My car started making this tapping noise, and it just kept on getting louder and louder. I took off the valve cover from the side the noise was coming from and tried to see if it was coming from there. I put my finger on each one and the noise didn't stop. D@m, that wasn't it. So I got to looing around, and discovered that my header bolts were really loose. (I could turn them with my finger) I tightned them up and I would say it could out about 75% of the tapping. Only a little tap there now. Would this have blown my gaskets out, do I need to replace them. Is there somewhere else it could be coming from??? Seems to do it worse like when your driving and give it a load like say going up a hill. Thanks

 

get some 1/4 or 3/8 vacuum line about 3 ft. long and start up your car-put one end in your ear and while its idling take the other end and hold it close to the suspect flange and listen-if you havent done this before listen around on the motor and soon you will be able to distinguish something noisy and nothing. if you find a spot you think is leaking do a couple snap throttles and it will get way louder in the hose, you will know it. go all around the flanges, prolly wont need to im thinkin, it will be obvious with the magic hose.

 

i'd say you have about 100% chance of needing new gasket for the header. try safety wire or stage 8 bolts.

 

What do you mean try wire or 8 stage bolts??? I need some explaining. What should I do with it??? Sorry for me being stupid.

 

i second that, sounds like a header or manifold gasket leak, can you hear it while your driving? Is it present when you accelerate but kind of goes away when you let off the gas? if so, you definately got a leak in that gasket. It's not detrimental to the engine as much as it's annoying as all hell. Your best bet is to just go to autozone or pep boys or something and pick up some mr. gasket header or exhaust manifold gaskets (depends which you have obviously) and some new bolts for them because they ALWAYS rust and you might as well replace the ones you have now, otherwise it's just going to be a PITA when you decide to do exhaust work in the future. it's only gonna be like $10 or $15 to fix.

 

Thats exactly what it is. When they were really loose, it was really loud. I am not exagerating, I could turn the bolts with my fingers. One of the bolts actually fell out. Now that I tightned them up, It has really quietened down and only does it when I accelerate. When I replace the gaskets, do you have to use any rtv sealent or anything??? Or do you just put the gasket on there and tighten it down. I have the edelbrock headers on my car. Still don't know what the safety wire is for though. Help me out ede

 

the only thing that will keep them tight for good is about a week of tending to them every heat cycle. start it up,drive it short trip. let it cool sufficiently and get in there with whatever device you are using to tighten them with and really horse on them bolts. do it this way and soon you will start noticing that instead of a half or third of a turn, you are maybe getting a 16th of a turn and you are pulling on that wrench like a ****. a few more times and you will be done. make sure that the header bolt is long enough to engage an inch min. into the head. and heres a knuckle skin saver-if the bolts are 7/16 head size use an 11 mm on them instead. that 11 is a very nice tight fit on the hex and will be that much harder to slip and round something off that should be sharp. check it out.

 

A common cause of cronic blown header gaskets is improper air fuel mixture. (carb jetting). A over rich mixture causes
a slow flame burn and flame in the exhaust when the exhaust valve opens. This causes the header to run too hot.

Get your carb tuning/ ignition timing sorted out and you'll be suprised
to find your cronic exhaust gasket problems are magicly/ misticely gone.

Change the power step up spring to one with less tension to ensure the Primary metering rods remain down (lean) during
"in gear" idleing and low speed cruising.

Your big cam causes reduced idle vacuum with lets the metering rods go power rich while idleing and cruising at low speed light
throttle. The stock step up springs have too much tension.
Get lighter ones.

www.edelbrock.com
www.jegs.com

 

not if the bolts are loose :lala: