Header help.....

Well, as creek and blackroadster pointed out at the meet i went to, i have a header leak. I took it to a muffler shop I know, but they wont take headers off, put them on.... he said it was a liability thing :confused:. Unfortunately, this is the only shop i know of that others have used without complaint.

My question is does anyone know of a shop that could fix this for me (relativly cheaply) or would anyone be willing to help me do a swap for beer/ money/ beer money? Steve E has a 1.6 header he said i could pick up. Problem with a swap is I dont have pneumatic tools, and the possible work location is in full sun from 11:30am till 7:30pm. If you have a place it could be done, that would be preferable.

Have you pulled the heat shields off to see where the leak is yet? You may be letting yourself in for more grief than you need, to plan a swap if it's something easy to fix. If I remember right there were a bunch of heatshield fasteners gone already. Think somebody had a look and buttoned it back up?:D I found some nifty stainless hardware to replace the rusty bolts on my heatshield. I haven't put them on yet but I think they'll look cool.

Talk to Rouge if you are thinking about paying someone to fix it. http://www.miatasolutions.com/

i can't see a leak visually... heatshield wasn't hard to remove. I have a new exhaust manifold gasket in the trunk, and a gasket to go between the collector and the downpipe...i think.... the guy helping me wasn't sure which gasket i needed. I could probably do the install, but last time i did an "easy" header it turned into a 6 hour nightmare. Maybe I'm just being a defeatist...

If you do a seafoam treatment, you will be able to see the leak. Search on seafoam if you are not familiar.

i have an extra 1.6l exhaust manifold. (but not the b pipe) if the seafoam trick reveals a leak around the manifold, lemme know, i can also run out to the dealer and pick up the necessary gaskets too. it all depends on where its leaking from. id also be happy to install an aftermarket header so you can fix the problem and get faster while youre at it...

ps removing the header bolts can be a liability, as the head can come out with the bolt. make sure (whoever does it) to have the head somewhat warm when removing these nuts and bolts. its not comfortable, but safer on the threads.

And use lots of pb blaster

BAM! PM sent....

Thanks guys

Well took it to ken's mufflers on Northwest highway. He quoted me $200 to install a manifold for me. The crack is the "star" here all four pipes meet... almost like a hole. No wonder I couldn't find it.

Anyone want to help me out for cheaper.... if not, the miata goes there next thursday.

Just my two cents, but I think I would talk to a local welding shop and see what they say. A wire welder ought to handle the job without removing the manifold. Be sure to disconnect the ground wire from the battery before any welding. I don't have any experiance with welding on a Miata. Maybe someone else can jump in here if there is any cause for concern.

Well, I'm not sure if ts possible due to the location. The guy there also said while he could probably weld it up, i was probably better off throwing on a replacement if I had access to one.
He said welding it might b more of a band aid, as it might leave a weak spot..... I don't know much about welding aluminum, so i was taking his word...


Either way, i need to get it taken care of. Inspection expired at the end of June, so I need to get this taken care of so I can drive around without worrying about getting a ticket. I don't want to spend $200, but at the same time I want to get her fixed up right.

You might try Joe's Muffler up in Addison. He does very nice work, in my experience. Might be worth a second opinion...

rick.... you have a phone number by chance?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sxk122

rick.... you have a phone number by chance?

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Google is a wonderful thing...

http://dallas.citysearch.com/profile...r_service.html

i probably should have thought of that, lol
i was thinking "gee, i wish i hadn't of thrown away the yellow pages"


thanks

Well.. still working on this..... Still need to find a replacement header. I just shot an email over to planet miata to see what they have stock at the moment. The more I think of it, the more I think I could tackle this with help. That, and I don't really want to pay $200...... Anyone? Also, I now have shade; I hacked a space through the junk big enough in my parents 2 car garage to fit the miata...



BTW, Joe's doesn't do any engine work... thanks for the suggestion Rick

From experience, you need an aftermarket header.

They only reason I had mine welded up is that spec rules require the factory header.

The header on your car is brittle with age and if you have it welded up there's no guarantee it'll patch the hole or even last.

RJ

Quote:

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Originally Posted by channelmaniac

From experience, you need an aftermarket header.

They only reason I had mine welded up is that spec rules require the factory header.

The header on your car is brittle with age and if you have it welded up there's no guarantee it'll patch the hole or even last.

RJ

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Why aftermarket though? I had asked Gary at Ken's about just welding it up, and he strongly advised against it for the reason you just stated. That being said; is any used header going to be just as brittle? I don't really want to spend $400+ right now, but I'd like to get it fixed so I can get an inspection and drive the car without worrying about a ticket. Rosenthal has an OEM header for $244..... but that almost seems a waste.... ARGHHH....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sxk122

Well, I'm not sure if ts possible due to the location. The guy there also said while he could probably weld it up, i was probably better off throwing on a replacement if I had access to one.
He said welding it might b more of a band aid, as it might leave a weak spot..... I don't know much about welding aluminum, so i was taking his word...


Either way, i need to get it taken care of. Inspection expired at the end of June, so I need to get this taken care of so I can drive around without worrying about getting a ticket. I don't want to spend $200, but at the same time I want to get her fixed up right.

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How much are we talking about for a temporary fix? I'd go ahead and get the bandaid, it's bound to be less than the ticket.

$200ish for a temp fix. It's not worth it.

I have only been driving the Miata at night to starbucks and such. It's not my daily driver.... I just prefer driving it to my Mitsu. Chances of getting a ticket are slim, but i want to get it fixed.

$200?!?!

I was thinking 50 to maybe 75.

yeah. thats what i thought. i got similar prices from 2 places...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cam76034

$200?!?!

I was thinking 50 to maybe 75.

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To do it right it needs to be removed and welded. If you remove it and reinstall it yourself then it's much cheaper. I paid the guy at the muffler shop $25 to weld mine.

Hell, cheap aftermarket 1.6L headers are 100 to 160 bux plus shipping on eBay.

Edit: evn cheaper... look at item 370071678465

RJ

I loooked at that earlier tonight.... there seem to be dire warnings posted all over miata.net

I would be happy to install something like that if it actually fits.... and holds together for a few years

in his feedback...


recieved product, BUT the header did not fit correctly and needed modification!!turbodsm17 ( 39http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/i...Star_25x25.gif)
May-29-08 14:18 Exhaust Headers 89-93 Mazda Miata MX-5 1.6L Header (#140233227009)

Then do some research on Miata.net to see what is out on eBay that fits/works. There was someone here that bought the OBX header but I forget who. A search here would help you.

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Originally Posted by channelmaniac

Then do some research on Miata.net to see what is out on eBay that fits/works. There was someone here that bought the OBX header but I forget who. A search here would help you.

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I've been looking on Miata.net... everyone rags on the ebay stuff.... but no one has any personal experience. I emailed the guy that left the feedback i copied here. Pending his response i may get it. Might be something as simple as the heat shield not fitting..... thanks for bouncing ideas back and forth, i think better with help

The thing I remember about the eBay OBX header was that it needed a little tweaking with a hammer to fit next to the transmission.

Maybe that's what he ran into?

RJ

He replied...

"the stud holes furthest from eachother on the top needed to be widened, they were a bit too close to slip the header right on,, also the o2 sensor bung was wat too far down the pipe,, the wire will need to exteded to fit..
other than that, not bad.. "

What do y'all think.... worth it?

I bought the OBX header for my '96. No hammering required, though the gasket face wasn't quite lined up perfectly. I got a new gasket and a put a little extra on the torque wrench and all is sealed up. EGR port wasn't aligned, either - but the guys at Pronto added a little heat and massaged the EGR pipe into place.

There's a couple different 'cheap' headers on ebay - including the OBX and the XTUNE that Wags has for sale. I'd bet any of them will need a little massaging in one way or another.

Check the "Power Mods" section on m.net - that's where I found my info and decided the OBX would be the least trouble. But I was looking for NA 1.8L headers - so the answer for a 1.6 may be different.

You might check with Gary at TDR, as he might well have either a non-leaking OEM manifold or an aftermarket header lying around somewhere...

Good luck,
Craig

Ebay header ordered.... As Creek stated, if i don't like it I can always re-ebay it. Plus, from emailing people that left feedback on the header it was of ok quality. Updates and pics to come when it arrives.

The Ebay header showed up in the mail yesterday.

I'm surprised.


Pleasantly so.

Proof will be in the fitment, and I'll post more pics then.


http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/9...1530fq6.th.jpg

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/8...1531md0.th.jpg

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/2...1533ie5.th.jpg

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/8...1534tj9.th.jpg


$108 dollars to my door.

Cool. "I'm too sexy for my headers"

Looks very nice. Let us know how the fit is.