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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 04:09 AM
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Question Header Wrapping??

Is wrapping the headers a good idea?? I installed pacesetter ceramic coated headers on my ls1, and the heat coming out from the engine bay is unbearable!! its over heating everything and Im losing power!!...is it true that they cause headers to rust, and actually wear the metal from the inside and cause cracking???
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 04:32 AM
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What kind of gaskets did you use? i hope not the ones that came with it. Or its probably a leak. Its always good to use the GM gaskets
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 05:16 AM
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yeah i used the gaskets that came with the headers,and thier working fine,, but i think u got me wrong im not complaining about that..its the over heat im facing from the headers which is overheating my intake manifold,and intake along with everything else. so some advised me to go for a header wrap.. at the same time many advised me from the problems that might happen which i listed before. so thats wat my concern is would it damage my headers if i wrap them??
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 08:11 AM
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you should have less heat in your engine bay. ceramic coated headers help retain heat better than non coated headers
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 08:50 AM
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thats y i bought them ceramic coated they do cool off quicky but when the car is running the heat they give off is too much...
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 09:12 AM
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Hmmm something is not right. Are you sure your engine is not over heating??

I have the Pacesetter ceramics LT's and my engine compartment is the coolest it has ever been and I still have the factory thermostat and fan setting.
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 09:25 AM
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yeah my oil temp gauge i giving me the same reading it was giving before i changed them with these headers and everythign eems to be fine but the weather her is hot and i cant even cruise with my car during the day because of the heat coming from the engine bay... i can bearly stand close to the engine bay when my hood is open though the fan is running properly as it should?? so whats happening????
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 09:37 AM
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How do you know you're getting heatsoak issues? Popping the hood and going, "Yep, it's hot, I must be getting heatsoak!" doesn't really cut it.
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 09:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Element
How do you know you're getting heatsoak issues? Popping the hood and going, "Yep, it's hot, I must be getting heatsoak!" doesn't really cut it.
thats because i never felt this heat before I installed headers. thats noramal when u have headers but the point is that is heating up my intake tube and intake manifold.. i want to avoid that. I was checking out that thats a normal problem when installing headers and to avoid that i can get wrapping for them, but they might cuz rusting the headers will wear out from the inside out??? so would that be right???
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 09:51 AM
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thers a thing i dont get... isn't it normal to feel the temperature more when u instal headers cuz everyone seems to be surprised with that.. the stock ones come with a mettal sheil on them to prevent the heat from sliping into the engine bay. the ones i have are just open into the engine bay. so they will definitely heat up along with everythign else??? just taking a logical guess
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 12:28 PM
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heat is ok and normal with headers i guess..but losing power? why would u lose power? something isnt right..check for leaks.
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Old Aug 23, 2010 | 03:03 PM
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Originally Posted by ezz
thats because i never felt this heat before I installed headers. thats noramal when u have headers but the point is that is heating up my intake tube and intake manifold.. i want to avoid that. I was checking out that thats a normal problem when installing headers and to avoid that i can get wrapping for them, but they might cuz rusting the headers will wear out from the inside out??? so would that be right???
With ceramic-coated Pacesetters in my car, I noticed a little more engine bay heat, but not a whole lot.

You can get wrap, but they'll cause the headers to rust out eventually (although with ceramic coated, if you didn't go all the way down the primaries to the collectors, you might be able to avoid most of that). A lot of people don't like wrap because it soaks up fluids in the engine bay like a sponge, and can turn the car into a nice grilling fire real quick. Not sure how they'd make the inside of the primaries "wear out faster" though.
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Old Aug 24, 2010 | 03:42 AM
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Originally Posted by omarrakeen
heat is ok and normal with headers i guess..but losing power? why would u lose power? something isnt right..check for leaks.
No thers no leaks its the fact that because of the heat comming out of the headers its heating up the intake manifold and intake tube, and the car will be sucking hot air into the engine...hot air into the engine is a direct power loss thats normal, but what im trying to do is avoid that.
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Old Aug 24, 2010 | 03:47 AM
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Originally Posted by Element
With ceramic-coated Pacesetters in my car, I noticed a little more engine bay heat, but not a whole lot.

You can get wrap, but they'll cause the headers to rust out eventually (although with ceramic coated, if you didn't go all the way down the primaries to the collectors, you might be able to avoid most of that). A lot of people don't like wrap because it soaks up fluids in the engine bay like a sponge, and can turn the car into a nice grilling fire real quick. Not sure how they'd make the inside of the primaries "wear out faster" though.
about the wearing I read that because of the heat that is retained inside the headers the metal starts to wear out from the inside out. so for now if i get the wrapping and wrap the top part without getting the wrap to the collectors would that be a good idea??
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Old Aug 24, 2010 | 07:34 AM
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Originally Posted by ezz
about the wearing I read that because of the heat that is retained inside the headers the metal starts to wear out from the inside out. so for now if i get the wrapping and wrap the top part without getting the wrap to the collectors would that be a good idea??
You can't really "wear metal out" that way. Wrapping the headers keeps the heat in the primaries, which leads to increased exhaust velocity. They're designed to deal with high exhaust temperatures; the only "wearing out" I can think that would occur is fatigue cracking due to high temperature, but like I said, headers are designed to be hot.

You could try the wrap, but honestly, if you think it's getting way too hot, try and meet up with someone in the area with an LS1 with headers. That way, you can compare both cars and see if there really is something wrong with yours, or if what you consider "really hot" is just normal operating temperature for an LS1 with headers.
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Old Aug 24, 2010 | 10:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Element
You can't really "wear metal out" that way. Wrapping the headers keeps the heat in the primaries, which leads to increased exhaust velocity. They're designed to deal with high exhaust temperatures; the only "wearing out" I can think that would occur is fatigue cracking due to high temperature, but like I said, headers are designed to be hot.

You could try the wrap, but honestly, if you think it's getting way too hot, try and meet up with someone in the area with an LS1 with headers. That way, you can compare both cars and see if there really is something wrong with yours, or if what you consider "really hot" is just normal operating temperature for an LS1 with headers.

having a tuned up ls1 were i live is very rare ill try to check up if anyone has done that but most are advising me to forget about the wrapping since its risky both ways so probably ill have to find out something else like a hood scoop that will keep the cold air flow in the engine bay better, but thx anyways.regards
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Old Aug 24, 2010 | 02:13 PM
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I am also considering heat wrap on various items. The only thing I foresee going wrong would be possibilities of corrosion or even erosion. Worst case you buy new headers. I am gonna give it a try as I hate hate hate underhood heat. Good luck with whatever you choose.
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Old Aug 24, 2010 | 03:16 PM
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LOL, why does it seem I'm the only one finding it funny that people are suprised that under hood temps rose after LT's were installed? That should be a expected outcome.

For instance take the thickness of the stock manifolds. Its gonna take longer to full heat those & for them to emit similar heat to LT's. The primaries on LT's are far thinner than the stock castings.

And if you have a LS1 car how exactly do you think your heating a "intake tube" & what are you calling a intake tube? I have honestly never heard that when talkin about a LS1. The only way its gonna be sucking in engine bay air is if your running that K&N joke of a intake where the filter sits on top of the radiator support.

As far as your intake itself is concerned, its gonna get hot reguardless. Its a plastic intake sitting on top of aluminum heads. But its not gonna effect anything man. Look at how many guys have LT's & no one else is concerned with the extra heat. Not to mention once the car is running your suckin in air, its constantly pullin air in so its not just sitting in there getting hotter & hotter.

The air lid set-up with radiator shroud gets its air from under the car/in front of the radiator. The lower air dam also helps cool the radiator. Which is why you see people complain about overheating if they remove it.
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Old Aug 24, 2010 | 07:03 PM
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ezz, what car you got...?
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Old Aug 25, 2010 | 06:02 AM
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Originally Posted by joecar
ezz, what car you got...?
in the middle east it called Lumina ss, but the australian version of it is called the commodore ss its exactly the same but one with the holden logo on and the other is a chevy..
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