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Use a jack to raise the rear of your Mustang off the ground and secure it with jack stands. Do not attempt to repair or remove any part of the exhaust system unless you are certain the car has not been running. This system gets very hot when the engine is fired.

Use plastic ties or heavy duty wire to secure the exhaust pipes to the Mustangs frame. Once the catalytic converter is removed, these pipes may fall if not secured.

Locate the Mustangs O2 sensors. There will be one in front of the catalytic converter and one behind in Mustangs manufactured after 1995. You should only have to remove the one in front. Use an O2 sensor wrench to loosen the sensor and its connecting pipe, then remove them with your hand.

Use a socket set to remove the bolts in the front and rear of the catalytic converter. Sometimes this is difficult to do. If they seem frozen into place, spray a rust-breaking automotive lubricant on the bolts and allow to sit for one hour.

Tap the catalytic converter with a hammer, keeping one hand on the unit. If it seems to move easily, pull it out of the muffler pipe and remove it. If it does not move easily, rap it several times with the hammer until you can remove it with your hand.

Remove any components necessary to access the timing belt on your vehicle. Disconnect the mounting bolts for the timing belt guide with a socket wrench if your vehicle has manual transmission. Remove the timing belt guide from the engine block.

Remove the center bolt for the idler pulley of the timing belt with a socket wrench. Disconnect the idler pulley from the engine block, and detach the timing belt from its pulleys. Remove the mounting bolts for the tension adjuster of the timing belt, and detach the tension adjuster from the engine block.

Hold the tension adjuster with a vertical press and press the adjuster rod to align the hole in the rod with the hole in the cylinder housing for the tension adjuster. Place a 2mm Allen wrench through the holes to hold the adjuster in place.

Install the tension adjuster to the engine block with a socket wrench. Connect the belt idler pulleys to the engine block, and torque the mounting bolts to 28 ft. lbs. with a torque wrench.

Turn the crankshaft sprocket clockwise to align its timing mark with the timing mark on the oil pump cover. Rotate the camshafts clockwise to align their timing marks with the timing marks on the timing belt cover.

Install the left part of the timing belt onto the crankshaft sprocket, upper left idler pulley, left camshaft sprocket and lower left idler pulley in that order. Hold the lower left idler pulley in place. Continue installing the timing belt onto the lower right idler pulley, right camshaft sprocket and crankshaft sprocket in that order.

Align the timing marks for the crankshaft and camshafts if necessary. Pull the Allen wrench from the housing of the timing belt tension adjuster.

Install the timing belt guide and fasten its mounting bolts by hand if your vehicle has manual transmission. Adjust the timing belt guide so there is 0.019 to 0.059 in. clearance between the guide and the timing belt. Tighten the mounting bolts for the timing belt guide with a socket wrench.

Replace any components you removed in step one to access the timing belt.