Removing head - exhaust question

[rbtconsultants]

I'm getting ready to remove the heads on my 2002 3.7l. It is my understanding you can remove the heads with the exhaust manifold still bolted on. So, question:

Can I leave the mini-cat attached also? It would appear MUCH easier to just disconnect the mini-cat from the y-pipe and pull the whole thing up. It looks damn near impossible to get a wrench up there on that v-clamp between the mini-cat and the manifold, and the clamps are 40 bucks apiece to replace, and worse it looks to me like someone has been there before and rounded the v-clamp nut. I'm thinking I could just cut the v-clamp off with a dremel before I try to get that nut off the t-bolt, but then it looks just as hard to put a new clamp on, cost aside.

It almost looks like it would be easier to unbolt the exhaust manifold and pull just the head, leave the manifold sitting there.

It really looks like there is room for that mini-cat to come up and out with the head and manifold. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks,

Bob

 

[ltd02]

You could try. Not sure since when I pulled my heads last year I used a stubby 10mm ratcheting wrench and got the V-clamps off. The nuts do appear rounded may just be an illusion.

 

[rbtconsultants]

Just to follow up, yes you can remove the head with the mini-cat attached. At least on the driver side, although there is more room on the passenger side because there isn't a steering shaft there so I don't expect any problems. I'll be removing the passenger side this week.

So that was much easier and cheaper than removing the v-clamp. I just cut the spring bolts on the cat to y-pipe, using a Sawzall. I ordered new spring bolts on amazon to put things back together.

One caveat. There are two o2 sensors on the mini cat pipe. When you pull the head off and the mini-cat comes up you get hung up by the sensor wires. The sensors were hard to get to for removal and the head was in an awkward position so I gave up quickly trying to remove the sensors and I was struggling with the connectors so I said screw it and cut the sensor wires. Now I can remove the sensors from the pipe out of the car, and solder in longer wires to give me more slack when I put the head back in.

Hope that is helpful for someone.

Bob