custom exhaust manifold

[alio40]

i took the car for an emissions test. it failed... this is my journey

i put the car on the hoist, take a little gander at the exhaust system, and notice that it wasnt original. this is my first indication that someone f*$@'d with it.

this aftermarket cat, called ITL, is ONLY made for countries that require emissions control, but does NOT need to meet EPA standards, hence fat chance of helping you pass the test.

i look a little deeper, and notice the manifold itself.



someone tried to weld cast iron with a MIG welder!!! What a moron!!

removing the cat proved to be necessary. the welding was insignificant, or futile(they must have done it while still bolted to the car) cause the face was still cracked (or cracked due to the poor welding technique)


another wonderful thing i noticed was the LACK OF CAT MATERIAL!!!


here is what the orignal manifold/catalytic converter looks like


Now for the fun stuff... rebuilding the system.

• first stop, aftermarket. and guess what?!?! no one sells a manifold for this car!!
• second stop, dealer. they wanted $950 for the manifold!! the car is not worth that much to me
• third stop, through my distributor, i found a place in toronto that manufactures catalytic systems, and they are made with stainless

not only will they produce the manifold, but both cats, and the flex pipe!





the header, catalytic converter, flex pipe, second catalytic and all gaskets(minus main flange gasket) tallied up to $850.

now, from the cat guys, the manifold leaked like a sieve the flange was probably warped during the welding process.

i had to remove the manifold, and take it to a machine shop to rectify the situation.




after machining and ready to be mounted (the paper towel was there to prevent debri from lodging into the honeycomb of the cat)


once again, i have an exhaust system on my car



with a new front system, i am ready to take it for the emission test. this is the tell tale sign of if it was worth weeks of aggravation.

i will update with results. i think the car is going in on thursday.

[2004riotuner]

OUCH.. even for that price you could have bought a header and a high flow cat and it would still be able to pass emissions.

Dan

[Rio_2002]

1. they too make Custom headers for the first gen rio and may be the 2nd gen. but they wont pass eather
2. ebay 50 bucks stock header
3. that is a cat? i have an extra "cat" back
4. that is one nasty looking header(both)

[Rio_2002]

Netfirms Commerce Pro

eBay Motors: 00 01 02 KIA RIO CINCO EXHAUST MANIFOLD ENGINE CAP TRIM (item 8068659025 end time Jul-21-06 18:34:38 PDT)

[alio40]

yes, both hearders are awful looking. but how does riotuner pass emission test withought the dual cat system?

besides, why would i want a factory POS when i can have a brand new custom made? as for 'critical' components (emissions critical, that is) why would i buy used?

if i would have been there to get my hands on the production, it would look MUCH better

thursday is the test, though...

[2004riotuner]

Because A- in the second Gen Rio there is only a pre-cat and a threeway cat.. Same set up as a first gen basically.. There is no need for a pre-cat if you are using a threeway cat.
B- Most people who run emission tsts do not even check for the emission control devices properly.. Which in turn means they wouldn't know that there is only one cat..
C- A properly tuned car and one 3 way cat should pass emission with flying colours.. I even managed to sneak past it with the turbo on.. Not that my car needs an emission test for my sticker right now but I just wanted to make sure it meets the guide lines..

The header should pass no problem if the O2 sensor is in the bottom bung and you have a 3 way cat (be it highflow or not) installed directly after the header and an O2 sensor installed after the cat.. Ontario is picky about some of the emission stuff but not really.. They basically only care if your car cannot pass the test on the dyno and at idle.

You should come check out my Rio sometime.. We meet up with a car club called teamslipstream.com every thursday night at the AMC in Whitby basically right infront of Montanas is where we park.. There are usually 2 or 3 Rios there at any given meet..

Dan

[byron]

Can you tell me where in Toronto you found this custom exhaust setup, please?
thx
bm

[Rio_2002]

id buy the stock header to PASS then buy custom and just change it out before each test

[alio40]

that is such a hassle... changing manifolds every 2 years just to pass an emission test.
now that i have a Good emission system, i do not intend to change anything for a LONG time.

these are the results from the e-test:

• HC (ppm) limit 78; reading 10
• CO (%) limit 0.44; reading 0.00
• NO (ppm) limit 605; reading 1

needless to say, it passed with flying colours!!

byron, do you want one? i can get it made for you. for any vehicle, not only KIA.
mind you, if they do not already have a jig for the car, it would greatly improve fit if you dropped off the old one.

[wcck]

Glad it worked out for you, pricey though.