metal hanger. Then pull the two pieces apart (once again, I will post pictures when I can). If for any reason, you have problems with Smog Checks, you may want to put the stock muffler back on. So, make a decision.
If you have chosen to keep your stock muffler intact, then what you need to do is get a flathead screwdriver (preferrably a long, thick head as it will be easier), and use it to pry the fetal flangs out of the hole on the rubber hanger. This will require significant force. (I will post pictures of the best place to stick the screwdriver when you do this) Try not to damage/cut the rubber because over time, the cut will slowly become larger. This step is also best done with someone to help you hold the stock muffler.

9) When the muffler has been released from both rubber hangers, you are free to take it out from your car completely. Set it aside and prepare to mount the new one. Once again, it is easier if someone can help you hold the muffler.

10) Reverse the steps this time. Get the new muffler onto the rubber hangers first. This requires nothing more than stock the nipple on the flang, into the hole on the rubber hanger, and pushing it with force until it slides on through. It’s like being in a tight pus… well… ya know. You eventually make it…

11) Once the muffler is secured on the hangers, realign it with the exhaust pipe. Slide the coil back through and hand tighten the nuts. Then get a torque wrench and set it for 30 ft-lbs and tighten. Actually, since there’s no manual, and I don’t have the service manual either, I had to guess on the torque. Since my strut bar had 12mm nuts and required only 29 ft-lbs torque, I figured that the ones here on the exhaust probably wouldn’t be much different. If you don’t have access to a torque wrench, you can do it by hand, although you will probably overtorque slightly (it’s okay to overtorque a little). If you are going by hand with a regular socket wrench, then tighten until it’s stiff. Then give the handle of your socket wrench a hard bump with your fist. This should get roughly the amount of torque you need.

12) Remove the jackstands and lower your vehicle back down. Fire up the engine.

13) Check for leakage at the connecting point b/t the new muffler and exhaust piping. Get your helper friend to rev the engine to around 5000rpm for you. Put your hand near the connecting point (but don’t touch the pipe!) and feel for any hot gas release. Do this a few times around that point to ensure that there is nothing extra escaping out of that point. (On my installation, the 30 ft-lbs torque was enough to keep the two pipes securely joined together, with no leakage.)

14) If everything checks out, then you’re good to go. Enjoy your extra 3 peak hp!!!

EDIT: Just if anyone was curious, the stock piping I measured to be about 1.78″. The new muffler tip is about 3-3/8″.

KingKuei