Help! Pinging after header install??? Not sure??
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2005
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From: Winter Springs FL
Help! Pinging after header install??? Not sure??
I'm not sure if I'm hearing a little pinging or just the combustion sounds that stainless steel headers don't absorb. When I'm driving on the highway at about 70mph in 6th gear and I give it a little throtle, I think I hear some pinging but I'm not sure. 
Definately no knocking, but maybe some slight pinging. I always use Mobile super unleaded. I even threw a little 104 octane booster in just to see if it would make any difference. It didn't. How can I be sure that it's not pinging I hear? Is this sound a characteristic of headers? 
Definately no knocking, but maybe some slight pinging. I always use Mobile super unleaded. I even threw a little 104 octane booster in just to see if it would make any difference. It didn't. How can I be sure that it's not pinging I hear? Is this sound a characteristic of headers?
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 18,396
Likes: 169
Hmmm, it would be one of a couple of things. First, if you gave her a drink of 104, and the sound is still there, you can probably rule out pinging. It could be a small exhaust leak, or just the music of the headers. If you do not have a CEL, I wouldn't worry. Good luck.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,366
Likes: 9
From: Jacksonville FL
Originally Posted by burtonbl103
When i did this i noticed it as well
The headders make the drive train more noticeable !
Due to there design
You have no worries
The headders make the drive train more noticeable !
Due to there design
You have no worries
My LT headers did the same. You think its a leak or knocking, but its actually the exhaust pulses.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 12,094
Likes: 197
From: Colorado Springs, CO
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
The headers are thin wall metal compared to the thick exhaust manifolds they replace. The sounds travel through them and reach the driver. Actual pinging is highly unlikely since the car pulls timing if there is any. You must scan the car to verify knock retard but knock retard again is that the car pulled timing and not actually having pinging.
In the past, I would swear I was pinging and a scan showed nothing when the sound was there. Ears arent that accurate.
If anyone regardless of year is located near me and thinks this is an issue for them, shoot me a PM and I will meet up with you and scan your car for free.
In the past, I would swear I was pinging and a scan showed nothing when the sound was there. Ears arent that accurate.
If anyone regardless of year is located near me and thinks this is an issue for them, shoot me a PM and I will meet up with you and scan your car for free.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,565
Likes: 5
From: stafford country, va. Avatar: Me on turn 3 @ Bristol (The World's Fastest Half-Mile)
Originally Posted by SpinMonster
The headers are thin wall metal compared to the thick exhaust manifolds they replace. The sounds travel through them and reach the driver. Actual pinging is highly unlikely since the car pulls timing if there is any. You must scan the car to verify knock retard but knock retard again is that the car pulled timing and not actually having pinging.
the walls of the headers are thinner, at certain rpms, the exhaust pulses are slow enough to bounce off the walls at the transitions, and cause a 'ping type of noise', instead of smoothly flowing through the tubes. usually it sounds like a hollow ping instead of the solid ping that you get from engine knock. but spinmonster is correct, as long as the knock detector is working properly the computer will keep it from pinging long enough and loud enough for us to actually hear it.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 903
Likes: 5
From: Miami FL
ditto on spin/zigs comments. I had mine put on a couple of weeks ago. Cruising in 6th I gave it a little input for passing and heard what sounded like very very light ping, or noise coming from the headers. I figured it was the headers, and hooked up hptuners last night to finish up my tune and confirm 0 knock. It's just the noise.
dougie
dougie
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,796
Likes: 1
From: Annandale VA
I ran into this also on my C5 with coated Melrose headers. However, it turned out later that the car WAS running way lean, and the pinging was real.
One "acid test" is if the pinging gets worse on WOT pulls at around 4K RPMs. This is when combustion pressures are highest, so if you are running lean, pinging is most likely to occur. Another likely time is when you are cruising, & going up an incline. If the pinging gets worse when you apply throttle, you are problably running a little lean, or may have too much timing.
One "acid test" is if the pinging gets worse on WOT pulls at around 4K RPMs. This is when combustion pressures are highest, so if you are running lean, pinging is most likely to occur. Another likely time is when you are cruising, & going up an incline. If the pinging gets worse when you apply throttle, you are problably running a little lean, or may have too much timing.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 405
Likes: 0
From: Colorado Springs CO.
Originally Posted by HITMAN99
I ran into this also on my C5 with coated Melrose headers. However, it turned out later that the car WAS running way lean, and the pinging was real.
One "acid test" is if the pinging gets worse on WOT pulls at around 4K RPMs. This is when combustion pressures are highest, so if you are running lean, pinging is most likely to occur. Another likely time is when you are cruising, & going up an incline. If the pinging gets worse when you apply throttle, you are problably running a little lean, or may have too much timing.
One "acid test" is if the pinging gets worse on WOT pulls at around 4K RPMs. This is when combustion pressures are highest, so if you are running lean, pinging is most likely to occur. Another likely time is when you are cruising, & going up an incline. If the pinging gets worse when you apply throttle, you are problably running a little lean, or may have too much timing.
Mods such as headers cause the engine to run lean. I'd also guess that other mods were also done such as intake and exhaust. All contribute to a lean condition which is NOT good. The car needs to be tuned on a dyno to get it back to a normal condition. O2 sensors are another item that should be inspected.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 12,094
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From: Colorado Springs, CO
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
Originally Posted by C5-BRUCE
Mods such as headers cause the engine to run lean. I'd also guess that other mods were also done such as intake and exhaust. All contribute to a lean condition which is NOT good. The car needs to be tuned on a dyno to get it back to a normal condition. O2 sensors are another item that should be inspected.In fact just to show the extreme: I ran 1.8 rockers,stage 1 heads (11.4:1 compression with the stock cam) headers, air cleaners and a FAST manifold on the stock tuning since there was no programming at the time and when I got a HPtuners beta unit as a loaner from a friend, there was no knock retard/pinging with my extreme set-up on the stock tune.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
Originally Posted by mfinocc
I'm not sure if I'm hearing a little pinging or just the combustion sounds that stainless steel headers don't absorb. When I'm driving on the highway at about 70mph in 6th gear and I give it a little throtle, I think I hear some pinging but I'm not sure. Definately no knocking, but maybe some slight pinging. I always use Mobile super unleaded. I even threw a little 104 octane booster in just to see if it would make any difference. It didn't. How can I be sure that it's not pinging I hear? Is this sound a characteristic of headers?
Definately no knocking, but maybe some slight pinging. I always use Mobile super unleaded. I even threw a little 104 octane booster in just to see if it would make any difference. It didn't. How can I be sure that it's not pinging I hear? Is this sound a characteristic of headers? 
Racer
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 399
Likes: 0
From: Houston
Originally Posted by mfinocc
I'm not sure if I'm hearing a little pinging or just the combustion sounds that stainless steel headers don't absorb. When I'm driving on the highway at about 70mph in 6th gear and I give it a little throtle, I think I hear some pinging but I'm not sure. Definately no knocking, but maybe some slight pinging. I always use Mobile super unleaded. I even threw a little 104 octane booster in just to see if it would make any difference. It didn't. How can I be sure that it's not pinging I hear? Is this sound a characteristic of headers?
Definately no knocking, but maybe some slight pinging. I always use Mobile super unleaded. I even threw a little 104 octane booster in just to see if it would make any difference. It didn't. How can I be sure that it's not pinging I hear? Is this sound a characteristic of headers?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2005
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From: Winter Springs FL
Originally Posted by chempowr
I believe you have a predator with your other post? If so, you can datalog while running and see if the car detects knock. I'm not sure if the new cars/knock sensors are better but older ones would misinterpret knock if there were sounds similar to knock (like metal on metal). Good luck.
