ETS Tubular Exhaust Manifold Install Guide
 

Sorry for the lack of pictures, most tips don't really require them though. The Garrett guide does have pictures so that should give you an idea of what parts you are working with.

ETS Tubular Exhaust Manifold Install Guide:

1) This Garrett Turbo install guide may be helpfull when tackling a turbo swap or just replacing the exhaust manifold and/or downpipe:

Garrett Turbocharger Upgrade Kit for Mitsubishi Evo X


2) For any parts you plan on removing I find it best to soak the nuts, studs, and bolts with PB Blaster or similar product for a good hour to avoid breaking any fasteners. You can also break parts loose easier when the pieces are still warm but you need to obviosuly protect yourself from burns. When Re-assembling parts be sure to use a anti-sieze on the threads so that future servicing is trouble free.


3) Break loose all the nuts and bolts that you need to remove but don't remove any until all are freed up. Depending on how the part was assembled this can avoid forcing the fasteners past any side loading that may be occurring. Don't force any nuts or bolts out that have high resistance after initially breaking them lose, typically feeling them for heat build up can indicate if they are stretching to the breaking point. Remove other nuts/bolts first to relieve pressure on the trouble fasteners and soak them with extra PB Blaster to help make sure they don't snap. The most notorious trouble bolts are the O2 housing to Turbo area.


4) Likely in order to remove the Exhaust Manifold off the factory studs you will need to remove the compressor side and exhaust side brackets that hold the turbo in place. The coolant and Oil lines should still allow enough movement. If not leave them connected on the turbo side and disconnect them where they attach to the head taking precautions to drain the coolant and prepare for some spillage with drip pans or bags. Details are outlined in the Garrett install guide above.


5) You will notice that from the factory the two rear most fasteners to the turbo are studs (A & B).

A B
C D

You can leave that setup although you will want to check for bolt clearance on the manifold off the car. When I wrapped my manifold I found that I lost another couple millimeters of clearance and I ended up using studs in the "B & D" positions because they had the least room above them. I had plenty of room to use Bolts in the "A & C" positions. You can double nut the factory studs for removal, and when assembling them just past hand tight you can use anti-sieze so that future removal isn't a problem. Extra studs are included just in case and can be used in all four locations.


6) With the manifold off you will also notice the factory head to manifold gasket has a heat shield built into the top edge of the design. You can try and leave this in place and torque the manifold over the top of it but I found it blocked view of the nuts I was trying to tighten. I ended up trimming the shielding off with a hack saw which should be fine if the manifold is coated or wrapped.


7) Make sure all gaskets and gasket surfaces are clean. If re-using the manifold to turbo gasket then lightly running it over some fine grit sand paper should clean up any uneven surfaces and the rest should conform once it's torqued down again.


8) You can even maneuver the Downpipe in from the top side and rest it on some rags positioned out of the way before the turbo & manifold is put into place. Generally feeding it up from the bottom is somewhat tight and if you left heat shields in place they can be very sharp and cut into things.


9) I found it best to loosly assemble all nuts & bolts first on the turbo to manifold connection as well as the head to manifold connection. Test threading each bolt with anti-sieze into it's intended threads is a great way to make sure it will thread easily when assembling the parts. If you still can't thread a bolt easily you can file the leading edge slightly so that the threads are more forgiving. Clean off any metal pieces and re-apply anti-sieze.


10) Looking down at the exhaust side head studs from above:

lower B D F H J
upper A C E G I

You will have decent access to most nuts/studs with the right tools. They are all M14 nuts and you will have to start the thread on the nut at the "E" location first since there is only ~14mm clearance from the flange to the runner or 26mm from the outer edge of the flange to the runner. The studs stick out about 26mm from the head so clearance is tight. Since I lost 2mm clearance when I wrapped my manifold, I ended up using a dremel/file to remove about 2-3mm from the end of the head stud at the "E" location which won't take away from any of the threads that will be in use once it is torqued down. For tightening this low clearance nut your best bet is to use a 14mm stubby, crow foot, or offset wrench to get in there effectively. I used a stubby and just torqued it down as hard as I could go. If all the other nuts are torqued from the inside outwards in an alternating cross pattern you should be perfectly fine sealing the gasket surface. Once everything is torqued down you can re-check that hand tightened "E" nut and snug it up as close to torque spec as you can by hand. If you are bad about dropping nuts you may want to place a shop rag or something to temporarily block the narrow crack between the turbo and the head. Any objects that drop down there have a chance of getting into some really tight places between the engine and transmission, keep a magnetic fish tool handy just in case.


11) Once everything is assembled don't be too alarmed at some smoke burning off excess PB Blaster or anti-sieze. Heat Wrap will take a few drives to burn off some material as it gets to operating temperature. Check for any exhaust/fluid leaks at idle and then do a short drive followed by a re-check that all is well.

Hopefully this guide will you save you some time and much of it applies to installing any upgraded exhaust manifolds on the Evo X.

http://www.rochesterdsm.org/forums/d...ile.php?id=351
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Nice writeup! thanks!

Nice work, haha this is going into the saved bank for future plans...

very nice, i might be using this for the future

will tubular exhaust manifold be beneficial to stock turbo cars?

Also, will the stock mitsubishi engine cover fit with the tubular manifold?

You won't see as much of a difference on a stock turbo car but it should still help. With 48mm outer diameter runners that are matched to the head ports on the ETS manifold, the low end power will likely be about the same and mid to top end power will be 15-20 whp gains. I haven't really seen any before and after dynos with this as the only change though as typically people will replace this plus an O2 downpipe and/or Turbo at the same time because of the "while I'm in there" factor.

I haven't test fitted the stock engine cover with this manifold in place, perhaps someone that still has their mounting points installed can test this. There should be room but I would make sure you have the manifold wrapped or coated and also place a heat reflectant tape on the rear edge facing the radiating heat for long term use even if it does fit.

Thanks for the write up! :)

Michael

Not a problem, figured it would save some from unexpected surprises with the car opened up and nothing to drive.

Have the ETS Manifold with my stock engine cover in place with no fitting issues.

I however wasn't impressed with the welds on mine (it was jetcoat). The welds in certain sections of the manifold dont seem to penetrate all the way through, so i worry with longevity (cracking).

As for power...eh, if your going to run E85 or race gas, go for it...but if your stock on piss 91 i'd say port the stock exhaust manifold and call it a day.

I agree there is a balance when welding together a tubular manifold for strength and flow. I think if you get the welds to just barely show penetration all around the seam without any major need for a die grinder to clean them up you will get a strong weld. Going too crazy with penetration means a ton of work grinding down the blobs left inside the piping and they aren't always reachable and could hurt smooth flow.

I would agree that the stock turbo won't really benefit from a tubular manifold upgrade as much below 400 crank HP. Max out a stock turbo on E85 / Meth or upgrade the turbo to something flowing 500+ crank HP and it can really outshine the stock manifold.

Subscribed, Nice job!

how much does the wrapping cost?only the material....???

will a retune be necessary for this upgrade?

I cant get it?!
 

I have removed the compressor side and exhaust side housing brackets, and still cannot get the turbo to move. Do I need to remove the oil return tube bracket to transfer assembly as well?

was this the 1.5" or 1.25" version?

You will need to undo the '***** bolt' which is accessible from below the car to be able to wriggle the turbo.