Ilovemountains

Finally!!!!!! I was able to get my 88 out for the first time with the new DT 3.0 headers installed. First of all the instructions are terrible for those of us installing them on an automatic vehicle! I was able to route the kick down cable up the firewall with some zip ties but some further info would be great... The transfer case cooler... thats another story! The directions say move it rearward... Nice, where? Luckily I was able to get some assistance on YT and relocated it about 2 feet back, by the gas tank!! The headers are noisy in my opinion, I had an exhaust leak on my stock set up, so I thought nows the time to invest in headers, well they dont tell you that they are loud and " Tinny " sounding.... Also the slip joints with regular clamps are garbage, Im going to have to have some of the joints brazed, or try some band clamps, I tried to slowly clamp them down with it running to eliminate leaks with no luck, I made one worse by distorting it by over tightening it. Also there is no way to tighten the crush sleeves on the supplied AGR and reed valve tubes without a set of crows feet sockets, Im a pretty strong guy and with a regular wrench I could not get an angle on them to make them crush enough to tighten up, they actually pulled out, that was another $50 at Sears!!! As far as a performance difference, to be 100% honest I cant feel one, I feel like I wasted a day and a half and $600 and Im running a Magna Flow cat, Borla cat back and a full K&N FIPK. They may keep my head gasket from failing again, I dont know but for all of the BS in installing them and the price... I should have just kept it stock and slid a new gasket in where it was leaking. That said Im glad the bulk of the install is over, Im a little irritated with how loud they sound, I was hoping it would sound like the stock manifold set up with my Borla and thats it. Ive been running headers on Mazda MX5's for years and they do not sound like a tin can rattle when your in town or pulling out! It could be my few minor leaks but I dont think so, I think I got my hopes up that a set of headers would make all the difference in the world with my 3.0 and was wrong. Time to think long and hard about parting ways with the old girl and buying a T-100, Tacoma or holding out for the Mahindra diesel pickup..... Thanks for all the help with the install though!!!!!!!!

Ilovemountains

I forgot to mention that the flange for the 02 sensor is JUNK. I was able to get one of the supplied bolts in thats it. The other side, no go, the bolt was too long and hit the pipe, from the top down the nut did not fit either so I had to use a LOT smaller diameter bolt on one side to get it tight. Not good, not on a $600 set of headers, should have put the cash away for a new rig!

yotaman85

I was just about to order some.... glad you chimed in..

MaK92-4RnR

Ilovemountains... the Tinny sound you are hearing is the faulty Y pipe... mine does the same, till I cut mine off

then again, i've never had the issues or problems you mentioned. but Im also a 5 speed manual

i will admit the o2 sensor location is junk... have an exhaust shop cut a custom fitted Y pipe with an O2 sensor slot in the Y pipe, you wont get an engine light nor will you have the tinny sound anymore.

other than that. yes they are loud, but I just turned 20, I like loud I also noticed a difference in MPGs... but im a 5 speed, not sure if that matters?

Ilovemountains

Too bad your in CA or Id let you check out my 88... I mean they might keep the cyls cool because the design of the crossover stock exhaust is BAD but that's about it in my opinion. If I knew last Sunday morning what I know now I would have shipped them back or sold them on Ebay... The slip joints suck, the directions suck and the performance gain is just not what I expected at all and they are noisy... Im stuck though becuase once you tear out the stock system there is noooooo going back without pulling the engine, getting the crossover pipe out was a chore, though I did not cut mine like others do to get it out!!!!

Ilovemountains

The Y pipe... Ill have to check and see if I can hear a louder noise with my mic on that, they just sound loud like I have a crack somewhere but I dont!! The 02 sensor bung was just the final kick in the... well you know!!! Re routing the transfer case cooler lines and moving it was a mess, I drained my T case and still had AT fluid everywhere, it just wasnt worth it to me, Im honestly very disappointed and now I have a loud noisy sounding truck... I wonder why the Y pipe would make it sound like a tin can?

MaK92-4RnR

I welded all my slip on joints... I'll agree the clamps sucked... they leaked everywhere... but yes, mine are all welded...

Im not sure why the Y pipe makes the noise... its even louder when I had the straight pipe on. Honestly, i think its because the back pressure doesn't low right through it... its a cheap piece of crap... i'm sure you've heard my exhaust videos... my headers make zero tin or rustling noises. and all i did was cut the Y pipe out and have a custom one made and right where the pipes meet, I have an O2 sensor there... i haven't had the check engine light flip on since i've done this. I also pass smog.

Scenic WonderRunner

I have Downey Headers with a High Flow MagnaFlow Cat and Large Magnaflow muffler.

I also increased the size of the pipe to the rear, after the cat. I think it's at 2.25" if I remember right.

I think the Toyota factory rear pipe drops down to 1.75" out the back. Seems odd to me.

You can't go too large because you still need some back pressure for your engine to right right.

I have no loud noise issues. And a wonderful increase in power that I can feel.

Let's see some pics of your oil cooler move!




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Scenic WonderRunner

I just had to order a new Magnaflow Cat and O2 Sensor (to pass CA. Smog) because my engine rebuilder caused a leak in my EGR air hose which caused my engine to run too rich. This ruied both parts mentioned above! UG!

I had my muffler dude weld up the new cat straight up. No funky bolt on crap for me! I've done that before and the gaskets Always leak!

You can see the larger 2.25" pipe out the rear.





My Magnaflow Muffler actually has shook loose at both ends from bouncing off road, I guess. It only took 30,000 miles. So I asked my muffler shop to weld the pipe back up and weld a brace on. Even though I have a lifetime warranty with Magnaflow, it's almost not worth the trouble to try and get a new free one.




The rear, welded back up. It's shameful that a Magnaflow Muffler would separate like this!








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BackGateYota92

well if you decide to take em off i would gladly take em off your hands!!! lol i would cut the y-pipe and run true duals with it but im 16 and the louder the better. haha

Ilovemountains

Ill get some pics today, my Borla cat back is 2" OD tubing which has the same ID as the Magna Flow cat!!! If I can get rid of the tinny sound coming from up front / underneith Id be fine with them!!! The sound is just like the sound Ive heard before on cars and trucks with gutted catyletic converters that dont have a pipe through them, like an expansion chamber on a 2 stroke dirt bike!! Ill definitaly see about the Y pipe, I might have it welded up when I get the other joints welded because these things are not coming back out, Ill sell the whole thing before I go through that mess again!!!!! LOL

BackGateYota92

would you recomend these to someone who plans on keeping the 3.0?

Ilovemountains

Im still on the fence, the tin can sound SUCKS and they are a LOT of work, and expensive so its hard to say... I do feel some gain in the mid power band but its very minimal and the noise is already irritating the crap out of me, Im going to get them welded up this week and see if by sealing up all of the leaks on the tubing if it dies down some. Im curious to see what my fuel mileage does now that its breathing better and has a new Denso 02 sensor. Ill post back as soon as I get them welded and let you know how they sound!

BackGateYota92

ya if i get em i would either get a different y-pipe or cut it and run true duals. lol im still debating if i want em or not

mrddk92

i like my LCE headers a lot. they were expensive but they work great and i didnt have to mod them at all. the egr and reed valve connectors werent hard to connect and neither was the o2 sensor. they are loud but i believe i can fix that with a big dynomax hemi turbo p/n 17749. i dont really know how they fit with an auto though. i might end up having a custom y-pipe made that doesnt go under the tranny so i have better ground clearance....

Ilovemountains

Well, Ill pull back a little on my first opinion of my DT headers. After paying another $100 to get them all welded to the cat they sound A LOT better... They were leaking in places that I did not even know. That said, its sad that I had to have them welded to seal them, unlike the LC headers they have slip joints, if I could do it again I would have installed them with band clamps, which would have sealed them tight, though that would have cost about the same.... DT needs to either sell them with band clamps or welded flanges and gaskets. After driving it this evening for a while Ill say they sound better and it seems to be breathing a little better, a lot of the tin can sound is gone, it must have been a combined sound from the loose slip joint connections. Would I do them again.... Nope... The performance difference may all be in my head, even so its very minimal for what the total cost is and the amount of work involved with installing them!!!!!!! Not to turn people away from a set of headers but Im just not sure they are even worth it.... Ask me in a few weeks once I run a few tanks of fuel through the beast to see how my fuel miles look.........