Torque Monster Headers Install Write-up and Review

[mounty71]

Got everything together, but there's a random popping/ticking on the driver's side, and the engine runs like crap. It shudders at low RPMs and shakes the whole truck a lot when idling. I don't think it's an exhaust leak because it's so quiet and random, and I wouldn't think a leak would cause a shuddering feeling. Sounds kind of like a misfire but I'm not sure. I double checked the spark plug wires and they're all hooked up correctly. None of the wires are touching each other and none are touching the headers. I took a little video for reference, but you can't really hear it until the last few seconds.

http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u122/mounty71/?action=view&current=P1030324.mp4

 

[nrschaaf]

I was thinking it could be an arcing sound while reading the post, but it kind of sounds mechanical after listening to the video. Have you tried feeling the wires while running? Obviously cold but if theres a bad wire causing arc you'd know right away.

Someone on here once told me there were clearance issues with #8, but I really am not sure exactly what that meant. Could the sudden change in backpressure maybe have caused a ring failure or something similar?

 

[TekMan05]

It sounds silly but you make sure all the plugs are torqued correctly. I got lucky once and it didn't strip the threads but I had a spark plug blowout from not having them torqued enough and it made a similar sound several days leading up to that. Oh and just double check that the boots are Seated firmly on the plugs. A few of them are hard to do for some reason when you put the socks on them and will only rest on the plugs not hook on them. You should feel/hear a popping sound when they're firmly attached to the spark plug.

 

[mounty71]

Haven't tried feeling the wires really, but I will tomorrow. And I didn't actually torque the spark plugs, I just kind of snugged them till I felt they were okay, but I'll double check that too. I double and triple checked the spark plug wires are fully seated on the spark plugs.

I was thinking it might be the small gasket on the detachable piece of the header. I reused the one that was on there previously, but again, it doesn't sound like an exhaust leak and the truck feels like it's missing. And I started the truck up the other night after I got the driver's side done and the passenger side was still the stock manifold, and I didn't hear this noise and it didn't seem to run poorly but I didn't drive it like that.

I'm also going to use a scan tool tomorrow to see if there are any codes being thrown.

 

[ExDude]

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[Awsum97]

Regarding this misfire issue. I had the same thing when I finished the install. It was an egr issue

 

[Awsum97]

Btw. I've Been driving around with the headers for like 100/150 miles... I notice NO difference in performance. Ive put 80k+ miles since ive owned the car and can feel/hear pretty much any changes..I notice a slight change in noise when walking around the front of the car...but absolutely NO change in performance or gas mileage. I've read in the past that it takes the computer time to get used to the new exhaust..I think ive read that maybe a solution is disconnecting the battery?? And reconnecting then driving around?? In the old setup when I was cruising at 60mph the rpms were right at 2000. That is still the case. Any ideas, thoughts?

 

[celly]

I've never noticed a mileage gain, but that's mostly because I'm on the gas much more than before. Notwithstanding issues I've had with burned wires and a leaky gasket. I love these headers. I definitely noticed a performance gain. I'm coming up on three years with them.

They're dyno proven and it only makes sense that replacing those horribly restrictive OEM manifolds would yield some gain.

Mounty, I listened to your vid and can't help. I do have experience with that small gasket blowing out. When it goes, your truck will chug at low revs and run like crap. Had my second one replaced last summer and it seems to be holding up.

 

[mounty71]

$5.43 later, she's running right again!

Did a bunch of reading, got scared it was maybe something serious like a valvetrain problem, but didn't understand why. Called a friend's dad and explained it over the phone and he said it was a gasket leak and to try loosening and then retightening everything, so I did and nothing changed. Used a piece of small tubing to narrow the problem down to cylinder 8. Went over to his house, started the truck up for him, and he immediately said it was a bad wire. I told him it was cylinder 8, he unhooked the wire from the coil pack, and that was it. I had tried doing that before but I guess I was listening for the wrong thing. I was listening for a misfire, which I had heard before, but I didn't realize that if the original ticking went away, that meant that it was a bad wire. I was so focused on finding a bad spark plug that I didn't think about the wires. From unplugging them, rerouting them, putting on the heat socks, and replugging them in, I somehow damaged that wire. Got a new generic brand wire from Autozone, and the noise is gone and no more chugging engine. So for future reference, everyone be careful handling those wires!

Anyway...thanks for all the suggestions everyone. The new gaskets seem to be fine so far, and so does the little one that I reused. I'll keep everyone posted on my impressions of these things as I drive more with them.

 

[celly]

Gotta love it when a nagging issue can be fixed for cheap. I got rid of a nagging P1506 code with some Permatex this weekend so I can relate.

Enjoy the headers.

 

[mounty71]

Yup, couldn't ask for a better solution to that problem.

 

[ExDude]

Glad you found fella!

 

[nrschaaf]

Chalk one up on the scoreboard for you. They feel good when you get them don't they?

 

[ExDude]

 

[mounty71]

I honestly felt each wire several times and couldn't feel any difference. I made sure each wire was not touching another one and then put the wires out of my mind. Good call nrschaaf.

And I love looking in the fender well or in the engine bay and seeing those shiny tubes

 

[mounty71]

This morning on my way to work the truck backfired once, and it also did the same shuddering it did before a couple of times. I'm stumped as to why it would do that. Anyone else ever experience a backfire?

 

[celly]

This morning on my way to work the truck backfired once, and it also did the same shuddering it did before a couple of times. I'm stumped as to why it would do that. Anyone else ever experience a backfire?

Time to check your wires again is my guess. I've had my share of wire related maladies, even with careful routing, socks etc.

 

[ExDude]

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[nrschaaf]

Awsum97, I didn't catch your post before. I would imagine your computer would have adjusted by now, so I don't know if that's gonna help. It might be worth a try though. A trick I learned from an installer that used to work for me to reset computers fast is once you disconnect BOTH batt. terminals, cross them for 10-20 seconds. It resets the computer almost instantly. Saved us from a number of costly air bag light resets from dealers.

Mounty, sounds like the truck isnt giving you a break. Have you made sure that the wires are fully seated at the coil packs? Maybe one is vibrating loose. Probably a long shot but could your sychroniser be loose? It's where the distributor would go on an older truck, sometimes called the camshaft position sensor. It wouldnt explain the noise at #8 unless your hearing mistimed ignition maybe. Though I'm not so sure the timing is controlled by the synchro, I think only the fuel injection timing runs through the synchro. I believe the Crank sensor does the ignition timing. Someone else might have an answer for that. Also someone did mention EGR earlier, maybe you knocked one of the vaccum lines when you were tightening the sniffer tube. Again might not explain the noise, but it's worth the time to check it over.

 

[nrschaaf]

I don't know why I didn't think of it but Exdude has a point. It could very posibly be a bad or mis-gapped plug. That would explain the problem. As you learned with the wires, just because they're new doesn't mean they're good.