Took in for o2 sensor light and exhaust rattle near cats. This is only pic sent.

 

I posted this in lsx discussion but am unsure if that’s the correct spot. Trying to figure out what would cause this hole in stainless steel headers? Only 1 pic.

 

Metal impurity. Or something knocked a hole in it. It sure didn't melt.

 

Is someone in the process of building them or something? The flange looks like 3 tack welds..

 

What's going on with the 3 tack welds and the crack at the flange?

 

The shop suggested a tune for the long tune headers after a scan (that have been in the car for ~20 years no issue) to fix the o2 codes it’s been throwing. Post tune, there was still slow switching so they suggested to replace with a 300 dollar set of headers without looking at them. I declined and told them to inspect the headers because this is a ~1000 dollar set. I got this photo and a ~4000 dollar estimate for headers job with high end headers after they inspected the headers. After I got the car dyno’d by them.

they did not try new o2s before directed to inspect headers.

 

These are SLP headers, they were built that way.
In reference to the top of the image, correct?

 

Of course the hole in the primary can be repaired but I'm with merv here as it looks like someone is welding a new piece of pipe to make a new primary and has it tack welded to the flange. Perhaps somebody f/d up and arc'd over on the primaries and blew a hole through there.

 

You’re right though, something looks weird about the tack welds. I’m going in tomorrow to look at it on the rack.

 

I have a couple concerns here.

1) The headers have been installed for 20 years, and just lately there have been O2 codes, correct? Why would the shop assume that a new tune or replacing the headers would be the correct initial course of action for slow O2 switching that just started ~20 years after the header install? Or am I misunderstanding this part?

2) How it is possible that nobody immediately noticed an exhaust leak from a hole that size in a primary? I could easily hear a leak from mine when one of the header bolts came just slightly loose, if there was an actual hole I don't see how it wouldn't be immediately noticeable to anyone (especially someone who is familiar with how the car normally sounds). In other words, I would think you would have noticed this before bringing the car to the shop.

3) Is it possible something happened during the dyno? There's obviously a hole now, but was it there before? I'm not necessarily blaming the shop for this, maybe the metal was weak and the dyno pass was the final straw (might have happened during your next WOT run on the street too, or maybe not). But my concern is that even if you replace or repair the headers, you'll still be facing the same initial issue (slow switching) as I doubt you drove the car into the shop with that hole without noticing it. So at this point, I think there is more than one problem.

 

Both threads blended into one. Interesting..

Whatever it is, is a fresh hole because its shiny. That's what's concerning. Looks like someone drilled a hole there or you caught a bullet..

 

It looks like there's holes in both primaries.

 

Yup, something went through there. Only one picture, taken from that angle for a reason.

I'd definitely put eyes on here.

 

There is obviously metal going both in and out of a fresh puncture. Something was punched in and pried out. I am having trouble seeing how this could be anything other than caused by the shop.

 

1. I’ve had o2 sensor issues on and off for a couple of years. I’ve never gotten to the bottom of it beyond not having headers tuned in. My gripe has always been that the car originally didn’t throw codes until after a year or 2 of it coming out of storage. Part of the reason for the tune was on my request (performance and to pass emissions) but the actual execution was determined by them claiming it would likely fix the issue..

2. I’ve had a rattle in my cat area for way longer than i was comfortable with. Just wasn’t able to find a reliable shop. I’ve had the rattle before, after bumping a speed bump, it was fixed by a dude scraping out junk in the cat and re aligning the exhaust. The reason i took it into the shop this time is due to a new low ticking noise I got out of the blue when increasing revs AND to get the rattle-o2 issue debunked. I told both shops the rattle may be leaking air upstream. (These could be two or more separate issues, you’re right). The original exhaust shop put it on the rack and claimed they didn’t do the work i needed but also showed me a loose spark plug claiming that is the new noise. They referred the shop its in now.

3. I have no idea where the hole came from. They claim you need a mirror to see it but I’ve never noticed it. Maybe the new ticking has something to do with the new hole? Again, it was dismissed by one shop as a loose plug (#8). I also wasn’t cranking it when the ticking started. Clean acceleration from a stop. The latter would suggest it happened before I took it in. But how did nobody notice all the way up to now? I had to tell him to inspect the headers after they suggested a new install.

forgive me if this is slightly confusing there is a lot of cloudy information to write down. I appreciate the haste responses. All I got in terms of info today was that picture and an estimate for new headers.

 

looks like someone took a carbide burr and ground holes

 

Super fresh hole, not a speck of soot on anything. Hope you can find an economical solution.

 

What I thought instantly when I first saw it...

 

That 100% looks like a bullet hole. I wonder if the rattle is the bullet in the pipe.

 

Cat rattle & junk "scraped out"... Brick melted, pipe overheated, blew out?
The weld on the upper side of the hole looks like a dogshit mig weld..
Something SLP would do?