RRE 4G Eclipse Competition GS Headers (2006-2014) Install Pics and Tips
RRE 4G GS 4cyl Headers $475 plus $40 shipping within the lower 48 states:
We make 4G Eclipse headers. We are never quite sure if everyone is headed to China to get their parts or if they prefer American made parts still. While quality parts can be made in China for a decent price, quality control over workmanship and materials is always a concern. Locally we have much more control over everything.
Here is a batch that just finished up. TIG welded stainless Steel throughout. We did an install and took some step by step pictures.
After removing the heat shield, first soak all the nuts and bolts with a penetrating lubricant like WD-40. Depending on your mileage and local weather, maybe let everything soak over night. Something along the lines of Lucas Tool Box Buddy, PB Blaster or WD-40 will to the trick. With all undercar bolts and nuts, especially with exhaust bolts, much care and respect is required. Even with everything soaked well, slow and steady works best. Don’t use power tools. You want to slowly remove each nut or bolt while feeling for if it is getting stuck. If something galls up or starts to seize by feeling tight after breaking it loose, stop immediately and spray more lube on the thread. Then go back tight a bit until it feels free again. Spray more lube. then try loosening it again. Keep working it back and forth with out forcing things too much. Once you really gall up the threads, you can be in a big mess. This goes double for the O2 sensor removal. Crack them loose and work them slowly out. if they tighten up at all, stop, lube and reverse. Lube and repeat.
The bolts that hold the stock manifold to the down pipe may snap, but new ones are included.
Spacer to keep the 2nd O2 sensors happy are also included. The gaskets are all multi-layer stainless steel and we have not seen a need for new ones. If you are rich and/or paranoid, you can order new gaskets from the dealership.
Remove the primary (upper) O2 sensors and then remove the entire stock manifold. Then bolt on the new header.
Installed waiting for O2 sensors. Do not install any spacers under the O2 sensors that bolt into the header. Do not drop or bang the O2 sensors around. Be very stingy with any thread anti-seize compound. Any contamination that gets into the O2 sensor (including penetrating oil) will kill the O2 sensor.
The sensors with the grey wires are always the ones that will screw into the headers.
For the GS, the O2 sensor spacers will be installed under the O2 sensors that were originally screwed into the down pipe. This is where the 90 degree spacers go.
Smog-
These headers eliminate the front pre-catalytic converters. They are not for use on public highways in the USA. The Eclipse GS 4 Cyl motors are are becoming more and more popular with various front wheel drive dirt circle track race classes so that is what they are intended for. You can still pass a tail pipe inspection with the main center cat in place if that is what your race class requires.
Noise-
These headers will increase the exhaust noise considerably. It is a good sound. But it is definitely louder. It is even noticeably louder with a stock muffler. If you have a stock center cat and a straight through muffler (think Magnaflow) it will be sporty loud, think Mustang rumble) but livable. The younger you are, the more you will like it J If you remove the center main cat, things get super loud, think open race car exhaust sound. Check with your sanctioning body for sound level requirements.
O2 Sensors and Spacers-
There are Oxygen sensors (O2 sensors) that need to be transferred to the new headers from the old manifolds. If you do that part wrong or upside down somehow a little yellow light will come on. If you drop or bang on the O2 sensors too much it can damage them. If you get WD-40 or anti-seize contamination in them, it will damage them. But then again that little yellow light comes on for nothing or even something little like leaving the gas cap a little loose, its sole existence is to nag you about potential smog issues. The yellow light isn’t all that scary to us, but it seems to horrify some people.
With the current 90 degree spacers that we supply, about 1 out of 20 people get a SES light and we help them deal with it as best we can. If that possibility disturbs you then headers are not for you. We will not be redesigning anything. We have done all that is reasonably possible to make a little money selling them and still have an affordable product built in the USA. We are happy with the balance that we have struck.
This simple OBD 2 code reader works well and only costs about $20 from Amazon
IF the light does come on usually the hole in the spacer needs to be drilled out a little bit. Just a little bit bigger at a time. It is easy to make them bigger, very difficult to make them smaller
We found the difference between cars is whether or not they have a main cat after spacers and how restrictive the exhaust system is. Cars with totally free flowing low back pressure systems need a bigger hole. More restrictive systems need a smaller hole. You want to read out the actual code before modifying the spacer.
The spacer is trying to trick the ECU into thinking that the cat cleaned things up some (but not too much). More exhaust system back pressure or less will require playing with the size of the hole in the spacer and also the volume of the spacer. No one spacer works for every car. It is a black art and takes some fiddling and paying attention to what code and reacting accordingly.
But seriously, these are for race cars only and you shouldn’t be complaining about a little yellow light. Why do you even have the dash in there on your race car?
