Maybe its always done this, i havent really looked at night after driving on the istate for an hour... my ron header is hlowing red under the thermochrome ceramic coating... engine temp is right at 195 and holding.. afr is staying around 14.7 at idle... my exhaust begins with the ron header, gutted three inch cat, reduced to 2.5 and ran back to an lsj muffler... everything is thermochromed except the cat ....
Today was the first time ive driven my car in about a month... i drove up and down the interstate for about an hour and pulled up to the local car spot to find the header glowing.
Thoughts?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Saturday, August 18, 2012 6:11 PM
If you looked at it right away after driving it is not uncommon for them to be glowing even under normal driving conditions. Thin gauge runners (16ga) just do that even with coating.
ASE Master Certified Automotive Technician
late ignition timing can have that effect
dennis
Or valve timing being off.
Currently #4 in Ecotec Forced Induction horsepower ratings. 505.8 WHP 414WTQ!!!
Currently 3rd quickest Ecotec on the .org - 10.949 @ 131.50 MPH!!!
I drove the car for an hour, and the header looked like this
I allowed the car to idle for 1 hour in a parking lot (mainly to charge the battery since the car hadn't been started in a month). the header remained red. None of the plastic wireloom that are on the fuel lines and heater core hoses inches away from the header bubbled or melted... none of it.
30 seconds after i shut the car off, the glow went away. A couple hours later i started it back up and drove home (5 minute drive), the header was not glowing.
I don't think the valve timing is off, when i put the motor together 2 years ago, this was checked several times.
This is basically my header
http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f=2&i=471584&t=453273&p=1
lean condition!
I choose the technology built for land speed records... not the technology built to save on emissions and gas mileage.
-Z Yaaaa- wrote:lean condition!
The wideband is reporting around 14.7 at idle... it runs a little on the richer side while moving, 12ish at wot above 2700 RPM, 10/11ish at wot below 2700 rpm
Never had problems with my pacesetter on my stockish tc and its getting some age
. Whats the specs of your engine, Kyle? Maybe your wideband isnt accurate? 18 gauge piping hell thats thin. Think rksports 14 gauge? Pace 16... I would of went with a thicker pipe. I for sure an when I get my header.
could be a few things bud...
18 gauge steel
high egt for whatever reason
plugged cat...
actually I see a knockoff cat in ur profile? I would put in a test pipe and check it again before I do anything else...it's cheap, easy, and quik
I had the same problem with a 2200, I could actually light a cigarette off it
. and on a 95 quad4, ended up blowing a motor, never even thought about either until afterwards when the car wouldn't start with the new motor and full electrical replacement, hollowed the cat and it started right up, still runs now, its been beat up on quite a bit, runs great though, 50k or more on it.
Vinnie wrote:could be a few things bud...
18 gauge steel
high egt for whatever reason
plugged cat...
actually I see a knockoff cat in ur profile? I would put in a test pipe and check it again before I do anything else...it's cheap, easy, and quik
I had the same problem with a 2200, I could actually light a cigarette off it . and on a 95 quad4, ended up blowing a motor, never even thought about either until afterwards when the car wouldn't start with the new motor and full electrical replacement, hollowed the cat and it started right up, still runs now, its been beat up on quite a bit, runs great though, 50k or more on it.
The cat is completely gutted... i gutted it over a year ago, when my last PCM took a dump and started commanding way too much fuel, which took out the cat.
I'm leaning towards the "High EGT for whatever reason" theory... i have about 25k miles on the header, so if it has always been doing this, it seems like its not a major issue...
High EGTs are usually caused by a lean condition.
hmm... the wideband 02 was replaced after the ECU took a dump...
next time its not raining, i'll take it in to work and monitor the fuel trims on an obd 2 scan tool...
I remember the first time I flew a Piper Navajo at night. Scared the s___ out of me when I glanced out the window to see the exhaust glowing red.
It has a thin walled stainless exhaust system on a turbo charged 540 cubic inch engine. It makes 350hp at 2700 rpm.
dennis
Lean maybe. Have you asked Ron about it? I actually need to call him. I can ask him if you like?
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
widebands can read wrong. how long has it been since you calibrated it? you sure your upstream 02 sensor is good?
could also be detonation... what kinda gas you been using?
I choose the technology built for land speed records... not the technology built to save on emissions and gas mileage.
I'm also leaning toward a lean condition, as brad said, when is the last time the o2 was calibrated?
- Your not-so-local, untrained, uncertified, backyard mechanic. But my @!#$ runs
And Rons making this header 18 gauge. Wtf. For the price hell it should be cheaper since this. I would go 14.
And a thicker pipe will just make are small exhaust ported twincam engines be more torque and velocity happy with a smaller inner diameter primary.
Is there a way to calibrate the UEGO besides replacing the O2??... my GM narrow band upstream o2 is the same age as the wideband... and I'm running 93 octane.
lol why do you guys run ur wideband as an 02? just drill a 2nd bung already.. its not that big of a deal.
I choose the technology built for land speed records... not the technology built to save on emissions and gas mileage.
-Z Yaaaa- wrote:lol why do you guys run ur wideband as an 02? just drill a 2nd bung already.. its not that big of a deal.
Because lol
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
Mystic02VA (GME Chat) wrote:Is there a way to calibrate the UEGO besides replacing the O2??... my GM narrow band upstream o2 is the same age as the wideband... and I'm running 93 octane.
-Z Yaaaa- wrote:lol why do you guys run ur wideband as an 02? just drill a 2nd bung already.. its not that big of a deal.
I'm pretty sure i said i have a GM Narrow Band ... lol
My ron header has two bungs and i have an OE GM o2 in one, and the AEM UEGO Wideband (which is a bosch wideband o2, which i asked if that needs to be replaced to calibrate) in the other.
Ok I was just reading on another forum and if the timing or cams are retarded in conjunction with a rich afr, the exhaust gasses can actually ignite in the header causing a glowing header. So perhaps you wideband is correct, your numbers are way too rich for N/A in my opinion.
