How long do the berk HFC last before needing to be swapped out ?


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What kind of evil are these bolts. Out of the 6 one ended up snapping but all is good since it was in the cat side. I made up new swear words putting my pipes on. And now I might be doing long tube headers:)

Hi,

Yesterday I started to disassemble my catalysts to replace them by Kinetic HFC.
Unfortunately, after 3hours of labour I had to stop because I was not able to get access to one of the 3 bolts on the front of the catalyst :crying:

http://nsa33.casimages.com/img/2014/...2003248586.jpg

http://nsa34.casimages.com/img/2014/...3332597636.jpg

It was OK to remove the top screw from the engine bay using a long wrench, but for the other bolt I don't know from where and using which tool I can loss it because the access is too tight. Moreover bolts are completely rusty :mad:

Can you please try to explain how to proceed and add pictures of the right tool I should use please ? Thanks for your help !

Fock... We have all been there. When I did mine, one seemed to pop loose, but actually it had slipped and started to eat up the head of the bolt. The whole process took me about 6 hours, but was worth it.
So to get to your question. It's been about 6 month since I did the cats, but you should be able to get 2 on each side from the top. One is visible, but the other is still accessible, but you have just fish around from the top, go where it should be and drop it one the bolt. Another option is to have someone underneath guide it to the right spot. I think I might have used a swivel right after the socket on that one. By the way if it starts to strip the head, the "Irwin" bolt extractors are a must... It bites into the messed up head and saves the day (you did soak them with penetrating spray, yes?). You can also access the bolts from underneath, but you really have to be patient. At first glance you would think no way, but if you use a box wrench with a slight bend on the closed end you can fish it over the bolt and drop it on. Here are some pics of the tools and if all else fails you can take it to a muffler shop, but you can really do it yourself.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/30/muhejeby.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/30/use8apu7.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/30/u5urave2.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/30/y8uza8ut.jpg

Hi SkipinJupiter

Thanks for this clear explanation and for pictures ;)

Yes, I did use penetrating spray, but it is really rusty...)

I have also ordered a 14mm "Irwin" bolt extractors on Ebay. I hope to get it for Friday because I have booked a "self-garage" where I can use many tools and use a car lifter :rolleyes:

:hello:

One more question... Do I need to unscrew the Y-pipe as well (on the muffler side) to be able to remove the cats :confused:

Deciding...Hmmm
 

I'm leaning towards getting a set of these. I have a different set up presently and really like the sound and performance. I have stock headers & cats into an OEM Nismo H mid-pipe and ending with a Top Speed axle back. Can I assume it would get a bit louder? Would performance increase noticably?

Comments?

:tiphat:

Fock
I had no issue with the Y-pipes and the Berks matched right up on my 2010 370 sport. Good luck Friday.

Pfdaxe
The change I've noticed with the HFC are a nice raspy sound in the mid to upper RPM when you half get into the throttle. If you are real gentle with take off, you hardly notice. I guess my thought is it's just right.
The performance is a bit better (there are stats somewhere to verify the fact). The trade-off in my situation is a loss of about 1 or 2 MPG.

MPG Loss
 

:confused:You should be getting a MPG increase since the HFC's decrease back pressure. Wonder what could be causing your loss. Have you Dyno tuned after installing?

Duke:
No, haven't Dyno tuned. Just an unscientific resetting the average MGP setting a couple of times and watch it drop from 22.5 to 21.
I've seen others say improvement, some say loss. I would agree without remapping for the new HFC the computer might be dumping in more fuel with the improved air flow.
Have you Taken yours in for a Dyno tune? If so, what were the results.
I've read some horror stories of bad Dyno shops... As in getting a call saying Dude, your engine seized up for some reason.

I just ordered mine today and will be installing next week (time permitting). Question is, is this a two man job or one? I installed my stillen gen 3 intake system, but is this another beast or about the same?

DIY: Berk Technology HFC Install
 

Zae757
It's a beast for sure... On your back with tough angles and no space or 4 foot extensions to get to the top bolts from the engine compartment... But it's kind if a one person job unless you want someone to grab sockets rather than slide out from under the car.
If you have your buddy helping and he strips a nut (a real possibility), you might get pissed at him.... Plus it's crowded under there.
All you are unbolting are nuts, the studs are welded to the old cats, so no need to hold the other side. This is not true with the replacements as they are nut/bolt combinations. I did have to get the wife to hold a wrench topside while I got under the car to snug it up as they were both turning. It's all worth it because they sound great.

SkipinJupiter, did your check engine light come on?

It can be done alone. Buy a 14mm impact socket! You are more likely to snap the bolts than round them off. Believe me, after wrestling with the cats, snapping a bolt is a wonderful thing.

Zae757

No check engine light issues at all.

FWIW, I have not had thrown any Cells since installing my HFC's several months ago.

And yes, it is definitely worth the effort in every sense of the word. You will love the sound and performance.

Check out this thread, http://www.the370z.com/intake-exhaus...s-reviews.html

Good luck and persevere. :driving:

LOL I was reading this article 8 Things Thieves Love To Steal From Cars and thought of this thread. If we could all park our cars in these areas, we could get our catalytic removed for free! LOL. Just skip to screen 5 to see what I am talking about.

I was able to get the bolts out of my cats using a 14mm impact socket, 1/2" swivel, 15" of 1/2" extension, and a 2' breaker bar. Try to stabilize the long extension with some wood and rubber so more of your torque is focused on the bolt head. I broke the top passenger side bolt off but the drivers side came out in one piece. Hope this might help someone.

Omg that berk HFC is a b*tch to put on...got it on though even though it took me n my brother 4 hrs to put it on. Sounds great though

zae757... Congratulations, enjoy!

...I actually had one thing to add in regards to the Berk HFC. They didn't exactly line up with the aftermarket Injen exhaust I have on my Z. Is this an issue that is common for the Berk HFC?

I did not have any alignment issues as I also have the Berk CBE. Everything fit perfectly.

Not sure about the Injen exhaust. Someone here should have a similar setup to yours and can comment further.

What type of adjustment/modification did you have to make to get it aligned properly?

The cat connecting to the exhaust was different. The cats had a larger hole than the exhaust but I was still able to connect the two...I haven't had any issues thus far but I was just concerned that I may have tried to put different cats that don't belong on my car, on there

that demon bolt... went through 2 extensions and a flex adapter and finally after a lot of pb blaster got it loose with an air compressed wrench. phew..

Just ordered mine today, I can't wait! Does anyone know if this has trouble passing CA smog?

I just finished up installing Z1 HFC's on my Z and I must say it was a lot easier than I anticipated. I snapped the top demon bolt on the drivers side after that it was all down hill. It took me just under two hours and a couple of beers:yum: I believe if you can install an exhaust or intakes, you can do this! Quotes from local performance shops were ridiculous! The exhaust tone got a little bit deeper and just a tad louder. I love it!

damn it I need this, why aren't the pictures showing up : /

So this thread is half useless now without the pics...

I found this video to be helpful when I did it. It's based on a 350Z, but essentially the same process.

just finished getting my oem cats out. what a pain. question. the one stud left in the header, does is stay?

Yes.

Thought I'd post in here to tell my Berk HFC install story thus far,

Today I spend about 2 hours trying to get the Stock Cats removed, using 3/8th inch extensions and several 14mm wrenches and sockets, and plenty of penetrating oil.

Got all of the bolts broken loose except for the two cursed bolts facing the headers and one of the two O2 sensors was being stubborn. The two cursed bolts wouldn't turn with the 20" worth of extensions, all of the torque was just lost in the extensions twisting, (even when I got it down to just 1 extension).

Also one of the O2 sensors didn't want to turn out, it broke loose and then stopped rotating, to the point where I started to round off the corners of the bolt, not sure what I'm going to do about that, put some penetrating oil on it and will retry.

After reading the full forum post, I went out and purchased some 1/2" extensions and am planning round 2 on Thursday Afternoon. If your reading this and going to do this mod, take my word for it 3/8" extensions are not good for those front facing bolts.

If anyone has any further suggestions, feel free to quote me. Thanks!

KBC

KBC
Yes there is some annoying flex using the 3/8 extension. When I did mine i was lucky enough to have a nice 1/2 breaker bar to which I added a small length of pipe over the end for leverage. I went to harbor freight and got some long 1/2 extensions and used an adapter at the end to be able to chose from several 3/8 sockets. Also handy is the "Irwin" stripped bolt removal socket kit that has spiral twisted inner edges that bite into stripped nuts/bolts... It got me out of a jam on one of the bolts.


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When I did mine the drivers side snapped loose fairly easily. The passenger side was a lot harder because i thought I had roundend it off and spent a lot of time and money buying things to try to grip it and drill it out. What finally worked on it was a swivel socket adapter. By using that it let me get the socket fully on the bolt and it broke loose. Btw i used 1/2" extensions and breaker bar with pipe attached.

Skipin Jupiter and Bryan 212.

Thank you both for you input and suggestions, it seems that a 1/2 breaker bar and extensions are the key to success. I was testing what I could reach today with my 1/2 inch extensions and I found I needed one mor. I was able to get the 6PT 14mm around the bolt with the extensions I have but had 0 clearance to really turn or attach a longer bar to my breaker bar. So it's back to the store for another extension and possibly that "Irwin Stripped Bolt Removal socket kit" as well, sbecause I got one turn out of the bolt and under further examination, it looks like I rounded the edges once. I was still able to get a bite from the socket after seeing the edges looked rounded. But better safe then sorry.

I will update on any further progress.


Thanks!

KBC

Alright I'm back again.

After trying 1/2 inch extensions, I have rounded off 1 bolt and have not moved the other bolt. I drove the car before trying to heat up the bolts, have put penetrating oil on both multiple times.


The error code that was thrown by my ECU is the P2A00, which is sensor 1 bank 1 error. So that's a $200 hurdle.

Does anyone have any other recommendations? My father is considering trying to pull off the side fender to get a short wrench directly on the bolt. not sure how that will work, gonna try all day Monday. Considering drilling out the bolt from the back just to get them off.

thanks,

KBC

DIY: Berk Technology HFC Install
 

KBC
you are in a position most of us thought about but didn't get stuck with (what if the the demon bolt wouldn't come off). Seems the majority of us had issues, but it finally would break loose or snap off.
On the rounded one, try an under sized socket with all the extensions and hammer it on to the bolt? I guess you already tried the Irwin bolt remover.
On the bolt that wouldn't budge get a longer pry bar. The logic would be its going to come loose, snap off or strip, but it's going to do something with enough leverage. Mine came lose, but it made such a pop I thought it broke.
The O2 sensor... Mine is a 2010 and I was surprised that they came off kind of easy... Good luck with that.
Just a note, since installing the HFC's it's never thrown a code, so once you are done you shouldn't have to worry about that.
Skip


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I couldn't get my passenger bolt off after over a week of trying so I drove it to a muffler shop and had them do it. They had snap-on tools that were apparently a lot better than mine. I brought my extensions just in case they didn't have enough to get to it. His swivel socket worked better than mine because it stayed straight as you guided it down to the bolt, where mine fell at a 90 degree angle and I couldn't get it on the bolt. He put a pipe on his rachet and put a lot of force on it and it broke the head off the bolt. I ask what I owed him and he said don't worry about it. I gave him a 20 and thanked the hell out of him, drove it home and finished the install. If I remember right he used 3/8" everything.

Quick update,

Finally got the two demon bolts off.

The bolt that was rounded off, tried extractor tool on it, extractor tool rounded off instead of grabbing bolt. Then tried to tap on a smaller diameter socket, no dice, so we ended up cutting the head off and grinding at the bolt for about 3 hours worth of grinding and checking and grinding and it was a joy when if finally came free.

The other demon bolt, added a universal joint to get past the steering column with 1/2 inch extensions and the baby snapped clean off. I was so happy I almost cried. No exaggeration.

The O2 sensor that didn't come out easy? Seemed to be cross threaded from the factory, there was a giant bubble of sorts connecting 3 rows of the threads. After not being able to find a dye big enough, we took a file to the bubble in the threads and made it fit well enough to screw into Berk HFC's and let it be.

Thank you to everybody who helped and made suggestings.

KBC

KBC
Good news, thanks for the update.
Enjoy!


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