Hey guys I didn't quite know where to put this, but I felt here was appropriate. I recently installed a Bill and Stans header on my 97 Sunfire GT. I noticed when I got my exhaust completed I had a leak coming from the front of the car. I got under the hood and couldn't quite pin point where the leak was coming from. I believe it is coming from the ball and socket design or the flex pipe. My question is if the exhaust is coming out of the ball and socket part, is there a way to seal this up with some type of material? Or is there nothing I can do about it? Thanks for the help in advance!
(Sigh) How many time have we all seen this? Lemme put it simply for ya, pal: The ball socket is junk! Take the header off a get the ball-socket replaced with a 6" long flange collector and add a flex-tube in-line (like the ones you see on transverse-engine FWD cars) and all will be well. Oh, and don't forget to use a good collector flange gasket. Like the kind that don't blow-out, ever! And torque those head-bolts properly! If you still hear a leak after all that, one of the flanges must be warped and that means still more headaches & money. At that point, you might as well get a Pacesetter and do all the things I mentioned here to that one. After that, well... I'd be shocked if you still had a leak.
Go beyond the "bolt-on".
please explain to me why the ball and socket design is so bad. It performs flawlessly on my mustang... and its also the stock exhaust style for that same car..
is it perhaps that the installer, or the manufacturer did something wrong?
1994 Ford Mustang Cobra
1997 Sunfire GT
AdderMk2 wrote:please explain to me why the ball and socket design is so bad.
becasue on a j-body exhaust manifold bolts to the head, then there is the ball and socket joint at the end of the header and then no hangers till the exhaust goes all the way back and turns out towards the drivers side. you have a good like 8 foot section from head to rear tire thats not surported with a ball and socket joint in the middle of it
thats why its so bad on a J
Darkstars wrote:AdderMk2 wrote:please explain to me why the ball and socket design is so bad.
becasue on a j-body exhaust manifold bolts to the head, then there is the ball and socket joint at the end of the header and then no hangers till the exhaust goes all the way back and turns out towards the drivers side. you have a good like 8 foot section from head to rear tire thats not surported with a ball and socket joint in the middle of it
thats why its so bad on a J
Well when I did my exhaust I put in a rubber hanger right behind the subframe. It's not quite a hangar, but it is like a hanger with the rubber piece. I am thinking of taking the bolts on the socket and re adjusting them and see what happens. Any other suggestions out there?
Darkstars wrote:AdderMk2 wrote:please explain to me why the ball and socket design is so bad.
becasue on a j-body exhaust manifold bolts to the head, then there is the ball and socket joint at the end of the header and then no hangers till the exhaust goes all the way back and turns out towards the drivers side. you have a good like 8 foot section from head to rear tire thats not surported with a ball and socket joint in the middle of it
thats why its so bad on a J
there is a hanger (stock) right after the subframe..the thing is you have to fab a metal bar that will be welded to the exhaust and uses a rubber hanger on both sides. even when i didnt take advantage of this hanger ( for like 3 years) I never had a problem. I think Adder is right when he said that its the manufacturer. That is if indeed its the ball socket thats leaking.
so what stops everyone here from adding an exhaust clamp.. and two $4 universal hangers from Advance autoparts.. and bolting it right to the floor to help support the exhaust?
I have the RKSport exhaust, and i wasnt happy when i saw the entire exhaust is suspended between the manifold and rear bumper.. so I clamped mine up in place.
1994 Ford Mustang Cobra
1997 Sunfire GT
i have the rk magnaflow exhaust.
they dont put any factory mounts on there. you or whoever is putting the exhaust on has some extra work to do. basr need welded right behind the subframe, in front of the rear wheel, and I used 2 J-hooks to hold up the rear (the solid mounts they put on the magnaflow mufflers are retarded and just break off)
