Noise after headers install

[cbrsilv15]

I put jba shortys on my last truck and had a leak right away. Tried oem gaskets, some gaskets from Autozone, and even straight red silicone. Still leaked up to the day I sold it. I wasn't sold on headers.

[Kbuell21]

Dealer just called they found the ticking noise, it's what aftermarket headers sound like is what they told me. Hmmmm??

[Kbuell21]

They said I could wrap them and it might help with the ticking sound heard inside the cab? Would it and what wrap would you recommend?

[KARNUT]

Some headers have a tick that's sounds like a lifter tick. Some exhaust leaks seal when they get hot. Usually an exhaust leak that's there hot stays and gets worse.

[Eddie 70]

As long as they have a nice thick flange a decent gasket and some kind of locking bolts, Stage 8, they should be pretty good at point where they meet the head. The collector end should have a nice gasket there and some locking bolts too. Wrapping them may help with noise and under hood Temps. I've never wrapped any. I was afraid water might soak in and help them rust.

[Darth_Vader]

Aftermarket headers can transmit more engine sounds than stock cast units, the long tubes in my Vette made for some interesting new noises that was easily fixed by more application of the right pedal.

[wuznme]

Headers will always have more pronounced engine noise...just have to run a smoke test to make sure the flange isn't leaking.

[07Softail]

Exhaust pulses are what your hearing...mine does the same thing!

 

RT

[Kbuell21]

Has anyone wrapped them? If so did it deaden the tick and what wrap did you use? Or any recommendations on what brand/type to use? Thanks for the help

[thewhitestallion]

I have long tubes on my Camaro, while I understand all engines and headers are different mine do not leak at all. The only sound difference they made once I put them on was it made my exhaust note much louder and throaty-er. If your exhaust is making a ticking noise then you have an exhaust leak, period.

 

Have you tried to see if the exhaust is leaking yourself? OP are you getting these put on at a dealership or an automotive shop that does aftermarket modifications.

[Kbuell21]

Dealer put them on and I had an exhaust shop go through the entire exhaust and they couldn't find a leak anywhere.

[ajmalian]

Did you ever figure out what the sound was? I'm having same problem with my headers.

 

 

Unfortunately not. In fact now I have installed long tube headers and even changed my cylinder head because the dealership had over torqued the bolts on the headers and ruined the threads in the cylinder head. After ALL that, still the sound seems to be there. I took it to a performance shop...they studied the truck inside out and it seems no leaks. They did however detect a minor amount of leakage from the flex pipe that connects my headers to my cat-back, that too when in reverse while holding the brakes down tight in order to put the engine under load, however they said that amount of leakage was normal from a flex pipe in any car, modified or stock. They proposed I could delete the flex pipe and weld on a solid pipe and change the coupling connection to a more secure flange type connection and hopefully that should do the trick...hopefully. And to answer the gasket issues, there is absolutely none.

 

So....should you or anyone ever find the problem, please let me know...solution can be found once a problem is isolated.

 

Look forward to your reply.

[Kbuell21]

My solution after trying and trying was to trade it in for a 2017. Sucks I loved that truck but I love this one even more. I was going to try one more thing and that was replace the cat on the drivers side but it was to expensive to risk it. If you ever figure it out let me know I would really like to know what it was causing it. Good luck.