I just put a new 350 in my z28 and its just sitting for the winter. I do not have a full exhaust system on it just open headers. I was told that if i started the car and let it run for a while like that i would burn the valves and screw up my heads thus harming my engine.

My question is, will it still harm my engine if i use just a y-pipe for now because that is all that i have and i cant really swing around 300 for a system just yet and i wanna do it once the right way.

Hedman elite shorties and hedman Y-pipe

 

i dont know if running open headers hill hurt the motor, but using a y-pipe will be fine. Its going to be absurdly loud, your not planning to drive it that way are you?

 

no i dont plan on actually driving it until i get a full exhaust system on it, i just dont want to chance harming anything so i wanted to be shure, because the owner of a local exhaust shop said that race cars can run open headers because they run a little richer, on my can ill just burn up my valves, but i dont know that much about exhuast so that why i ask.

 

You car will probably go to a limp home mode. I wouldn't run it much. & when you take it to get the exhaust on take it easy. watch the routing of your O2 sender wires too. oh ya watch for the police if you see one keep your foot out of it.

 

well i plan on doing all of the exaust work myself, and i dont have an o2 on it, all the computers are gone and its basically and engine, trans and rear with the lights hooked up

i only want to run it for like 15 min or so, just so that it isn't sitting all winter without being started

 

youd be fine running open headers. no need to worry and go throw a ypipe on it. just dont drive it around otherwise you will get stopped.

 

thanks alot guys

 

the reason behind it being bad for the engine to run without exhaust is the outside cool air can cool the valves too fast and cause them to warp, as long as you have some type of header on their, you should be fine. this is the same reason why people that go through a drive-thru car wash usually end up having warped brake rotors.