LT's leaking
LT's leaking I cannot get my pacesetter lt's to stop leaking...
i even installed percy dead soft alum. gaskets and they still leak..
i was curios to know if i can get away with cutting the header flange in three sections?
has anyone tried to do that and been successful with it?
or is it a bad idea?
i even installed percy dead soft alum. gaskets and they still leak..
i was curios to know if i can get away with cutting the header flange in three sections?
has anyone tried to do that and been successful with it?
or is it a bad idea?
I've never tried it but I have heard that it will help if you have a bent flange. Are you sure the bolts are staying tight? I used the copper gaskets that came with my Pacesetter's and haven't had any leaks. I also retightened the bolts everytime I drove the car for the first couple of weeks. I tried to tighten them while they were still as hot as I could stand it. I did get a couple of minor burns, but no header leaks.
I went through 3 sets of gaskets (soft metallic and otherwise).
I even tried different bolts and nuts ...
torqued those suckers down with the impact wrench and they still vibrated loose.
Eventually I just cut the flanges off and went with a slip-fit + 3" wide band clamps.
No problems since. (and I gained 3/8" of clearance
)
I even tried different bolts and nuts ...
torqued those suckers down with the impact wrench and they still vibrated loose.
Eventually I just cut the flanges off and went with a slip-fit + 3" wide band clamps.
No problems since. (and I gained 3/8" of clearance
) LT1's have an inherent issue with the exhaust primaries not being spaced evenly, most often the middle 2 leak due to being put right next to each other, the rear (#8) leaks due to being a hard to reach area. I used paper, copper, and 2 different dead soft, multi layer aluminum the Flowtech worked the best but still had leaks. This was on a set of Jet hot LT's
I had pace setter shortys, OMG what a junky *** header, i am sure the LT's are no different, they are cheap to buy and you get what you pay for.
Put a straight edge on the flange to see if its warped.
I had pace setter shortys, OMG what a junky *** header, i am sure the LT's are no different, they are cheap to buy and you get what you pay for.
Put a straight edge on the flange to see if its warped.
I can virtually guarentee if you take your gasket off, there are black spots on some of the primaries (that indicates a leak, even though you dont hear it), LT1's dont have the best bolt holding pattern and that is a big reason why, also alot of people dont take the time prep the surface and dont start from the middle and work their way outward.
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Originally Posted by BlackScreaminMachine
I can virtually guarentee if you take your gasket off, there are black spots on some of the primaries (that indicates a leak, even though you dont hear it), LT1's dont have the best bolt holding pattern and that is a big reason why, also alot of people dont take the time prep the surface and dont start from the middle and work their way outward.
i even installed them with the engine out of the car... so i was able to get to every bolt very well...
i originally had the copper gaskets and i couldn't hear them leak. however when i removed the headers you could see the carbon deposits and tell that they were leaking...
maybe i should pull them off and get a machine shop to true them up...
i will also cut them into sections and try that... if that doesn't work then i'll just live with it...
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Originally Posted by LTBANDIT
I agree with everything you stated... i did clean the surfaces off really well...
i even installed them with the engine out of the car... so i was able to get to every bolt very well...
i originally had the copper gaskets and i couldn't hear them leak. however when i removed the headers you could see the carbon deposits and tell that they were leaking...
maybe i should pull them off and get a machine shop to true them up...
i will also cut them into sections and try that... if that doesn't work then i'll just live with it...
i even installed them with the engine out of the car... so i was able to get to every bolt very well...
i originally had the copper gaskets and i couldn't hear them leak. however when i removed the headers you could see the carbon deposits and tell that they were leaking...
maybe i should pull them off and get a machine shop to true them up...
i will also cut them into sections and try that... if that doesn't work then i'll just live with it...
Launching!
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 201
Likes: 0
From: Snellville
My Pace Setters are a piece of junk as well. After a year, I still cant get them sealed up. I have tried copper and the metal/paper gaskets and I didn't work. Everything is straight and true as far as I could tell with a straight edge. I found that the ports on teh headers are way bigger than the ports on the heads. So i filed out the gaskets and it worked well on the driver's side but not much luck on the passenger side. Keep us posted if you get them sealed. I am curious if it will help if you cut the flanges into 3 sections. Good luck!
Originally Posted by My94TransAm
My Pace Setters are a piece of junk as well. After a year, I still cant get them sealed up. I have tried copper and the metal/paper gaskets and I didn't work. Everything is straight and true as far as I could tell with a straight edge. I found that the ports on teh headers are way bigger than the ports on the heads. So i filed out the gaskets and it worked well on the driver's side but not much luck on the passenger side. Keep us posted if you get them sealed. I am curious if it will help if you cut the flanges into 3 sections. Good luck!
Originally Posted by My94TransAm
Any update on your leak?
just not ready to rip off the headers yet either... PITA
i'll repost here when and if i get it solved...
