Cracked Turbo Down Pipe! My first road course casualty.

Freaking Son of a BYatch!

I have a cracked Downpipe on my FM turbo. Thanks MSR! According to the FM instructions you assemble the exhaust header turbo and downpipe together before assembling it onto the car. Mother of all crap! That a ton of disassembly to just replace the downpipe. I am going to try an more direct approach. I have 4 of the 6 bolts off the downpipe to turbo, but I am having a bit of difficulty with the last two. Anybody want to lend a hand??

And by the way, FM parts are not always the cats meow. :punchout:

I might be able to help. When and where?

Chris

When ever and in my garage in Frisco.

The MFer bolt right now is a 6mm inside hex. My hex socket is too wide to get in the bolt - blocked by the cracked downpipe. I think if somebody has an extended hex socket or even a piece of 6mm hex metal, I could get the MFer out easily.

I think the crack is all the way through the pipe so I might be able to get the pipe off and then attack the flange.

MFers!!! I had just gotten the FM upto 15lbs of BOOOOOOst. :rambo: :burnrubr:

Well I now have a pretty good idea of why the pipe cracked. There are no exhaust hangers from the front of the cat back to the down pipe. WAY too much movement in the exhaust with the leverage point being the Down pipe. :banghead: Bad engineering.

SOLVED!@!! :cheers:

I helped the crack along and finished the job - completing the crack all the way around the pipe and seperating the flange from the pipe. Once the downpipe was out of the way, getting to the bolts on the flange was no problem. YEA! Now I need to either order a new downpipe from FM (like my wallet has any room left after MSR took all my mad money), or get some brave soul to try and weld the bad boy back together.

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Originally Posted by Screamin'Screw

Now I need to either order a new downpipe from FM (like my wallet has any room left after MSR took all my mad money), or get some brave soul to try and weld the bad boy back together.

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And then you get to figure out how to put it back on with the downpipe back in the way of getting to the bolts on the flange. :silent:

Good luck!

Dude! Your such a buzz kill.

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Originally Posted by Screamin'Screw

Dude! Your such a buzz kill.

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Sorry... I didn't want you to think you were talking to yourself because it sure looked like you were talking to yourself! :lol: Let me know when you get a new downpipe and I will try to come over and help you cuss at the bolts.

FM Kiss my ass! The early version of the downpipe is KNOWN to crack. FM wants over $500 for the replacment part + shipping. Well KISS my ass. I am going to get the old pipe rewelded and reinforced. MFers. I understand the part is out of warranty, but how about selling the replacement part for the same price they are getting them from BEGI and not screwing over the customers that bought your product when FM was just cutting its teeth.

I understand that you're pissed that you had a part break but let's be realistic:

• You broke the part while running the car on the track. It ain't like you were driving down to the corner store for a gallon of milk.
• You were running the car at 15 pounds of boost.
• The part is out of warranty. Sucks for you, but shit breaks out of warranty all the time. Do you really expect them to offer you replacement parts for free or at cost forever? If not, what's a reasonable cutoff point? Some would say it's when the warranty ends.

You broke something, and that sucks. But I think you're getting awful bent out of shape given the circumstances.

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Originally Posted by altiain

I understand that you're pissed that you had a part break but let's be realistic:

• You broke the part while running the car on the track. It ain't like you were driving down to the corner store for a gallon of milk.
• You were running the car at 15 pounds of boost.
• The part is out of warranty. Sucks for you, but shit breaks out of warranty all the time. Do you really expect them to offer you replacement parts for free or at cost forever? If not, what's a reasonable cutoff point? Some would say it's when the warranty ends.

You broke something, and that sucks. But I think you're getting awful bent out of shape given the circumstances.

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While you may have a point there, $500 for the downpipe is excessive for what it is.

SS, I had to take my down pipe off once on my '90 and while it was very difficult, it was possible.

Look in the Lone Star Miata Club forum under tech talk and the topic "custom exhaust - 2004 MSM. He had a muffler shop build a whole new exhaust system for his car including a down pipe. I believe he said it was a shop in Lewisville. I saw the exhaust system and it was very professional. You might try contacting the guy that posted the topic, maybe the shop that did his system could build you a new down pipe.

FM did offer some compensation and Corky Bell did offer to repair the pipe for about $75 including shipping. But I took the pipe over to my local welder and he repaired the pipe and added some steel straping to the pipe for two cases of Heiniken Beer.

Done Deal! :chug:

FM did come out and add the "improved" pipe on their website for $460 which is about $80 cheaper than what they quoted me for the replacement. Still a little outragous for an uncoated BBQ Painted down pipe.

They did the same thing when I brought it to their attention that they were charging 45% more than the competition for an AEM Wideband. I will pay more for better service, but not THAT much more. It's one thing to get screwed, but another to get screwed without at least a little Moly Lube. :albino:

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Originally Posted by Screamin'Screw

It's one thing to get screwed, but another to get screwed without at least a little Moly Lube. :albino:

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Heh... may have to put that one on teh T-Shirt...

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Originally Posted by tailchaser

Heh... may have to put that one on teh T-Shirt...

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Send it to T-Shirt Hell.com!