2002 Cavalier Z24 2.4 5 speed.
Has RKSport 4.2.1 ceramic coated header installed by previous owner & I can see a ton of black carbon around ports 2 & 3 & it sounds
like crap under a load (between 40-50 MPH in 4th gear)
I know I should take the header off and try to seal the gasket up better. Any suggestions?
Double up on gaskets? Use some red high temp permatex? I'm open to suggestions.
I also read that the tightening sequence of the bolts can make a big difference also...?
Looking for inputs & ideas...thanks!
Supercharged 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24
Few options... It could have gotten hot and warped a hair.
1. Take it off, checked for straight, if not straight, get it planed.
2. Tighten bolts from inside out.
3. Double up gasket
What Vince said... you could also make your own gasket out of thicker Mr. Gasket exhaust gasket material... it's like 4x as thick as the stock gasket and still has a metal core.
Lastly, when you install a header you tighten from the inside bolts to the outside.... you want the inside to sit flat before the outsides are cranked down. This goes for Intake manifolds, too.
I thought for sure this was going to be about the crappy ball joint!!! I had a straight hard pipe mandrel bent for Sickness for the downpipe and then had a flex pipe added - no matter what that ball socket leaked like a sieve.
-Chris-
-Sweetness-
-Turbocharged-
Slowly but surely may some day win this race...
SweetnessGT wrote:What Vince said... you could also make your own gasket out of thicker Mr. Gasket exhaust gasket material... it's like 4x as thick as the stock gasket and still has a metal core.
Lastly, when you install a header you tighten from the inside bolts to the outside.... you want the inside to sit flat before the outsides are cranked down. This goes for Intake manifolds, too.
I thought for sure this was going to be about the crappy ball joint!!! I had a straight hard pipe mandrel bent for Sickness for the downpipe and then had a flex pipe added - no matter what that ball socket leaked like a sieve.
-Chris-
I thought it was going to be the ball socket joint or the 2-2 connector before it goes into one. I remember blowing mine out and never being able to get a replacement.
those things have the absolute WORST weld job on the insides of the ports ever. i have no idea how they even seal brand new.
take it off like said above and get it machined completely flat. you'll know why the second you take it off lol
no need for fancy gaskets, either, just use a stock MLS LD9 gasket on it. they work flawlessly.
M45/OS crank/2.4 snout. It's nice to be injected but I love being blown!
Thanks for the input guys! I'll update this when I get it sealed up.
Supercharged 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24
X...3? On getting it flat. They come not too straight as it is and then warp even more over time. Don't double up on gaskets, but making your own out of thicker material is a good suggestion.
"In Oldskool we trust"
