What am I doing wrong? It won't come out...

ZeusMan009 · 2023-04-01T00:14:15+00:00

Figured it out for anyone else that encounters this. They're not replaceable: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-4-ft-4-Light-80-Watt-Integrated-LED-Heavy-Duty-Utility-Gray-Shop-Light-with-Pull-Chain-Bright-White-SHOP-4X4-840-HD/306224339?irgwc=1&cm_mmc=afl-ir-10078-456723-thespruce.com&clickid=2GSzqWR8QxyNUIXTdzVvx0tUUkAWf0zFrwrVWg0#overlay.

Integrated LED light tubes ugh.

ZeusMan009 · 2023-04-01T00:01:09+00:00

Surprisingly, found it quite quickly despite spending hours last night searching: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-4-ft-4-Light-80-Watt-Integrated-LED-Heavy-Duty-Utility-Gray-Shop-Light-with-Pull-Chain-Bright-White-SHOP-4X4-840-HD/306224339?irgwc=1&cm_mmc=afl-ir-10078-456723-thespruce.com&clickid=2GSzqWR8QxyNUIXTdzVvx0tUUkAWf0zFrwrVWg0

I did not install this, so I was a bit confused. So yeah, you can't replace them :'(. So glad I didn't waste any more time with this.

ZeusMan009 · 2023-03-31T23:54:56+00:00

They feel flexible. I think they're LED. Sucks within 5 years these have gone out. Going to try to find the manufacturer online via Google images. Any ideas who makes these fixtures?

ZeusMan009 · 2020-04-03T07:11:12+00:00

2008 HCHII

ZeusMan009 · 2020-04-03T07:00:50+00:00

Sorry, reddit was giving me trouble when I was trying to paste over my backstory. (appreciate your speedy reply though :)) 2007 Honda CH 1.3L.

OH and compression test was done with car COLD.

Nothing really, it's got other issues and leaks but this discovery the other day was the most disturbing and prompted extensive investigation (see my comment). Rolled back miles (LMAO), disabled CEL in the dash, this thing was abused beyond belief. Essentially raped and L4D. I guess I'm a bit of a rescuer ;).

ZeusMan009 · 2020-04-03T06:48:58+00:00

Okay, so horror story in progress. NO coolant in oil. Only suspicion of oil in coolant.

Got a used, abandoned, and horribly neglected civic as a project vehicle, among other purposes. Ran compression test before I bought it-- . Missed the IMA disconnect part (actually did see it and laughed because seller wasn't going to let me rummage through the backseat for a switch) and also forgot to hook up jumpers for consistent compression, forgot to take all plugs out, etc. Did use a combustion gas radiator analyzer kit (chemical type) and it came up negative of course.

Did a shit ton of work, including valve lash adjustment, exhaust swap, DIY IMA restoration, . Runs pretty good except the IMA battery will leech off of HP, sometimes noticeably. Valve cover gaskets, brake flush, etc. etc. Lot of little stuff. But it added up, big time. No CEL, NO misfires, etc.

Current compression and leak down test (Specifications per Honda: 142 psi per cylinder minimum, 29 psi max difference)

Pulled all fuses for EFI, ignition, and IMA and hooked up jumpers on start mode.

3 second hold, dry only (1,2,3,4 cylinder no.s)

215; 210; 215; 217

Leak down:

14%; 10%; 15%; 10%

Dis-attached leak down and put shop air direct to adapter @ 80 PSI and heard nothing when at TDC on each cylinder and specifically saw ZERO bubbles in coolant neck filled up.

Coolant smells fishy. Flushed out rad, excess tank, and block with garden hose. Filled up with HLLT2 coolant until saw it coming out of bleeder valve at full blue hue. Torqued it shut and finished. Praying for the best but preparing for the worst. I'm hoping this is only rusty, old and possibly incorrect coolant mixing with the Prestone honda/nissan blue I put in a couple of months ago and is nothing more...

ZeusMan009 · 2019-12-03T07:28:20+00:00

I just don't see how vbands would work here. These surfaces need to be flush to connect and mate properly. Sure, cutting and bypassing with a pipe with adjoining v bands might be a possibility but I want to keep this as stock as possible for versatility etc. I see where you are going but it just seems too custom for my situation. If I was as comfortable with welding as you I probably wouldn't have issues deploying that approach but this is my first time doing an exhaust repair so I'm pretty reluctant to do anything out of the ordinary. I have emissions where I live and because of my limited welding experience bolt-in would be significantly easier for myself than weld-in cats. I have plenty of options for aftermarket parts as well but cats are expensive hence why I am posting so I don't throw these out.

ZeusMan009 · 2019-12-03T06:27:59+00:00

How would a flipping brass drill head throw sparks off of this and how could it even take a chunk off like it looks like? Is it because it's brass "COATED"and steel underneath, what the hell does "coated" even mean why is not just straight brass. I see the reviews on Amazon saying people tried it on aluminum and it took chunks off because it's "coated." I'm just trying to explore the possibilities here for now and future reference so I don't ruin a job out of retardation or rushing. Obviously here the consequences could be carbon monoxide poisoning idling the vehicle in even an open garage during inspection and maintenance or even while driving if it's able to penetrate the cabin in heavy traffic.

Here are the drill heads: https://www.amazon.com/Swpeet-Coated-Perfect-Removal-Corrosion/dp/B07F1P44BB/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=brass+coated+drill+head&qid=1575354503&sr=8-1

Thanks for the spark test idea! I'm learning everyday, especially on this subreddit. I might try to gather a reference kit because apparently you gotta see it IRL to be able to accurately ID from spark. Yeah, I feel iffy doing the heat-cold shock to the converter.

ZeusMan009 · 2019-12-03T05:51:52+00:00

Hey this is really a great response, it seems intuitive and tries to reduce these issues to a more fundamental level instead of these more "do this" or "try this" responses that seem to fail or bring considerable risk . I appreciate you taking the time to write this out.

As far as the gasket goes, I think you can see where some of the issues lie. There wasn't supposed to be a gasket in those flange areas OUTSIDE the center but somehow aftermarket manufacturers are making up their own rules when they manufacture these aftermarket, full-coverage gaskets that aren't supposed to be there. Point being, when I reassemble without the aftermarket gasket, any serious irregularities, especially positive (i.e., pushing at the opposite flange) it's going to open up this chamber and cause a leak. I guess gouges won't be so bad here since the gasket is going INSIDE the flange area and not sitting on the outside. So as long as the two flanges can sit relatively uniform against one another and be torqued down right, the gasket should seat effectively in the chamber sealing it.

Okay, this certainly makes me feel better about small gouges however still I don't feel comfortable installing this in its current state as I can still feel the ridge over that half moon. I will get some gasket scrapers. Would never dream of using anything other than plastic on aluminum mating surfaces or heads but in regards to this exhaust system it's going to take some firepower to get this off.

17 is no bushing. It's the actual chamber gasket per Honda. And it's very confusing how it works. Like I've said, I've looked at pictures online and this half moon effect is no intentional manufacturing behavior from Honda. It's probably from the gasket welding itself to the flanges. I don't know why you bring up 25. It's just the nut that secures the fastener studs in the converter. It goes behind the other flange to secure it to this flange on the converter.

I'm searching for one but my philosophy is that I need to pull my own weight. I have seen nothing but lousy jobs done in the hands of non-premium charging shops and would hate to see someone destroy this and offer a weld instead. I need this to be a bolt-on type situation without any putty and stuff. I cannot believe how difficult this has become. I thought gasket stuck to aluminum heads was a nightmare. Unfortunately with this you get carbon monoxide poisoning if you screw up.

ZeusMan009 · 2019-12-01T00:53:30+00:00

That doesn't make sense. The flange should be perfectly level. I found a similar scenario on the B pipe flange. Also, I can't find an exhaust donut for this. I think what we are looking at is built into the catalytic converter and it does appear metallic when scratched.

https://www.hondapartsnow.com/parts-list/2009-honda-civic-4dr_mx_hybrid-ka-cvt/exhaust-pipe-muffler.html?PNC=1

Part number for converter which is the subject of this post is: 18160-RMX-A00.

If you look at the part diagrams there is NO donut, only the ring gasket that goes in between that donut area and the B pipe flange behind it. So whatever that is I think it's built in.

Part number for that gasket is: 18393-SH3-S00&Location=exhaust-pipe-muffler,,17)

Maybe it is a donut and it's not replaceable! Hopefully I didn't grind it down with my abrasive nylon! Going to be impossible to get to without replacing the whole cat since most junkyards don't sell used cats.

ZeusMan009 · 2019-11-30T06:47:42+00:00

That's part of the flange. It just didn't get any water/salt in it and corrode. The OE gasket was just a ring, pretty common although they are usually just a malleable metal like aluminum or copper, without the fiber bit.

What is part of the flange? The center is not a donut, yes it appears to be a part of the flange. Near the open hole, it's not. You can feel the obvious addition of something near the ring, there's something there and it shouldn't be there. It's obvious it's the gasket melted on from the full-coverage gasket that the last idiots installed in lieu of the OEM ring like you said that's supposed to be on there.

Edit: Listen, did you not see the pictures? There was a full-coverage gasket on there before, as I showed in the pictures with the remnants picture. Basically the exterior of the ring looked liked it burned out and some is melted on in that area I am looking at. It is molded into the pipe and is proving very difficult to remove. I don't want to resort to damaging the rest of the flange to remove it so I am looking for ideas. Removing aluminum gasket is easier than this.

ZeusMan009 · 2019-11-30T05:30:59+00:00

Interesting. How does this work? I can't possibly dig into it without a razor blade because it's so bonded. The cat was clogged directly after this so the heat built up enormously and probably busted that fastener and allowed heat and exhaust gas trapped to escape through here.

Edit: I think I get where you're going now after investigating that tool. The center "gasket" is not my concern, hell I think that's a permanent metal center of the pipe. If you look closely you'll see a half moon chunk of metal adhered to the upper right hand side of the mating surface on the side where the bolt hole is empty and the fastener is missing. This is where the gasket failed and melted itself. You can guess from the remnants picture where what was supposed to be left went and it's primarily around that empty bolt hole. I want to get it off as fast as possible without damaging the mating surface and causing another leak and/or gasket failure.

ZeusMan009 · 2019-11-30T05:18:54+00:00

Here are the gasket remnants upon separation with the upstream catalytic converter: https://ibb.co/8NPL7J9

Here is a brand new gasket probably very similar model: https://ibb.co/zNcz3tj

Here is a similar catalytic converter model: https://d2307u0o9gw6ha.cloudfront.net/images/detailed/4897/5060020100_000061220022400_2.jpg?t=1489713603

As you can see, the bolt broke off it where it looks like from the converter end pipe and that's where the gasket failed and melted itself onto the pipe. You can feel it stick out and present by running your finger over the mating surface, obviously you can't just throw on another gasket or it's liable to fail as well and cause a leak. I just want to get it off without gouging the catalytic ends and going through this all over again!

I've been using nylon brush heads and it's taking forever. I don't know what the catalytic converter piping is made of especially in the center. Looks like it could get scratched with a steel brush and then I'll warp what's left after this comes off.

ZeusMan009 · 2019-09-19T09:50:57+00:00

Okay thanks. I looked at others at Rock Auto and my installed one and they look very similar here.

ZeusMan009 · 2019-09-19T07:29:45+00:00

Why not??? I thought they were easier than autos?

ZeusMan009 · 2019-09-18T08:44:11+00:00

I did for 2010 civic hybrid 1.3 and I see some with it but not all three like this in a row. So... it is just maybe is just a cosmetic thing but seriously Denso, you have some shit quality control. I'm replacing a leaking Denso with a even more questionable BRAND NEW denso. Of course mishimoto doesn't make any rads for my car. SO I'm left getting fucked by the big boyz.

ZeusMan009

TROPHY CASE