loud ticking from collector!

tondog

Registered User
ever since i installed my kooks mid length headers i have had a pretty loud ticking noise from the collector. i dont think that the guy who did my exhaust put a gasket between where the header and down tubes meet. if there was a gasket there would it quiet it down? ive heard other guys sc's with the same headers and no tick, but i dont know if they had a gasket.
 
There is no gasket between the header and downtubes. The header has a ball and the downtube has a flared end and a pair of flanges clamp the two areas together.

The flanges will bend if over tightened and will cause uneven pressure around the flange resulting in a leak. The flange on the header side can also deform the ball (crush inward) on the end of the collector creating a small gap in the sealing surface between the ball and the flared pipe. Mine is doing the same thing now on the drivers side. Mine started leaking from engine movement.

Take it back or loosen the flanges and reposition them to try and get a better seal. In extreme cases I've also seen people apply a 1/4" bead of high temp RTV to the mating surfaces to stop leaks. That is probably what I'll be doing since my headers have been re-welded around the ball and the flanges have already bent and been straightened a couple times.

David
 
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