Well after thinking I had a header gasket leak, last nite I spent 2 hours changing the gasket on the passanger side and putting on stage 8 locking bolts. I found out the last two bolts in the back were completly gone and one of the others was pretty loose. Well after I did all this work, it still friggin leaks !! Not as bad, but you can still hear that annoying chatter coming from the header. How would I be able to pinpoint where the gases are leaking from ? Some sort of chemical I can use... ? I was thinking of using a long piece of rubber hose, put it to my ear and snoop around the header. hehe Could the flange be warped or something ? I checked the collector and that's nice and tight. Hmm

Use the best Gaskets you can afford.

Fel-Pro Blues are very good.

You can use more expensive copper gaskets too.

Most collector gaskets are crap. Use dead soft aluminum ones. They provide the best seal and never need to be replaced.

I don't know what kind of headers you're using but the #8 Primary on Hooker Supercomps is a "slip fit" you might want to check that too.

Header bolts can never be too tight. Take your time and try to get 'em as tight as you can.

How to find an exhaust leak....
get yourself some kind of wadding, like an old towel(s)
Plug your tailpipe(s) up pretty good
Your exhaust leak will now be magnified 1000x, and should be real easy to find.

If your car stalls, try not plugging it quite so tight, but you want it as tight as possible to make your leak be your new exhaust exit.
...ed

I have TES headers and the collectors are a slip fit. I used the paper 4.99 Mr. Gaskets gaskets. I was thinking about the alumaseal gaskets. Maybe I should try plugging the exhaust a little and find out where that leak is from exactly.

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92 Z28 5.7
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Ported stock heads, XR270HR-10 cam, TES headers
Crane AFPR, Flowmaster catback, MSD ignition
#24 SVO injectors, 1LE aluminum driveshaft.

Best ET 13.3@107 mph

Click here to see my car at Truspeed.org
Check out Truspeed
Check out the Bin Archive

you can look around the exhaust in total darkness and have someone rev the engine up & down. You would see some flame.

At idle have a friend take a rag and hold it over the exhaust pipe. You'll hear hissin' coming out of every leak you got.

Go with aluminum or you'll end up changing them a few 1000 miles down the road!

Would anti-seize compound be a good idea to put on the bolts before installing? It seems like it would make removal less of a nuisance.

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--Steve S--
1984 Trans Am 305 LG4, 5 speed
Daily Driver, Flowmaster 80 Series
NOW FEATURING: Holley 600 cfm & vacuum advance

On your O2 sensor it's a good idea, but I probably wouldn't put it on any exhaust fasteners because it makes me nervous. Just use liquid wrench or something and let 'em soak in it for awhile, then they should break free. Someone else may recommend anti-seize, though, so it may just be personal preference.

I "think" the leak comes from the AIR injection tubes. I bent em outward to get the dipstick in there and to get better access to the bolts. I think I'm gonna find somebody with a welder, cut em off completely and weld up the holes. Hehe

Now I'm thinking about how much of a PITA it's gonna be to take off the clips off those stage 8 locking bolts to change the header gasket. Damn...

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92 Z28 5.7
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Ported stock heads, XR270HR-10 cam, TES headers
Crane AFPR, Flowmaster catback, MSD ignition
#24 SVO injectors, 1LE aluminum driveshaft.

Best ET 13.3@107 mph

Click here to see my car at Truspeed.org
Check out Truspeed
Check out the Bin Archive

the silver antiseize cooks and hardens on exhaust.
you want to use the high-temp copper colored antiseize made for exhaust.

it works

Oh wow... maybe I'll give that a shot. Thanx man!

That ODB is damn resourceful, I didn't know you could use that stuff. I always saw the mechanics in the chemical plant I used to work in using it on pump housings and so forth. Learn something new every day .

Turns out it was the actual crappy paper Mr. Gasket gasket. Firt I replaced with the the dead-soft aluminum gasket made by flowtech... no improvement. Went and bought a 7 dollar set of felpro gaskets, put them in... and voila! The exhaust is quiet like it was before!!

P.S. = The flowtech gaskets had a 1.5 inch square port which is probably why they didnt seal very well.

Oh Man

I just put my headers on with the silver antiseize. I told Napa what I was doing and thats what they gave me. It says that its High temp. Ive never heard off copper antizeeze
Will I be sorry if I dont Change it?

I think the silver stuff is what oxygen sensors use, so you're probably OK. ODB may know the answer to this one better.