Help Plz. Just installed headers
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 51
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From: San Jose CA
Help Plz. Just installed headers
i just put in my headers (headman headers) into my vette i got a 76 i painted the headers with silver 1200 degre paint and i also installed CATS but here is the thing the car sounds funny now and poopie lode of smoke is comming from the headers i cant figure out if its the paint burning or its comming out of my vettes engine in and im realy an amature at this and i put the hole exaust together myself. could i have put the cats on backwards or did i put in the exaust pipe into the cat to far so builds up back presure now? what could be up also had trouble starting. i havent started it in 3 weeks. This is like killing me :cry I keep thinking my vette is messed up. Also i think the engine is shaking more then it should im not sure though i had a lot to think about when i started it.
Racer
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 386
Likes: 0
From: Niedernhausen, Germany
Re: Help Plz. Just installed headers (76StingRayL-48)
For the smoke - this is normal (I had the same on my headers when I painted them). The funny sound might come from the cats. Of course also, these create more back pressure. You definitely need to readjust your carb to the new exhaust - simply because you altered the part of the car, your engine is exhaling through. I.e. if you engine can exhale better now, it will flow more air. To retain the same ratio between air and fuel you need to readjust the carb in a way to give it more fuel. So first try the idle-mixture screws and open them a bit and see if the idle improves.
Of course if your engine breathes more heavily than before (could be due to the added cats), he might obtain too much fuel. So trying to close the idle screws might help in that case.
Also, after the idle is OK, it might be necessary to re-jet the carb to also improve mixture for cruise- and high-rpm operation.
Good luck and do not worry - your baby will be fine again!
Thomas
Of course if your engine breathes more heavily than before (could be due to the added cats), he might obtain too much fuel. So trying to close the idle screws might help in that case.
Also, after the idle is OK, it might be necessary to re-jet the carb to also improve mixture for cruise- and high-rpm operation.
Good luck and do not worry - your baby will be fine again!
Thomas
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 5,768
Likes: 3
From: San Diego CA
Re: Help Plz. Just installed headers (76StingRayL-48)
i just put in my headers (headman headers) into my vette i got a 76 i painted the headers with silver 1200 degre paint and i also installed CATS but here is the thing the car sounds funny now and poopie lode of smoke is comming from the headers i cant figure out if its the paint burning or its comming out of my vettes engine in and im realy an amature at this and i put the hole exaust together myself. could i have put the cats on backwards or did i put in the exaust pipe into the cat to far so builds up back presure now? what could be up also had trouble starting. i havent started it in 3 weeks. This is like killing me :cry I keep thinking my vette is messed up. Also i think the engine is shaking more then it should im not sure though i had a lot to think about when i started it.
Sound will be different with headers - there is a certain 'tinny' sound related to headers as the header tubes cannot dampen the sound of the exhaust pulses as well as cast iron.
Depending on the type of cat you used (2way vs 3way) will determine if you can put it on backwards - 2 way cats (no secondary air tube) I believe are reversible, 3 way cats have a secondary reaction block with different catalyst compounds - I do not know the consequences of reversing these.
A good monolythic cat should be reasonably immune to how far your head pipe is installed into the cat - in any case it is not likely that the cat will provide backpressure in excess of the single exhaust you had before.
You will need to reset your idle and perhaps rejet or at least change mixtures (mixture is idle only though).
Dont give up. :cheers:
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 5,202
Likes: 10
From: cincinnati ohio
St. Jude Donor '09
Re: Help Plz. Just installed headers (76StingRayL-48)
The smoke is likely the paint...as far as running and sounding off, sounds like you may have a plug wire or two mixed up :cheers:
