GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I need to remove the heat shield in order to inspect and/or replace the exhaust manifold gasket - which I am fairly certain is the culprit of my exhaust noise. But I'm not sure how to remove the O2 sensor. Do you need a special tool? I can't see how to get a wrench or socket onto the sensor because of the heat shields.
any advice/tips?

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You should be able to maneuver the new gasket in without removing the whole header (just take out all the bolts holding it onto the head and slip it in with the small clearance you get from the flex in the hangers) though, and if you find out you do in fact need to remove the o2 sensor be prepared for some headaches. I've had some that were so seized they actually tore the bung out of the header, and I had to weld it back on. That would be difficult on our cars because everything is stainless IIRC.
edit: I think I had to take my sensor out on the bench (in a vise) actually. Yeah just try to avoid pulling it at all.
edit 2: Didn't notice you were AWD. I've never seen the exhaust on those. Most of what I said still applies though.
If you're not 100% sure of where your leak is coming from it might be worth a little more investigation before you start taking things apart. See if you can get that heat shielding off and/or start poking around with an inspection mirror. You should see some obvious carbon trails where it's been leaking, especially since the leak is (presumably) before the cats.
Does the leak make a ticking or rattling sound? because if it's right up near the head it doesn't sound like an exhaust leak at all, it sounds more like a valvetrain or rod bearing issue.

Its more likely that the issue is the donut gasket on a gen1...very easy to replace..