Smoke from painted headers
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,337
Likes: 14
From: Norfolk VA
Smoke from painted headers
When I run my engine I notice smoke coming off the headers. While running there are no oil leaks, just smoke. I then used my nose... it smells like the paint from the headers. I have black painted Dynomax headers. Is the smoke the result of the paint being burned? Is this common for black painted headers? I cannot afford to pop for cermaic coated ones yet.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,387
Likes: 2
From: Meriden CT
are they new? sometimes if they are new, oil's and grime you cant really see will burn off. also, if you've gotten any grease, coolant, or anything else on them it will burn off. once you drive it around a bit they should be fine. as for discoloration, you shouldnt see any, but if you do, I'd contact dynomax
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
They always smoke the first time a motor is fired. You should have seen my newly wrapped and painted headers smoking this past weekend. You would swear there is a fire in the shop but after the first firing and run in they stop smoking.
It is normal to smoke.
It is normal to smoke.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Originally Posted by Oldguard 7
When I run my engine I notice smoke coming off the headers. While running there are no oil leaks, just smoke. I then used my nose... it smells like the paint from the headers. I have black painted Dynomax headers. Is the smoke the result of the paint being burned? Is this common for black painted headers? I cannot afford to pop for cermaic coated ones yet.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,663
Likes: 3
From: Palm Harbor FL
I don't know about Dynomax, but on my Edelbrock's, the paint basically burnt off and then the rust set in. If the Dynomax's are the same, they smoke, they stink and then they just look like crap. If I had to do it all over again (which I will have to eventually), Id have popped for the ceramic's. Unfortunately, I was in a rush, they weren't immediately available and didn't have time to wait for them. 
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,676
Likes: 201
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
My 406ci runs and idles rich, I painted my Hooker headers and the paint did not smoke or burn off or turn color.
I burned the paint off my old headers at startup with my old 355ci.
You might want to play with the idle mixture to fatten it up a bit and let it run like that for a while when you bolt on freshly painted headers until the paint cures
I burned the paint off my old headers at startup with my old 355ci.
You might want to play with the idle mixture to fatten it up a bit and let it run like that for a while when you bolt on freshly painted headers until the paint cures
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
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From: Pine Bluff Arkansas
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Originally Posted by norvalwilhelm
They always smoke the first time a motor is fired. You should have seen my newly wrapped and painted headers smoking this past weekend. You would swear there is a fire in the shop but after the first firing and run in they stop smoking.
It is normal to smoke.
It is normal to smoke.
