I installed my ebay headers & even though it took 12 hrs to install, I love them. There's just one problem though. I can't tell if I have an exhaust leak or if the valvetrain noise is exagerated. I wish I could get a sound clip & upload it but I have no idea how to do so. basically I have a sound that sounds like: chchchchchchchchchchchchchchchch.

Do your headers sound like this or do I have a leak? I have retightned everything at least 2 times. I have even been under the truck & checked out everything when it was cold enough for my breath to show up like a fog but I didn't see this coming from any of the joints.

Please help me out & let me know if this is normal or if it sounds like a leak. I may have to wait until our next meet to let some of y'all hear it & tell me if it's a leak or not.

 

I think in the long thread about the ebay headers there was a discussion about pronounced drivetrain noise, so it might be that, I'd suggest just scrolling through that thread, it cleared up most everybody's problems

 

Aftermarket headers usually are louder due to the material being thinner than the stock manifolds. Did you put your hand near the joints with the engine on to see if you can feel any air puffing out?

 

What kind of gaskets do you have? My pacesetters came with paper ones and it didn't even make it 50 miles before I had a leak. I went and got some Fel-pro metal gaskets.

 

I think the ebay ones come with those too, stock or aftermarket metal might be the solution

 

I re-used the stock gaskets, didn't want to use that trash that they sent with the headers. It sounds like it is before my cat-back magnaflow. I put my hand over all the joints & couldn't feel anything. on one hand, I think it's just exagerated valvetrain noise, but on the other hand, given that I have bad luck, I think it's an exhaust leak. I guess I'll have the gurus listen to it at our next meet.

l know that most people say that you lose low end power with headers but I don't feel like I lost anything with the headers. I love them! The only thing I hate is that when I have my family(wife & 3 kids) the headers & pre cat pipes are somewhere hitting on the frame. It makes me sick hearing them knock on the frame so I jack it up & make sure there are no leaks & everything is fine, but when my family is with me, it sounds like I don't know what I am doing. If it's just me, I think I'm gonna let madman set up my drivetrain & put a 2 piece driveshaft on the ole crew cab & let him look at it.

 

You can Take a piece of notebook paper and hold it around the header flanges/ joints to "See" if there are any leaks, the air will blow the paper.

Srry you had such a PITA on install, i had mine done in 2 hours on a gravel drive. Easiest install ive ever had.

 

get a buddy have him hold a bunch of rags in the tail pipe if its leaking you'll be able to find it with the back pressure

 

See that's the thing with these, I don't have a shop or lift. I installed these in my parent's garage. I had so many roadblocks with getting the stock system off. Once I got the stock pipes off, it was'nt a problem. I ride around with just me in the truck & everything is fine except for the chchchch sound & I think everything is fine. I load up the family & it makes all these sounds like the pipes are hitting against the frame. I'm at my wit's end. I'm just gonna let one of the more seasoned reps listen to it at our next meet.

 

Problem solved as far as the rattling sound when my wife & 3 kids are riding with me. When I hit a bump in the road, the driveshaft was hitting an exhaust hanger. I used the bfh to bend the exhaust hanger.