hey everyone, i installed strup headers on my z and ever since it has rasp and hisses from the fenders" u can hear it the most when driving along a wall,car,or guard rail." is that normal rasp or can that be an exhaust leak? i know u really need to hear it more or less, but my basic question is do strup headers rasp, and would it come from the fenders "hearing the air rush threw the header" or would it be out the exhaust tips, or what? please help

 

sounds like a leak to me. ive never heard of rasp with headers.

 

When I was N/A i had Xerd longtube headers with no cats and Injen TD exhaust and I had the rasp. It sounded more like it was coming from the back half of the car and not the front.

 

It's definitely a leak or a crack like NEXX said. Headers, especially the ones like strup won't make any significant sounds like that.

 

yaaaa i get to reinstall them with new gaskets, another 10 hours, yaaaaa. lol j/k. i did think they were leaking but i wanted to see ur guys opinions before i redo everything again. thanks for the advise everyone

 

About 5,000 miles after installing headers, they began to leak. You should be able to hear a leak: its god awful loud.

Tightening the headers was about as difficult as installing them. I paid about $200 for 3 hours labor.

 

well its a loud buzzing sound from the header area, u can hear it alot when reving it and the rpms fall down u hear the buzzing. it revs up and then goes bizzzzzzzzz. i think that would be a leak right? i reused the stock manifold gaskets like strup said to so i figure thats probably why.

 

yup, a leak.

 

Headers make all sorts of unusual noises. Buzzing included. A leak sounds like a fluttering sound. New gaskets are a wise idea.

 

Tubular headers make more noise than cast iron manifolds. If you suspect a leak, use a shot glass sized amount of transmission fluid, with the engine running suck it in through a vacuum hose. Where ever the smoke comes out, you found your leak. BTW, tranny fluid also does an excellent job of decarbonizing the chambers/top of pistons....

 

From my expeirance hissing = leaks.

Like others said sounds like a leak.

 

Check your ypipe also, i have installed test pipes, on a few z's with the stock ypipe but i guess i damaged the flex joints because now one of them has the blasted hiss when letting off the gas.

 

just to note: I would not do this without checking around. I have never heard that. it could be true, but don't believe everything you read on the internet, check up first!

 

hmmm. headers should'nt rasp.

with intake, hfc, headers, there is a lot more air induction noise. I can hear a definite "whistle" like or super suction sound now when revving--I wonder if it is a leak? There has been no decrease in performance however.

 

I had a header leak in my previous car (it was NOT a Z), a few of the bolts backed out from the heads. It was a tapping sound, sounded like a valve tap actually.

 

it doesn't have a tap sound, which i did hear on my friends mustang. its just a buzzing sound mainly when i give it a little gas in a low gear in traffic or when reving it when the rpms drop drown it buzzes. i guess i'm gonna try to use my shops fog/leak tester sometime this weak. i just hope i don't have to replace the manifold gaskets :/

 

the idea light just went on.... strup headers probably have a bigger diameter outlet then my stock cats inlet right? so if its bottlenecking could that make a hissing or rasp?

 

I have Strup headers and Berk Metallic HFC. My Rasp/rattle started after HFC install.

Waitng on my X02 exhaust, hoping ti will solve the problem. I suspect its the stock Y-pipe/Flex sections causing the rattle.

 

but can bottlenecking cause rasp in genral?

 

Rasp is caused when the exhaust pulses get out of synch... I guess a bottleneck could cause an 'out of synch' situation... Unneccessary or hard bends in the piping can also get the pulses out of synch.