Bad Noise

[76blazerguy]

i have just installed headers, and today i had 2 super 40s put on with straight pipes and turn downs before the rear axle. And after spending all that money on the truck it now sounds like crap. There is a really bad ticking noise which is coming out of out of the pipes, it speeds up with revs and sounds really bad when you give it some gas and the revs go down. I did a little bit of searching i read that it could be the gaskets. Does this sound right? it didnt do this untill i put the stuff on. Could i have damaged something by driving to the muffler shop with open headers? Or should i just get some good gaskets?

 

[down4thakrown]

try and go over the header bolts and collector bolts. headders usually loossen up and have to be re tightend after there first couple of miles. while your under there look for any cracks in the headers around were they meet.

 

[Russell]

Get some copper, or deadsoft aluminum gaskets -- They'll seal up real quick, and not blow out.

Also, use regular exhaust manifold gaskets for the headers. They seal far better than header gaskets do, and cut the material between front port, middle ports, and rear port. This allows pipe to flex a bit, and seal up better.

I did these three things, and my headers make absolutely no ticking noises Standing in my engine compartment, my engine is very quiet, just the slight ticking of injectors, air sucking through the air ducting, and the exhaust note out of the pipes

Oh, one last thing -- Don't overtighten the collector bolts, or the bolts that go into the head. You'll warp the flanges in a real hurry! I spent hours straightening mine out after making that mistake :S

 

[76blazerguy]

k thanks, i really hope it goes away after the new gaskets. Its annoying! Are summit copper gaskets ok?

 

[Russell]

copper is copper, I'd imagine they'll work. I used Mr.Gasket myself, but thats just cause what pepboyz on crack had (aka, Canadian Tire)

 

[sweetk30]

i used manifold factory style gaskets. worked great.

 

[Leper]

Don't use the thin copper"racing" gaskets for the head. They are too thin and your headers will leak worse.

 

[keifer]

I have very good luck using header gaskets with high temp rtv on both sides,

 

[76blazerguy]

i put new coppers ones on today and tried the rtv. and its still making that noise. What should i do now? I checked the collectors to

 

[sweetk30]

i used manifold factory style gaskets. worked great.