TJ

iTrader: (10)

not sure what is going on. this is on an all motor setup, no boost.
its the worst exhaust leak ive ever heard.
my exhaust guy tacked everything in place, then dropped it to fully weld it.
upon inspection, the rings may have warped just a hair from the heat.
we cut both welds, clamped the rings in place, then REwelded the pipes with the rings and clamps secure.
still leaks!!
was trying to make things easy. i should have just stuck with band clamps.

the connection is from headers to y pipe if it matters.
any suggestions or tips?
these things hold boost all day long and i cant even get them to stay quiet with minimal exhaust pressure.

hellbents10

iTrader: (10)

Sounds like they are warped a bit. If you over tighten them the clamp can get flared out and they will not seal well either. When tightening them a do it in steps using a small hammer to tap them while torquing them.

TJ

iTrader: (10)

thanks for the input now.
when you say warped, are you referring to the flanges or the clamp?
the flanges are dead seated with each other after the 2nd go round.
i did go a lil hulk on tightening the clamps the final time, but they still leaked prior with a loose, then a snug torqing.
im just at a loss. 120 bucks in parts and 90 in labor, and something still needs to be done.

im going to try to put red rtv all over them and let it dry before i snug the clamps back up. if not that, im going to buy a new set of clamps.
i really dont see the rings being the issue.

most frustrating thing ive run into in a while.

FastKat

iTrader: (10)

What brand clamps did you use? Are the flange faces flat or is there a small male/female lip?

TJ

iTrader: (10)

i do not know the brand. i purchased them from the local import shop. the faces are flat, but the backside are at a 30-45 degree angle.
kinda feel weird now, cause i talked to the shop and i told him my problem.
his comment was, "yea, thats why i dont like v bands" and told me to use this oven stuff. looks like sandy black rtv????

talked to my exhaust guy and he looked up some diesel stuff, that actually connects into one another. would be a great alternative, but i dont want to waste any more funding on this.
ill just go back to band clamps. they were working fine to begin with.
dont reinvent the wheel.

Fireball

iTrader: (21)

I bought some flanges a while back that were thin and I laughed when I saw them and returned them...

I use the thick machined flanges...yeah...they cost more, but they seal well...

FastKat

iTrader: (10)

Yea, eBay had some for like $25 per assembly. I opted for a set of Vibrant brand assemblies from Texas Turbo Rebuild for $70 per set. They're a reputable shop, and the guys said they used them frequently and that they worked great. Hopefully I will get what I paid for.

TJ

iTrader: (10)

these were 60 each, so they werent cheap. the flanges are stainless arent too thin. i coated them with red rtv. let them dry and try it tomorrow.

TrickPerformanceProducts

iTrader: (11)

Are both leaking or just one.?
Couple of things, if the flanges are flat and are lined up, might be the tubing is in a bind pulling them off angle once you let all the part hang. Vband stuff helps to have one pc of tubing sticking out slightly out of one flange, and the other flanges tubing is slightly recessed. When installing, this helps keep them lined up during clamping. If the clamp is over tightened, the Vband part will get sprung and loose its ability to clamp tightly.
It only take a little spot to leak through any cracking etc will sound ugly....

If all else fails, get some hi temp rtv and smear a little on the flange and clamp them up. Wait a little bit and fire up.

TJ

iTrader: (10)

they are lined up perfect. when i dropped the y pipe this afternoon they sit flush, and arent in a bind.
i hope the rtv works, if it doesnt, im going to the track anyway.
i want to find out how bad the muffler is a restriction. i may end up going duals.
really dont want to, but i wannago fast.

Jsmolar

dumb question but do your vbands have the right width clamps

brandon6.0

iTrader: (32)

V bands will sometimes leak. Especially under avehicle were exhaust moves around alot.

I always take and slip the vband past the exhaust pipe so that a lil bit stick out of one side to keep it from moving around. It keeps it lined up and easy to put together. Works perfect.

JoeNova

I've had to dab a little copper RTV on my band clamps before. It was from the piping binding.

I used Male/Female V-bands from Squeeze Performance before that seated perfectly. I clamped in both the driver's and passenger side manifold V-bands, tack welded the crossover, and then removed it and finished welding. The crossover warped. To get it back on I had to clamp in one side, pull pretty hard on the other to get it to line up and have someone tighten the clamp. Even though the bands were flat and true while the other side wasn't clamped on, the piping put them in a bind when they were both clamped together.

Smear a thing layer of copper RTV on the clamp, tighten it down, and let it sit for a day or so before putting any heat to it.

oscs

iTrader: (19)

Sounds like a notorious V-band warp story. Welding V-band flanges properly is not easy. You can warp them instantly if your settings are incorrect.

xxxPOPExxx

You guys are killing me, this thread is from 2009!! Looks like Jsmolar is necroing threads to get post count up....

oscs

iTrader: (19)

I didn't even notice!

V-seriesTech

iTrader: (5)

RPS Vbands are the way to go. When I worked for them we had dozens of phone calls from people buying "kits" with shitty vbands on them. The general consensus was just to cut them off, and weld known good ones in place. I've run the same vbands now for years from them.