just got a reply from comptech

I read your e-mail and the thread in the link s you sent me. I'm not
quite sure what to tell you. The others in the thread have many other
mods to their car i.e. non-factory cats non-factory cat-back/ Comptech
cat-back or this Cusco lower strut bar. I don't want you or anyone else
to feel like we are blowing you off, but it doesn't appear that there is
any issue with the header itself. It sounds like a combination of
things. If you fell there is a quality or a direct problem with the
header itself then we would be more than happy to address the issue. Let
me know if this is the case.


Thank you,
Billy Fetterman
916-939-9118

 

whats the email address, i do not have cusco or aftermarket CAT, just comptech headers...

 

i just sent it to the sales support email address.

Bill : BillyF@comptechusa.com

Comptech : Info@comptechusa.com

 

I had a stock cat when I had my Comptech header.
As previously mentioned I also experienced rattling from Comptech's TSX header and I tried having a different hanger made to remedy the problem.
It barely (if any) made any difference at all and then I tried using a different cat (Carsound High Flow) which has a smaller body, it still rattled the same.
I came to the conclusion that its has something to do with the flex pipe of the Comptech header because even the DC Sports headers I had didnt rattle (although the flex pipe did eventually seperate w/ the DC header).

 

i am definately getting rid of the comptech header if the shop that installed it cant fix the rattle issue. i tend to be sitting parked in my car with the ac alot and its getting really annoying hearing that sound.

 

does everyone with comptech headers have this problem?

 

Nope

 

the service manual say the header bolts should only be tightened to 33ftlbs. that to me seems extremely low. would be bad to tighten them to 40 or 50ftlbs.

 

OK for those who have this rattle @ idle with the AC on, whats the real solution? Any one come up with one yet?

Whose just going to leave it and live with that small rattle?

I went to Acura dealership and they can't pin point where the rattle is coming from, seems like its close to the actual exhaust.

 

haven't heard of a solution yet

 

Not sure we've even identified the exact source of the rattle either.

 

its an anomaly in the matrix

 

i'm gonna try relocating that header hinge and replace all the hangers by next week or so. i'll probably do it when my UR pulley comes in.. just do all at once.

 

Don't forget, this is an aluminum block with steel studs. You over tighten them and you are likely to do some damage. DO NOT go above 33 ft lbs.

 

I had a rattle and now I don't. I found the heat shield just above the flex pipe made the same sound, so my must have been harmonic (ie the exhaust gas inside the header resonated to the heat shield at a frequency that rattled the heat shield).

CCC found that his A/F sensor was broke and MAY or MAY NOT be the source of his rattle.

jigga can't pinpoint with percission

IMO, there are only a few points of potential failure specific to the header as it is 1 solid unit until you reach the flex pipe.

1. Header to block flange is rattling. Likelihood, minimal
2. A/F sensor. Likelihood, moderate
3. Downpipe harmonics to heat shield. Likelihood, moderate
4. Flexpipe failure. Likelihood, moderate
5. Hanger to header. Likelihood, minimal
6. Header to cat flange rattling. Likelihood, slightly moderate

There just isn't that much that can go wrong with this header, but there is a lot around the header that could is my point. Others chime in if I missed any.

 

Really? I don't think my mech. checked how much he tightened it by, just torqued it till he thought was secure, could well be more than 33ft lbs. Is it necessary for me to go back to tell them to undo it and re tighten it back to 33 fl bls??

 

At this point, what's done is done. Those studs are only meant to be torqued on twice; once at the factory and one more time in the life of the car. I learned this from a family member at Honda on the engineering side. Does this mean you can torque it more, sure, but it falls out of spec.

 

you say that you dont have it now? what did you do to your heatshield to alter it?

 

Moda way, if the bolts can only be torqued twice, can it still be removed right? I can just put new ones on.

Also, I too would like to know what you did to the heatshield to alter it?

thanks,

 

my rattle was not coming from my a/f sensor that I am sure of. I just new my a/f sensor was broken cause when I took it out of the header and shook the sensor it sounded like a baby rattle. I have just installed my new sensor and when I finish putting my car back together I will let you guy know if I have a CEL anymore.

 

come on moda, give us the solution!

 

Nevermind about the CEL, tell us if you still have the rattle.

 

I am 99 perchent sure I will cause I still have my lower cusco strut bar on. Maybe I will go take that off right now.

 

well I drove around for almost and hour after installing my new a/f sensor and the car still idles kind of low at like 700rpm which is probably due to the increased airflow I would assume. however in that time I only had a rattle once. I have also removed my cusco lower strut bar and that constant rattle is gone.

 

where is moda?

 

Sorry guys. I closed on the sale of my house and the purchase of my new house. It has been a HELL week.

To answer the heatshield question, I have done nothing to it. I just know when I tapped my heatshield, just aft of the header hanger with the nail of my finger, it was an exact replica of the rattle I had previously. Again, I did nothing to the heatshield at all.

As far as the torque issue, the bolts will inconsistently hold torque values after the 2nd torque on them. That isn't to say they will fail, just that their rating and quality make them consistent for 2 torques.

 

the MT idles at 800, not sure what's normal for AT, but that's probably ok

 

mine is AT and it idles at 700.
for this past couple days, my rattle softened down quite a bit and i still havn't done anything to it.

 

I have this rattle too. When I installed the cat and header, I had to pull the exhaust foward maybe half an inch or so, so that it can mate up and I can bolt it together. I wonder if the rattle is caused from that. When it does rattle, I notice that if I step on one of the exhaust tips it rattling goes down a little bit. Did anyone else have to pull their exhaust forwards a little bit when installing? I have an 06 BTW.

 

i don't clearly remember, but its either header or cat that is shorter than OEM length and it pulls the exhaust forward.

 

This is fairly common. The gap was obviously less with the 2 NAPA exhaust gaskets, but yes, I too had to pull mine up a very little bit.

 

Hey guys,

I've been seriously considering adding a CT header to my '06 TSX, but this thread has me a little worried about this rattling issue.

Can anyone else chime in about how obtrusive the rattling gets, and have there been any solutions? Disregarding the cracking issues, would the DC header rattle less since it's ceramic?

 

the rattle is not extremely obtrusive, but on the other hand i'm not sure if i would have done this mod if this would have been the end result. i'm pretty fussy, other people might not mind the sound. there is a chance you wont have this noise at all as well.

 

Well, I got the rattle to go away. What I did was unbolt the entire exhaust. I took off the comptech header, RT cat and the whole exhaust system. I assembled it on the floor and made sure everything was nice and snug and the top bolt going from the RT cat to the exhaust a little loose. I was able to put the header and RT cat together better since I didn't have to pull anything and bolt at the same time. Then once the entire exhaust system was assembled, I lifted it back onto the car and bolted the headers up an put the exhaust on the hangers and so far, no more rattle.

So the source of my rattle wasn't my header, it was the RT Cat not being bolted to the enhaust all the way and rattling since the flange o the RT Cat was the free floating kind.

 

I'm getting a new type of noise now. Not only do i experience occasional heavy vibration when i'm in "drive" and the a/c is on...but now I'm noticing this weird raspy sound that is coming from my exhaust. It sounds like a freaking wasp or something. When i shift to neutral or park or accelerate, the sound goes away. It is annoying. Any ideas what it could be?

I have the comptech header, random hi flow cat, and stock exhaust.

 

This is what I ran into too. My problem was caused by me trying to install a gasket between the cat and exhaust that was too thick. With the a/c on the car exhaust was rattling like crazy. When I went to check out the problem, I found out I could freely wiggle the cat and make it rattle. Some of the people with rattles might want to try inspecting the exhaust. You could even go to Midas and have them do a free inspection for you.

 

I took my car to meineke and had the car on the lift. I discovered that the header exhaust hanger ripped apart. The metal hanger on the header looks like it was hanging way too low for the rubber exhaust mount and it caused it to break apart. The tech at Meineke said they have to bang that metal hanger on the header up a little. So I ordered a new one, and i'm just waiting to put it back on.

 

Not likely to solve the vibration issue though. Do you have a stock exhaust or aftermarket? I was trying to find the source yesterday - kind of a waste of time but sometimes the sound is really annoying - it seemed more noticeable from the back seat, almost as if it were from under the seat. Very difficult to pin point low frequency sounds, but maybe the issue is related to the header coupled to the stock exhaust. Anyone with the hum and catback will kill that theory though.

 

Consider your theory killed

 

Thought you no longer experience the problem? If it just went away, it might not be the same issue.

Theory pending.