I just installed my xs power headers last week, and it appears that I have an exhaust leak. I went through and re tightened all of the bolts and every thing is tight....

I also got midas to look at the leak and the put the car on the lift and I went under the car and there was no leak. I also checked the flanges on the down pipe and those aren't leaking ethier!

The noise is similar to a sputtering noise similar to an engine ticking ati idle, But when I get up to about 2k-3k rpms it sounds like air escaping somewhere in the exhaust system. At first I thought it was resonance but the sounds are totally different. Midas said they had no idea. But they suck anyways!

My Question to yall is, WHERE THE HELL IS THIS NOISE THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN EXHAUST LEAK and WHAT CAN I DO TO TRY TO FIX THIS OR HAS ANYONE HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE?

Please imput some helpful advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

my obx headers have a leak,adn I took it to an exhaust shop and the guy used a stethoscope thing and determined that one of the gaskets between the collector and the heads was bad and hte exhaust was leaking form there. try to get a stethoscope to find out where it is.

 

its not a leak. its called resonance. the cheaper headers insides arent consistantly welded cleanly. some sets are good, and some are just plain jagged on the inside. thats where you are getting the noise from. there is no solution.

 

in response to your PM-

most likely its not leaking out anywhere. there is just turbulance inside of the header due to the jagged welds. you may be able to fix it slightly by changing out the flex piece at the muffler shop, but the welds where the headers go 3-1 are probably just as bad. just take them out and throw them in the garbage. i ended up going back to stock after all the headache.

 

That sucks... It just seems that there would be a way to fix that, but you can't really fix bad engineering.

Going back to stock maybe what I am going to have to do... I've had nothing but problems with headers eversince my integra it just seems all this shit isn't worth the couple extra gains.

Thanks man for the quick response, If I figure out anything I'll let you know.

And if there's anyone out there who still wants to reply to this thread feel free Im up to any suggestions!

 

headers are by far the best mod for the CL. you just have to fork out the bucks for CT's.

 

Couldn't have said it better

 

^ yep...i learned the hard way. the cheap ones are a waste of time. i had an excuse thought cause i was one of the first to try them

 

well... It was a hit or miss considering I have herd a lot of good things about the xs power headers, so i figured $140 fuck it I'll give it a shot.

Those CT's are expensive as hell, but you get what you pay for!

 

Lets not start rumors on the XS ones. You have no facts that this is what's happening. It's pure speculation. It may be true with others but XS has been different. Many pics posted of the XS welds.

Headers increase noise a little, you sure you just not hearing that?

It could be anything, might be a bad gasket, maybe a gasket not seated right, could be the headers too I'll admit that, but given the many posts of + results with XS I doubt it.

You have a way to record the sound it makes? Maybe do that & post it & we'll see what it sounds like.

 

Actually I've heard nothing bad about the XS headers. Check your gaskets. Have someone else listen to it and see if they complain about it too. Headers will always add some extra noise, maybe you're just comparing it to what the car sounded like before. See if one of your local members have CT's in their car and maybe you can compare sounds.

 

I like the headers and for the price its the best purchase i've made so far!

I know the headers are decent and it seems like all the welds are lookin good and the gains are real nice as well as the sound at high rpms, but up to about 3k rpms it sounds like a turbo spoolin up.

Unfortunetly theres no one around who has a cl or tl w/ ct's, shit there isn't even anyone around here who has a cl/tl.

The gaskets are fine, no leaks and when I installed the headers I put High Tack gasket sealant on them then lined them up perfect.

Im taking my car to the shop on the 23rd to get it dyno'd (doing a before and after results before I install my zex nitrous kit) so i'll have them take a look!

Ill post results as soon as I can!

 

i realize there have been not many problems with them, but that doesnt mean there arent any. he took the car to a shop and they found no leaks anywhere. that most likely means the noise he is hearing is resonance which would be coming from sloppy welds on the inside of the piping.

 

I agree with cltypeSLOW, I wouldn't say there are no issues with the XS. Yes they have consistently fit and that has been more than any other cheap header so far. But I have read a lot of threads on their resonance. And we all know for the kind of killer price you're getting on these the internals aren't going to look that great. In fact I looked at the set I installed and they were pretty bad but the exterior welds looked decent. They are a great bang for the buck but not without their problems.

 

i love my XS headers. nine months and still going strong. if you are talking about the whooshing sound, that is normal and the CT header does the same thing. do a search for the proof. the gains from both headers have been shown to be the same. I have no resonance and all the cases of resonance i have seen on the board turned out to be improper install for both XS and CT. those that were unresolved only seemed to be DIYers who refuse to see a good pro mechanic. My welds were clean.

 

Just a shot in the dark....Do you think that "wooshing" sound is from the flex pipe? cause if both the ct's and the xs's do that then I am guessing it's normal, right?

I keep reflecting back on when I installed my headers on my integra, and all I can remember is a solid sounding flow of air coming from the Header to the muffler there were no wooshing or hissing noises.

When I get off work today I am going to use my air compressor to push air through the tail pipe to see if I can find it that way.

If its fixable I am determined to find a solution not just for me but for everyone who may have the same problem on here!

I dont know about yall but I love the headers and the gains but that noise is driving me crazy, I guess I'll take the bad with the good!

 

I don't know that you can claim that they were installed incorrectly just b/c someone did it by themself. I'm not saying it isn't a possibility but that has always been a weak point on these cheaper headers: the flex pipe and therefore the resonance that ensues.

 

it is normal for either header to be acompanied by a whooshing shound. unless you have a metal on metal clanging sound, obvious leak, or a deep ressonant musical note ressonating thorughout the cabin they are supposed to sound that way. All makes seem to have some whooshing on the CL. There are lots of threads covering this. I thought mine were leaking when I first put them on. checked everything and nothing was leaking. while I do acknowledge it is possible you have a bad set, I doubt it. You have more than likely installed them correctly. You would hear more of a sharp whistle from an exhaust leak. enjoy, the dyno results are virtualy the same as comptech across the board. do a search and you will find several threads about this as well with posted dynos. just my bud

 

Did you use the 8mm bolts supplied with the headers? Most of the XS owners replaced them with 10mm bolts. They let you put more torque on them and more importantly, help to line up the header to the b pipe better. This should eliminate any turbulance or leaks.

So you only hear it between 2k-3k? Nothing before 2k and after 3k? When my pervious headers leaked, I could only hear it when I was more than half throttle and from 3k to redline. It was a high piched whistleing sound. Now I have the XS headers, no leaks or resonance.

 

Yeah I used the 8mm bolts.... and that is exactly what is happening! Half throttle is only when I hear it.

I am gonna go to the auto parts store tom. to pick up the 10mm bolts.

You pretty much hit the nail on the head man, that same sound!!!

Im anxious about it I want to swap the bolts now! lol because I have a real good feeling that might be what the problem is!

You've given me some hope on this I really appreciate your input

 

you should take a video and post it before you waste anymore money.

 

My Megan's make the whooshing sound at the same RPM's. Doesn't bother me. I still need to remove the first flex pipe though. I've noticed that anything OEM that has some kind of noise damper to the part makes makes that specific part quieter. Any aftermarket part you put on the noise is going to increase because the noise damper is not there anymore for that part. I thought I had leaks and I don't. You can also use a red laser pointer to see if you have any exhaust leaks .

So after, CAI intake, headers, exhaust, and crank pulley; my engine and exhaust is loud. Can't wait for the whine of a S/C'er!

And yes the extra power regardless of them being cheap is nice!

 

PROBLEM FIXED!!!!! THANKS TO RooEng!

I swapped the bolts on the flanges W/ 10mm ,1.50x30mm and there is no more whisteling sound!

I want to thank you guys for your input!!!

 

So that makes another happy person & another thread killed on XS resonance.

 

amazing that he cheapest headers out there are just about as good as comptech's which are 10 times as expensive.

 

good job! glad to hear it! now enjoy them.

 

I have currently on mine a deep can sound when i hit 2500 rmp. I current have the 8mm bolt and i am going to change them this weekend. I hope that can solve my problem becuase i truly like the difference..

 

Just get some DC Sport headers. You'll be happy with them. No problems what so ever.

 

same here, way over a year and no problems here except the flex pipe(not leaking but sometimes rattles against mesh

 

20k miles on my XS headers, trouble free and love them.