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Header Smell?

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Old Apr 19, 2018 | 12:44 PM
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Default Header Smell?

Hey guys. So I recently installed some LG super pro long tubes & x pipe. Everything went great, however I have a weird smell. I did have the pipes ceramic coated, but the whole car reaks like a cigarette smell now. I don't understand. Is it from the ceramic coating being burned on or something? It's awful! I have no smoke from the exhaust, that's over with. But it just smells awful. I did not hook up the air injection system, & I left the crossover air injection pipe bolted up as I didn't feel like removing the intake manifold for one bolt.

So to recap.
97 vette
did not hook up air injection due to it not aligning up
installed lg long tubes
installed lg x pipe
installed high flow cats
installed spark plug boots
installed new exhaust gaskets
installed new spark plugs
installed lg tunnel plate
installed lg tunnel plate heat shield

What could be causing this smell??? I will get under the car & make sure nothing is burning alive down there.
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Old Apr 19, 2018 | 02:35 PM
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Do you mean plug wire heat socks?? Pull one off and give it a good smell.

If you have given the car a good run and properly seasoned the headers and coating, they should stop smelling pretty quick.

I would look to see if any thing is touching the headers or exhaust. ALSO,,, look around the headers and see if something is too close and getting toooo hot. Not necessarily touching but baking really bad.. That can cause a smell also. One area to inspect well is the AC HOSES!!

Bill
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Old Apr 19, 2018 | 07:52 PM
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Did the shop do any/a lot of welding and cutting down there? When I get that kind of work there is usually a weird smell for about a day.
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Old Apr 19, 2018 | 09:31 PM
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Pretty common... tell us if it doesn't go away after a few full heat cycles.
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Old Apr 21, 2018 | 01:54 PM
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Yup. Hasnt gone away. Except it may be more so an a/c issue as nothing smells in the engine bay, nothing is burning, etc. The smell is bad when the fan is on. I checked windshield air inlet, no buildup. I'm going to pull the blower & see if I can see anything. Anybody know a good disinfecting procedure or cleaning procedure?
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Old Apr 21, 2018 | 02:20 PM
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Try some ozium it worked great on Honda's when I worked there.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozium-Smo...&wl13=&veh=sem
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Old Apr 21, 2018 | 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Smoken1
Try some ozium it worked great on Honda's when I worked there.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozium-Smo...&wl13=&veh=sem
OZIUM is a good air freshener BUT,, If you have some mold, nasty stuff AC System disinfectant is what you will need. I know NAPA sells it but try AutoZone or Advance.

Did you pull the windshield cowl plastic cover. The real air inlet is under that. ALSO,,, Check the wiper motor well on the drivers side. If the drain udders are clogged, ALL KINDS OF NASTY STUFF will build up in that well. Pop off the udders and see if nasty comes out!!




Last edited by Bill Curlee; Apr 21, 2018 at 03:23 PM.
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Old Apr 21, 2018 | 03:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Bill Curlee
OZIUM is a good air freshener BUT,, If you have some mold, nasty stuff AC System disinfectant is what you will need. I know NAPA sells it but try AutoZone or Advance.

Did you pull the windshield cowl plastic cover. The real air inlet is under that. ALSO,,, Check the wiper motor well on the drivers side. If the drain udders are clogged, ALL KINDS OF NASTY STUFF will build up in that well. Pop off the udders and see if nasty comes out!!



Very true Bill OZIUM will not fix or cure that smell
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Old Apr 21, 2018 | 04:24 PM
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I did indeed pull the plastic windshield cowl(cracked my windshield in the process as the plastic was glued to the windshield itself, pulled the plastic and blam, big crack), inspected all udders, they are clear. Wiper motor area is clear, nothing clogged. So I pulled the fan, it smelled bad, but nothing in it. So this time I used compressed air & blew it out. Some dust came out, not much. I then lysoled the bageesus out of it, and then reblew it all out. I then sprayed lysol in each vent, as well as directly up where the fan sits. Reinstalled fan, now letting it sit running with ac on full blast. While that's running, I'm spraying lysol into the windshield cowl as well to try to clean up whatever got in there. Hopefully it's just the smell lingering. It's awful.
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Old Apr 21, 2018 | 05:33 PM
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Cowl cover removed:

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