just installed used obx headers for $100. I couldn't pass it up. It took my friend and I 8 hours cuz of the bolts were soo hard to get off. yes i did use wd-40 and it still didn't work. We had to use that trick where u use two wreches to give u extra leverage.
Well im very happy with the headers. I don't have any resonance but i do have a clicking sound around 3k-4k rpm. is that normal? I used the stock gaskets and bought new bolts for the headers-downpipe.
Also, the engine is sooo freaking loud now, it a good way, sounds so much more powerful, its that normal? since i never heard of headers making that type of noise.

 

sounds like one of your connections are loose causing the clicking noise and loud engine sound?

 

^^^ check all your conections again. spray some simple green on all the flanges and see if it bubbles or something

edit...that may mess up your polished finish...umm just use that hose trick...get some rubber hosing put it to your ear and snake it around your connections see if you can pin point where its coming from

 

sorry, what cliking sound are you talking about? i had mine installed a couple weeks ago, and when i rev up to only 3~4000rpm, it gives me a "high pitch" sound.

 

jeff you have resonance....man how many more threads do we fucking need about header sound?

 

yea i checked my connections, but i never read in any threads of the engine sounding more powerful. only annoying hissing noises. i read some had clicking noises but never found out what was the problem. my friend says my car sounds more like a american muscle car

 

here are some sounds of my engine, if you guys can plz help me out


http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...Recording2.wav
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...Recording3.wav

 

sounds like a header leak.

 

Take some soapy water and run it around the edges of the connections and see if it bubbles anywhere, or blasts all the foam away.

 

ya man thats a pretty significant leak...if you used the OEM ones then thats prolly the problem cause the oem stuff doesnt have gaskets on the part where the downpipe meets the manifolds....at least i dont think they did. get some gaskets and that should be fine.

 

thats waht i was looking for, but went ahead with the install anyways. Are you talking about the metal ring or the metal plate between the downpipe and the headers. I only have the ring installed.

if i need the plate where can i get it?

i am using the stock gaskets between the headers and the engine because i heard the aftermarket ones causes resonance.

 

The stock ones are fine. Thats what comptech uses, and you don't hear us complaining about resonance/leaks

Just make sure they aren't completely flattened or cracked or anything.

 

I'm just gonna take this time to say... take those headers and throw them away.. obx is not a good qualety.. i'm a strong believer in doing things right or just not doing them at all.. i have owned obx in the past and had all bad issues with them.

 

well i don't have the money right now to get other headers, i never really had enough in the first place, but i got it cuz it cost just 100 bucks, install with the obx headers was very easy, just taking the freaking stock ones off was a @#$!#@. 7 hours to take it off and 30 to put obx headers on.

these are what i am looking for, cuz it didnt come with my headers and i think it would help.



i am also thinking of getting three of these so i might be able to put one between the cat-back and the downpipe

 

Guys...that hissing leak is from the cheap-o flex pipe that all the generic headers have. Even if the bolts are tight, it leaks from there. OBX, Megan, etc. all have this problem. It's more an annoyance than anything. I have this issue too, and it irritates the crap out of me...BUT...I knew I'd have some sort of an issue when I paid 100 bucks for a header However i'll live with that noise because i'll have saved about 850 bucks from not buying a Comptech.

Do you Alphawerks users notice this problem too?

 

chuck has no problems or resonance with his AW's i believe.

 

do u mean these?
my headers doesnt have the one near the front of the downpipe



I also paid 100 bucks so ill live with it np, as long as its not damaging to my car, or its something i can fix.

 

Yeah, those are the suckers that cause the high pitch squeal because the winding is not done very well. But it's a small price to pay because even those cheap headers make a massive difference in power---the stock CL exhaust manifold runners are TINY----and you still have a buncha money left over to buy mufflers and an intake (as compared to the CT)

 

alright, i guess i'll just get used to the noise, still happy about the buy, i'lljust use the left over money to buy ur pulleys and thermoblock spacers,
any other sugguestions? i already have a CAI.

 

AEM pulleys work too. Also you could do a set of mufflers to tone the car a bit.

 

i thought the aem pulleys are only for looks? cuz there are 2 kinds that we can get for our car right? one for performance and the other for looks

 

Its not the flex-pipe, its a header leak. You can obviously hear it.

Get UR pullies. The AEM are mostly just looks.

 

I had both the OBX (first) and then the Comptech Headers on my CL, and with my OBX using their gaskets, I could tell there were a few leaks when the engine was cold, because I heard the ticking, but once everything heated up and expanded, all went away. OBX had trouble in the past with cracks and fitament issue's. Usually with the OBX there was some resonance around 3-5k RPM's.
You surely got a good deal.

 

yes i have the ticking noise, but i used the stock gaskets instead. so if its not the flex pipe, its a leak. Would installing these gaskets connecting between the headers and downpipe solve the problem????



I heard AW doesn't have resonance and they include these gaskets. But i didn't get them with my obx headers. Where can i get them?

So is the ticking/ clicking noise reasonance or a freaking leak? I still get the ticking/ clicking noise at idle and worse at 3k-5k rpm. I still hear it after the engine heats up tho.

 

ITS A LEAK.

The fact that you said it gets worse as the RPMs increase just confirms it. Check all the torque specs on the bolts. One or two have to be loose.

The gaskets that it came with, or the stock ones should be fine. Unless the flanges are so warped that they don't create a good seal. If they are that bad though, I would toss them out.

Sounds like you need to tighten some bolts though. Are all the connections to the down pipe torqued to 43 lb-ft?

 

..... how do i check it its torqued to the right specs? i used all hand tools. i basically tightened them as much as i could. <---

 

Pick up a torque wrench from sears, or borrow one from a friend.

They're only like 70 bucks for a decent crafstman 1/2 inch drive 15-150 lb-ft torque wrench, plus it is a neccessity if you plan to do further mechanical work on the car.
Pep-boys or whatever may even rent them.

Hand tight doesn't cut it for these bolts. You need to get them torqued down to spec otherwise it will sound like it does now.

 

alright cool, i'll try it this weekend, hope it works. thx.

 

yea i just got my headers in yesterday and they sound fine wen its ideling but when the RPM reaches 2 or above usually is second or higher gears then i hear like the hissing/cricket noise it sounds normal to me and i kinda like it... ill try to get a recording in a little while sorry i dont have it allready but i just woke up lol...ill go out in a little

 

Folks, as i've said before, it's those damn flexpipes...when the engine torques those things break internally. I actually had a stethoscope to one about an hour ago on an Accord V6 with a Megan racing header. If you don't want to pay for a high end header (e.g. Comptech/Alpha/etc) that's the price you pay. Go to a muffler shop---the high pitch/cricket sound is coming from there

 

whats weird is that the cricket noise is not consistent. its very loud when i drive to school, but when i drive back i could barely notice it. It changes pitch after i turn off the engine, not during the drive.

 

Leakers.

 

ok so people are just complaining about the noise but does it have any influnece on performance or other negative effects besides the noise?

 

I cant find any stores that would rent air tools. Do u guys have any suggestions? I tried autozone, pepboys, and kragen. Even tho if i buy just the air wrench thing, i would still need a compresser right? im not too familar with air tools. I don't wanna buy it either since it would mosly like be a 1 time thing.

actually, how much should it cost to ask a place like midas to just tighten it for me? it should take like 15 min at most right?

fo me, the cricket noise is coming from the rear headers, it doesn't sound like its coming from teh flex thing. So im just gonna try to tighten the rear headers-downpine connections.

 

You don't need air tools to tighten the bolts.

Air tools should never be used to tighten bolts.

Go out and buy a torque wrench.

Heres some for 20 bucks plus shipping http://order.harborfreight.com/EasyA...ht/results.jsp
or you could buy one from sears for like $60.

 

Exhaust leaks can cause valve burning. depends on wear the leak actually is though.