HEADER LEAK FROM HELL!!! please help.

LOCASH · 01-24-2001, 09:39 AM

Has anyone had any problems w/MAC headers? I have the headers and the H-pipe. There is a leak on the driver side on the rear most pipe. I have replaced the gaskets with Earls and the back pipe is still leaking. I loosened up the h-pipe and tightened it again.....still leaking. Am I going to have to take the whole system apart to fix it? Should I try different gaskets? Please help I know this sounds like a stupid problem but it is making me F****** crazy.

------------------
86 GT T-tops, AOD, B&M shift kit and hammer shifter, ROH wheels, K&N, Timing,MAC headers, 2.5 off road H, 2.5 American Thunder, 87 spindles, rear disc,SS lines, BBK 1.5, poly bushings, Steeda G-trac and subs, Strut bar.
"DRIVE LIKE YOU STOLE IT!"

86GT · 01-24-2001, 09:47 AM

I've had lots of trouble with MAC's shorty headers leaking. For me its the passenger side, rear tube. All I'd suggest is clean the surfaces really well, use good gaskets, and new header bolts. The ones that come with the headers are not good.. If that doesn't work, check the alignment of the flanges of each tube, see if they are bent. Hope that helps..

LOCASH · 01-24-2001, 10:17 AM

Does anyone know where I can get the replacement seals for the Earls gaskets of recommend a set of gaskets I should use? Should I just change headers? I was thinking of trying something with a 1 pc. flange maybe BBK?

LX XLR8R · 01-24-2001, 12:47 PM

does it leak right after you tighten the bolts..if not then use loctite on them..i do and it works well..dont get bbk..they suck IMHO..

------------------
1987 black notch(ex 4 banger)
DSS 306 w/ main support...Elderbrock 6028 heads..gt-40 intake..24# injectors...70 mm tb..77 pro-m...accel 300+..mac full legnth..tremec w/ pro5oh...full MAC exhaust,off road h-pipe,long tubes, catback...ron davis radiator..subframes, control arms...CFDF II..o yea holley FPR sucks..dont buy one..

Phil Ossifer · 01-24-2001, 01:46 PM

LX XLR8R,

I don't think Lock-Tite is gonna' do any good on header bolts because of the extreme heat...

Heat is what you use to release the Lock-Tite.

LOCASH,
If the bolts are loosening, locking fasteners are an option.

Phil

LOCASH · 01-24-2001, 03:50 PM

I tightened them as much as I can and it still leaks. They leaked from the day I put them on. Passenger side stopped when I changed to the Earls Gaskets but the damned driver side still leaks. I am going to order new gaskets tonight and when I pull the headers off I will check if the flange is bent. Can anyone recommend a good gasket? This is such a bummer. Other than the leak the car sounds so sweet.

LOCASH · 01-24-2001, 04:49 PM

I have a confession.....After I found out they were leaking I drove home anyway. I drove it for about a week before I could fix it. Does that screw the gaskets up?

LX XLR8R · 01-25-2001, 01:08 AM

yup gasket is done pretty much as soon as you get a leak..get a good set of quality gastkets..felpro makes a nice set

ive used loctite with much sucess on numerous ocassions so i stand by myself in saying that loctite will help..
the most important thing is probally getting these things tight to begin with..i have 2 wrenches dedicated to just my headers..one is a bendy box end that is long and skinny and the other being a shorty wrench

------------------
1987 black notch(ex 4 banger)
DSS 306 w/ main support...Elderbrock 6028 heads..gt-40 intake..24# injectors...70 mm tb..77 pro-m...accel 300+..mac full legnth..tremec w/ pro5oh...full MAC exhaust,off road h-pipe,long tubes, catback...ron davis radiator..subframes, control arms...CFDF II..o yea holley FPR sucks..dont buy one..

StreetStang37 · 01-25-2001, 01:45 AM

Maybe a torque wrench would help, I dunno. I heard that even if just one of the bolts are torqued just a bit more, it will throw off the rest and loosen the bolts. I too have a leak on my driver side and it's annoying, but I have Super Competition Hooker Headers. I cant find sockets or anything that will fit because the piping on the headers gets in the way. How much power is actually lost on a problem like this??

StreetStang37 · 01-25-2001, 01:48 AM

If it's not too much I'll jus leave it 4 now

------------------
1993 Mustang GT - March Ram Air, K & N filter charger, Pullies, Super Competition Hooker Headers, 2 1/2 in. mendrel bent cat back, High Flow H-Pipe, Pro 5.0 Power Tower

bigwhitecobra · 01-25-2001, 01:58 AM

you should be safe street stang. I have a 94 Cobra and she's leaking a little on the driver's side. I'd go ahead and change them, but can't decide on what to go to next. Any thoughts? Oh and stay away from BBK. Everything they make is junk. Well, almost everything.

------------------
1989 GT- Vortech blown 306, Anderson 3" power pipe, Vortech S-Trim 14# boost, MSD-6BTM, black wrinkle finish Cobra valve covers(woohoo), world class T-5, 3.55 gears, custom sub-frame connectors, Cobra grille insert and rear valance, Saleen "whale" wing, 4 wheel disc conversion, est 1/4mile time of 10.5+/-
1994 Cobra- MAC cold air fender kit, Motorsport underdrive pulley's, MAC 21/2" off-road H pipe, SVO mufflers, 3.73 gears, E-303 cam, 13.417@101.335mph

chris91LX · 01-25-2001, 02:12 AM

I don't know about the mac's. I have the BBK unequal shorties and the first set I got was tweaked and never sealed right. I sent them back to Summit and the new set fit fine. If I was going to guess I would say that the header is bent and won't seal right no matter what you do. Send them back for a new pair if you can. If I was going to do it over again I would go with the FRPP headers, as they come with the single piece flange, the BBK's only have the single piece flange on the chrome, not the jet-hot ceramic coated. I have also become disapointed with BBK quality and am considering anyone else before considering them for any part. Just my .02.

------------------
91 LX 5.0
Z t-5, Centerforce DF clutch, Pro 5.0 shifter, 3:73's, Vortech 73mm Mass Air, Accufab 65mm TB, BBK underdrives, BBK unequal length headers, Bassani x pipe, 2.5" Dynomax Super Turbo cat back, Kenny Brown Super Subs, Factory Five Control Arms, Crane HI-6S Ignition, and more to come!

LOCASH · 01-25-2001, 10:22 AM

I think I got it. A local mechanic told me to take it to a machine shop and get it shaved down even. He said it probably got screwed up in the mail or just poor quality. I dropped it off this morning so I'll let you know. He said he does it for all of the rally cars and it works.wish me luck

------------------
86 GT T-tops, AOD, B&M shift kit and hammer shifter, ROH wheels, K&N, Timing,MAC headers, 2.5 off road H, 2.5 American Thunder, 87 spindles, rear disc,SS lines, BBK 1.5, poly bushings, Steeda G-trac and subs, Strut bar.
"DRIVE LIKE YOU STOLE IT!"

Godslayer · 01-25-2001, 10:33 AM

I agree with LX. I've used lockitite everytime I put new gaskets on. If I don't the nuts will loosen up, and it has happened repeatedly. Use the blue locktite (removeable) and the bolts will never back out. I've had problems with Fel-Pro gaskets before. I'd like to believe this was an isolated incident, but if yours leak maybe they have slacked on their quality control. Good luck!

------------------
87 GT
Full exhaust, K&N, KB Subs, BBK STB, homeade dumps...

87 Taurus
New York
Winters Bite!

Chris_H · 01-25-2001, 01:56 PM

Sorry for coming into this one late. I also have a set of MAC shorty headers and had a leak on the drivers side. I bought a set of Mr. Gasket gaskets at Autozone and have yet to hear anything from my headers. No leaks so far (knock on wood) and this has been about 8 months now. I do have the problem with the bolts loosening up though. Where can I get some loctite at?

Chris

Five0 · 01-25-2001, 02:39 PM

I used to have a problem with the bolts loosening up, so I thought I would try the loctite and I have had no problems yet; It has been about 4 months.

------------------
James Cox
nochevy@hotmail.com
1991 Mustang LX
12.565 @109.38mph 1.764 60ft

79Stang · 01-27-2001, 09:46 AM

Well you had the right gaskets!!! EARLS are the best, but for $36.69 they better be! Dont use fel-pro, they are fine for a normal header install, but when you are dealing MAC aka Mangle Another Customer - Earl are the best plus they dont blow out... Fel-Pro and other brand are made out of cardboard or construction paper - leave that for the kids

------------------
°79Stang° • 351w, TRW Flat Tops, Comp Cam 270h,Edelbrock RPM Intake,
Holley 750 Duel Feed, MSD-6a, 2,500 stall,
Flowmasters, MaC shorties, B&M Shift Kit, Hurst Pro-Matic][,
DrAgLiTES on all four's
No Times yet - heads on the way

LOCASH · 01-27-2001, 09:35 PM

Can I buy the inserts instead of a whole new gasket. The inserts are advertised as replaceable. That is a great feature. It's just to bad no one sells the damn things. Are the gaskets reusable?

AJSTANG · 01-28-2001, 12:28 PM

The MAC header gaskets are crap. I installed my MAC headers with the gaskets they supplied and blew out the passenger side gasket after 5 minutes of driving.

Replaced with Fel-Pro and haven't had a problem since.

79Stang · 01-28-2001, 12:55 PM

Yea, you can reuse them... Dunno, about the insert thing... Try calling Summit and see if they can order something... Say you bought the gaskets from them and you need inserts..

01-24-2001, 09:39 AM	#1
LOCASH Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Santa Lucia di Budoia, Italy Posts: 217	HEADER LEAK FROM HELL!!! please help. Has anyone had any problems w/MAC headers? I have the headers and the H-pipe. There is a leak on the driver side on the rear most pipe. I have replaced the gaskets with Earls and the back pipe is still leaking. I loosened up the h-pipe and tightened it again.....still leaking. Am I going to have to take the whole system apart to fix it? Should I try different gaskets? Please help I know this sounds like a stupid problem but it is making me F****** crazy. ------------------ 86 GT T-tops, AOD, B&M shift kit and hammer shifter, ROH wheels, K&N, Timing,MAC headers, 2.5 off road H, 2.5 American Thunder, 87 spindles, rear disc,SS lines, BBK 1.5, poly bushings, Steeda G-trac and subs, Strut bar. "DRIVE LIKE YOU STOLE IT!"

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01-24-2001, 09:47 AM	#2
86GT Sniffed too much n20 Join Date: Oct 1998 Location: Ont, Canada Posts: 1,018	I've had lots of trouble with MAC's shorty headers leaking. For me its the passenger side, rear tube. All I'd suggest is clean the surfaces really well, use good gaskets, and new header bolts. The ones that come with the headers are not good.. If that doesn't work, check the alignment of the flanges of each tube, see if they are bent. Hope that helps..

01-24-2001, 10:17 AM	#3
LOCASH Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Santa Lucia di Budoia, Italy Posts: 217	Does anyone know where I can get the replacement seals for the Earls gaskets of recommend a set of gaskets I should use? Should I just change headers? I was thinking of trying something with a 1 pc. flange maybe BBK?

01-24-2001, 12:47 PM	#4
LX XLR8R Dirk Diggler Join Date: Feb 1999 Location: SLOATSBURG, NY Posts: 1,931	does it leak right after you tighten the bolts..if not then use loctite on them..i do and it works well..dont get bbk..they suck IMHO.. ------------------ 1987 black notch(ex 4 banger) DSS 306 w/ main support...Elderbrock 6028 heads..gt-40 intake..24# injectors...70 mm tb..77 pro-m...accel 300+..mac full legnth..tremec w/ pro5oh...full MAC exhaust,off road h-pipe,long tubes, catback...ron davis radiator..subframes, control arms...CFDF II..o yea holley FPR sucks..dont buy one..

01-24-2001, 01:46 PM	#5
Phil Ossifer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 1999 Location: Sterling Heights, Michigan Posts: 217	LX XLR8R, I don't think Lock-Tite is gonna' do any good on header bolts because of the extreme heat... Heat is what you use to release the Lock-Tite. LOCASH, If the bolts are loosening, locking fasteners are an option. Phil

01-24-2001, 03:50 PM	#6
LOCASH Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Santa Lucia di Budoia, Italy Posts: 217	I tightened them as much as I can and it still leaks. They leaked from the day I put them on. Passenger side stopped when I changed to the Earls Gaskets but the damned driver side still leaks. I am going to order new gaskets tonight and when I pull the headers off I will check if the flange is bent. Can anyone recommend a good gasket? This is such a bummer. Other than the leak the car sounds so sweet.

01-24-2001, 04:49 PM	#7
LOCASH Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Santa Lucia di Budoia, Italy Posts: 217	I have a confession.....After I found out they were leaking I drove home anyway. I drove it for about a week before I could fix it. Does that screw the gaskets up?

01-25-2001, 01:08 AM	#8
LX XLR8R Dirk Diggler Join Date: Feb 1999 Location: SLOATSBURG, NY Posts: 1,931	yup gasket is done pretty much as soon as you get a leak..get a good set of quality gastkets..felpro makes a nice set ive used loctite with much sucess on numerous ocassions so i stand by myself in saying that loctite will help.. the most important thing is probally getting these things tight to begin with..i have 2 wrenches dedicated to just my headers..one is a bendy box end that is long and skinny and the other being a shorty wrench ------------------ 1987 black notch(ex 4 banger) DSS 306 w/ main support...Elderbrock 6028 heads..gt-40 intake..24# injectors...70 mm tb..77 pro-m...accel 300+..mac full legnth..tremec w/ pro5oh...full MAC exhaust,off road h-pipe,long tubes, catback...ron davis radiator..subframes, control arms...CFDF II..o yea holley FPR sucks..dont buy one..

01-25-2001, 01:45 AM	#9
StreetStang37 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: San Jose, California USA Posts: 275	Maybe a torque wrench would help, I dunno. I heard that even if just one of the bolts are torqued just a bit more, it will throw off the rest and loosen the bolts. I too have a leak on my driver side and it's annoying, but I have Super Competition Hooker Headers. I cant find sockets or anything that will fit because the piping on the headers gets in the way. How much power is actually lost on a problem like this??

01-25-2001, 01:48 AM	#10
StreetStang37 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: San Jose, California USA Posts: 275	If it's not too much I'll jus leave it 4 now ------------------ 1993 Mustang GT - March Ram Air, K & N filter charger, Pullies, Super Competition Hooker Headers, 2 1/2 in. mendrel bent cat back, High Flow H-Pipe, Pro 5.0 Power Tower

01-25-2001, 01:58 AM	#11
bigwhitecobra Huh? Whatcha said? Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Fayetteville, NC Posts: 1,073	you should be safe street stang. I have a 94 Cobra and she's leaking a little on the driver's side. I'd go ahead and change them, but can't decide on what to go to next. Any thoughts? Oh and stay away from BBK. Everything they make is junk. Well, almost everything. ------------------ 1989 GT- Vortech blown 306, Anderson 3" power pipe, Vortech S-Trim 14# boost, MSD-6BTM, black wrinkle finish Cobra valve covers(woohoo), world class T-5, 3.55 gears, custom sub-frame connectors, Cobra grille insert and rear valance, Saleen "whale" wing, 4 wheel disc conversion, est 1/4mile time of 10.5+/- 1994 Cobra- MAC cold air fender kit, Motorsport underdrive pulley's, MAC 21/2" off-road H pipe, SVO mufflers, 3.73 gears, E-303 cam, 13.417@101.335mph

01-25-2001, 02:12 AM	#12
chris91LX Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1998 Location: Suburban Chicago, Hanover Park Posts: 695	I don't know about the mac's. I have the BBK unequal shorties and the first set I got was tweaked and never sealed right. I sent them back to Summit and the new set fit fine. If I was going to guess I would say that the header is bent and won't seal right no matter what you do. Send them back for a new pair if you can. If I was going to do it over again I would go with the FRPP headers, as they come with the single piece flange, the BBK's only have the single piece flange on the chrome, not the jet-hot ceramic coated. I have also become disapointed with BBK quality and am considering anyone else before considering them for any part. Just my .02. ------------------ 91 LX 5.0 Z t-5, Centerforce DF clutch, Pro 5.0 shifter, 3:73's, Vortech 73mm Mass Air, Accufab 65mm TB, BBK underdrives, BBK unequal length headers, Bassani x pipe, 2.5" Dynomax Super Turbo cat back, Kenny Brown Super Subs, Factory Five Control Arms, Crane HI-6S Ignition, and more to come!

01-25-2001, 10:22 AM	#13
LOCASH Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Santa Lucia di Budoia, Italy Posts: 217	I think I got it. A local mechanic told me to take it to a machine shop and get it shaved down even. He said it probably got screwed up in the mail or just poor quality. I dropped it off this morning so I'll let you know. He said he does it for all of the rally cars and it works.wish me luck ------------------ 86 GT T-tops, AOD, B&M shift kit and hammer shifter, ROH wheels, K&N, Timing,MAC headers, 2.5 off road H, 2.5 American Thunder, 87 spindles, rear disc,SS lines, BBK 1.5, poly bushings, Steeda G-trac and subs, Strut bar. "DRIVE LIKE YOU STOLE IT!"

01-25-2001, 10:33 AM	#14
Godslayer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Largo, FL USA Posts: 274	I agree with LX. I've used lockitite everytime I put new gaskets on. If I don't the nuts will loosen up, and it has happened repeatedly. Use the blue locktite (removeable) and the bolts will never back out. I've had problems with Fel-Pro gaskets before. I'd like to believe this was an isolated incident, but if yours leak maybe they have slacked on their quality control. Good luck! ------------------ 87 GT Full exhaust, K&N, KB Subs, BBK STB, homeade dumps... 87 Taurus New York Winters Bite!

01-25-2001, 01:56 PM	#15
Chris_H Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: New Mexico Posts: 488	Sorry for coming into this one late. I also have a set of MAC shorty headers and had a leak on the drivers side. I bought a set of Mr. Gasket gaskets at Autozone and have yet to hear anything from my headers. No leaks so far (knock on wood) and this has been about 8 months now. I do have the problem with the bolts loosening up though. Where can I get some loctite at? Chris

01-25-2001, 02:39 PM	#16
Five0 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: middleburg, fl, usa Posts: 1,134	I used to have a problem with the bolts loosening up, so I thought I would try the loctite and I have had no problems yet; It has been about 4 months. ------------------ James Cox nochevy@hotmail.com 1991 Mustang LX 12.565 @109.38mph 1.764 60ft

01-27-2001, 09:46 AM	#17
79Stang The Stang Gang Join Date: Jan 1999 Location: St. Petersburg Posts: 63	Well you had the right gaskets!!! EARLS are the best, but for $36.69 they better be! Dont use fel-pro, they are fine for a normal header install, but when you are dealing MAC aka Mangle Another Customer - Earl are the best plus they dont blow out... Fel-Pro and other brand are made out of cardboard or construction paper - leave that for the kids ------------------ °79Stang° • 351w, TRW Flat Tops, Comp Cam 270h,Edelbrock RPM Intake, Holley 750 Duel Feed, MSD-6a, 2,500 stall, Flowmasters, MaC shorties, B&M Shift Kit, Hurst Pro-Matic][, DrAgLiTES on all four's No Times yet - heads on the way

01-27-2001, 09:35 PM	#18
LOCASH Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Santa Lucia di Budoia, Italy Posts: 217	Can I buy the inserts instead of a whole new gasket. The inserts are advertised as replaceable. That is a great feature. It's just to bad no one sells the damn things. Are the gaskets reusable?

01-28-2001, 12:28 PM	#19
AJSTANG Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Maryland Posts: 123	The MAC header gaskets are crap. I installed my MAC headers with the gaskets they supplied and blew out the passenger side gasket after 5 minutes of driving. Replaced with Fel-Pro and haven't had a problem since.

01-28-2001, 12:55 PM	#20
79Stang The Stang Gang Join Date: Jan 1999 Location: St. Petersburg Posts: 63	Yea, you can reuse them... Dunno, about the insert thing... Try calling Summit and see if they can order something... Say you bought the gaskets from them and you need inserts..