The junkyard header that turned my muffler into a musical instrument

Pulled a set of used headers off a wrecked Civic at Pull-A-Part for $40 last Saturday. Got them bolted up to my 95 Miata, fired it up, and suddenly my car sounded like a dying trumpet mixed with a coffee grinder. Turns out the previous owner had stuffed a bunch of mesh wire inside the collector to fake a cat delete, and it all came loose on the first drive. Spent Sunday with a coat hanger and a shop vac trying to fish out that metal spaghetti. Anyone else ever get burned by a junkyard part that had hidden surprises inside?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmasmith4d ago

Oh man, that mesh wire trick is a new one on me but I guess I shouldn't be surprised what people cram in there to cheat emissions. I had a junkyard alternator that was full of dead mice and nesting material once, talk about a mess to clean out. Did the coat hanger trick work okay or did you have to drop the whole header in the end? Nothing like a $40 part turning into a whole weekend project that's for sure.

hill.barbara4d ago

Nah, I gotta disagree with you there. That mesh wire trick is actually smart if you know what you're doing. People act like it's some kind of crime, but half the emissions stuff on these old cars is just pointless restrictions from the factory anyway. Coat hanger worked fine for me, didn't have to drop the header at all. Took maybe 20 minutes tops. And honestly, that $40 part you mentioned is exactly the problem. These stupid sensors and cats cost way too much for what they do. I'd rather spend a few bucks on wire than drop hundreds on some overpriced part that makes my car run worse. Dead mice in an alternator is a totally different problem. That's just bad luck. Not the same as jury rigging a sensor to keep your beater on the road.