C8 Tech/Performance Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Tech Topics, Basic Tech, Maintenance, How to Remove & Replace
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: CARiD

Exhaust Install issue - stripped

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jun 23, 2023 | 06:21 PM
  #1  
LBCportagee's Avatar
LBCportagee
Thread Starter
Intermediate
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 30
Likes: 3
Default Exhaust Install issue - stripped

Installing a Corsa Exhaust.

Tried to remove the nut on the drivers side bolt between cat back and the catalytic converter. It seems to be a press fit bolt (15mm nut). I accessed the nut with a 24inch extension from the rear as instructed but it turned the press fitting instead of loosening the nut.

What are my options?? Got the car up on the lift still.
Reply
Old Jun 23, 2023 | 09:17 PM
  #2  
LBCportagee's Avatar
LBCportagee
Thread Starter
Intermediate
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 30
Likes: 3
Default

Well clearly I shouldn't have followed CORSA's directions because IT"S WELL WORTH IT to remove the intake cover in the trunk to access the bolts that way. Not even a question.

I removed the right side bolt on the cat and that exhaust flange is completely loose...but that left side nut isn't going anywhere and the bolt now spins freely in the cat. I will probably cut the bolt in half and knock the press fit bolt out the back of the cat. Then I'll just push a standard bolt through the back of the CAT.

I considered buying some high flow cat's but, not sure I would find somebody to pass me in CA. Wondering what they would do if CAT's had blankets on them.
Reply
Old Jun 24, 2023 | 07:49 AM
  #3  
Kracka's Avatar
Kracka
Race Director
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,709
Likes: 7,101
From: Fulshear, TX
Default

Not that I'm condoning intentionally violating your state's emissions requirements, but... EOS does offer a high-flow cat solution that reuses your stock cat heatshields which should do a pretty good job of getting around a visual inspection. The built-in o2 spacer to maintain sensor location with stock heatshields in place should also defeat any check engine light or associated error code.

Sorry CARB, I do apologize!

https://extremeonlinestore.com/produ...ytic-converter
Reply
Old Jun 24, 2023 | 08:08 AM
  #4  
Kracka's Avatar
Kracka
Race Director
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,709
Likes: 7,101
From: Fulshear, TX
Default

So, I did a bit more digging and as the appearance and price may suggest, these are actually cat-delete resonators, but they do look nearly stock with the heatshields in place and apparently do not trigger a CEL per a YouTuber who installed them:


Reply
Old Jun 24, 2023 | 08:32 AM
  #5  
combatninja's Avatar
combatninja
Melting Slicks
Community Builder
All Eyes On Me
Top Answer: 1
Top Answer: 3
 
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 2,784
Likes: 3,566
Default

In California, you'll never pass the tailpipe sniffer test with a cat delete. You'd need to find a shop to cheat the test for you.
Reply
Old Jun 24, 2023 | 05:06 PM
  #6  
Kracka's Avatar
Kracka
Race Director
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,709
Likes: 7,101
From: Fulshear, TX
Default

Originally Posted by combatninja
In California, you'll never pass the tailpipe sniffer test with a cat delete. You'd need to find a shop to cheat the test for you.
I didn't realize California did actual tailpipe sniffers, I assumed they just did OBDII scans like Texas. Sorry about that!
Reply
Old Jun 24, 2023 | 06:56 PM
  #7  
RKCRLR's Avatar
RKCRLR
Race Director
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 5
 
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 12,760
Likes: 10,193
From: Garden Valley CA
Default

Originally Posted by Kracka
I didn't realize California did actual tailpipe sniffers, I assumed they just did OBDII scans like Texas. Sorry about that!
California doesn't normally do tail pipe sniffers on OBD II cars. The do on older cars. But if the technicians eyes starts burning from the exhaust you won't pass.
Reply
Old Jun 25, 2023 | 09:02 AM
  #8  
combatninja's Avatar
combatninja
Melting Slicks
Community Builder
All Eyes On Me
Top Answer: 1
Top Answer: 3
 
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 2,784
Likes: 3,566
Default

My mistake. I just naturally assumed that the People's Republic of California would just naturally do the most invasive emissions test possible to every car.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-1

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-7

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-8

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
Old Jun 25, 2023 | 10:48 AM
  #9  
Kracka's Avatar
Kracka
Race Director
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,709
Likes: 7,101
From: Fulshear, TX
Default

Originally Posted by combatninja
My mistake. I just naturally assumed that the People's Republic of California would just naturally do the most invasive emissions test possible to every car.
Probably get a fine for farting while waiting in the customer lounge while they probe the car
Reply
Old Jun 27, 2023 | 08:55 PM
  #10  
smoove7410's Avatar
smoove7410
Instructor
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 201
Likes: 192
Default

CA requires smog checks for vehicles 8 years or older.
Reply
Old Jun 28, 2023 | 01:59 PM
  #11  
LBCportagee's Avatar
LBCportagee
Thread Starter
Intermediate
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 30
Likes: 3
Default

My dealership said changing the cats affects O2 readings and therefore fuel trim etc and therefore voids your engine warranty. Same thing for changing the intake box, throttle body etc....non-gm filter probably okay (but who cares). So I'm not going to be doing either of those things (for now). I guess I'll focus on the outside of the car instead.

As for an update on the original topic. I got the exhaust out and switched over to the CORSA. Sounds good.

I did need to move the car slightly AFTER I had started the disassembly process, so the valve connections were disconnected. This threw two codes and a CEL once I got everything back to together and finished. That code may have eventually cleared itself after 8-10 start cycles, but I went to GM and they cleared for free and it hasn't came back yet. Did not do a valve relearn, doesn't seem to be necessary yet. Valves working as expected.
Reply
Old Jun 28, 2023 | 05:59 PM
  #12  
SpectreOne's Avatar
SpectreOne
Racer
Veteran: Marine Corps
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 363
Likes: 199
From: San Diego, CA
Default

Originally Posted by Kracka
Probably get a fine for farting while waiting in the customer lounge while they probe the car
This is fact checked true!
Reply
Old Jun 28, 2023 | 09:52 PM
  #13  
Kracka's Avatar
Kracka
Race Director
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 10,709
Likes: 7,101
From: Fulshear, TX
Default

Originally Posted by LBCportagee
My dealership said changing the cats affects O2 readings and therefore fuel trim etc and therefore voids your engine warranty. Same thing for changing the intake box, throttle body etc....non-gm filter probably okay (but who cares). So I'm not going to be doing either of those things (for now). I guess I'll focus on the outside of the car instead.

As for an update on the original topic. I got the exhaust out and switched over to the CORSA. Sounds good.

I did need to move the car slightly AFTER I had started the disassembly process, so the valve connections were disconnected. This threw two codes and a CEL once I got everything back to together and finished. That code may have eventually cleared itself after 8-10 start cycles, but I went to GM and they cleared for free and it hasn't came back yet. Did not do a valve relearn, doesn't seem to be necessary yet. Valves working as expected.
Your dealer (service advisor?) is wrong. The o2 sensors that impact your fuel trims are in the headers upstream of the cats. I'd probably find a different dealership service department if I were you if you plan to mod your car. If he's taking such a hardline stance against all these stock tune compliant bolt-ons then I'd surely be suspect of what he'll think about your Corsa catback.
Reply
Old Jun 30, 2023 | 06:20 PM
  #14  
LBCportagee's Avatar
LBCportagee
Thread Starter
Intermediate
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 30
Likes: 3
Default

Originally Posted by Kracka
Your dealer (service advisor?) is wrong. The o2 sensors that impact your fuel trims are in the headers upstream of the cats. I'd probably find a different dealership service department if I were you if you plan to mod your car. If he's taking such a hardline stance against all these stock tune compliant bolt-ons then I'd surely be suspect of what he'll think about your Corsa catback.
​​

Kracka, I agree on changing dealers. They cleared my code at the dealer but didn't do the relearn. The code came back. I saw that you used the creader elite in another post to do the relearn, so rather than go back to that dealer I bought the scan tool. But I'm having problems with the "learn" procedure. I think I might need to adjust the rod length on the valve. Would appreciate you looking at that other thread and helping me out with how you did the learn. Mine just doesn't seem to do anything.
Reply
Old Jul 3, 2023 | 09:40 AM
  #15  
Andybump's Avatar
Andybump
Race Director
15 Year Member
Community Influencer
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 5
 
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,360
Likes: 8,512
Default

Originally Posted by LBCportagee
My dealership said changing the cats affects O2 readings and therefore fuel trim etc and therefore voids your engine warranty. .........
Here is what the Service Manual says about that. There are four heated oxygen sensors. Bank 1, Sensor 1 and Bank 2, Sensor 1 which are upstream from the catalytic converters, and Bank 1 Sensor 2 and Bank 2 Sensor 2 which are mounted at the Catalytic Converter, but described as "post catalyst". The description of how the ECM manages the catalytic converter operation appears to say that it monitors the heated oxygen sensor before and after the catalyst. And it adjusts fuel trim to keep the post catalyst air/fuel ratio within a predetermined range. This could be the basis for the dealers statement to you. It does not specifically say exactly how each O2 sensor measurement is used in calculating the fuel trim bias, but it does say the ECM measures all of them as part of the process for managing the operation of the catalytic converter. I have no comment on whether or not that could affect a warranty claim - other than I think there is some risk, should an engine issue arise.











Last edited by Andybump; Jul 3, 2023 at 09:51 AM.
Reply
Old Oct 2, 2025 | 09:40 PM
  #16  
itsonlyairandfuel's Avatar
itsonlyairandfuel
Melting Slicks
20 Year Member
Liked
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 3
 
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,264
Likes: 546
Default

posted to wrong thread

Last edited by itsonlyairandfuel; Oct 2, 2025 at 09:45 PM.
Reply
Old Oct 3, 2025 | 06:10 AM
  #17  
Kenny94945's Avatar
Kenny94945
Le Mans Master
25 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,485
Likes: 713
From: Sausalito CA
Default

OP..LBC... perhaps an air wrench, super speed, will remove the nut?
Maybe heat the nut first?
A little spot welding on the press fit?
Not sure how to get tension on the press fit head.

Your idea to cut and replace seems valid.

Calif smog... includes a visual... so with a coupe you may fail, blankets or not.
Good luck.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Exhaust Install issue - stripped





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:20 AM.

story-0
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-2
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE