i have heard people talking about wanting to run open headers but something to do with your engine taking a breath will bend pushrods or something? can someone please explain it to me

Thanks
-Dakota

 

Personally, I haven't heard of such a thing happening, maybe someone would care to enlighten me. I have, however, heard, that running open headers could cause weird driveabililty conditions if outside air contacts the 02 sensors, which run very close to the end of the headers.

 

Anyone within 1/2 mile of you will think the world is coming to an end

 

I know, I will never forget the look at the rednecks face in a big "loud" pickup next to me when I was just idling....then to see it when I berlay took off in first was just priceless.

 

so does anyone acutally know if it is ok for your motor or not?

 

It doesn't hurt the motor whatsoever. However, if your car is computer controlled, then I could see how it may mess with the computer, but I doubt it.

 

so what is the deal with your car taking a breath

 

And at stop lights they will run out of their cars and straight into the nearest church...I've seen it happen

AMEN!

 

Where did you hear that expression? A lot of people will refer to the engine's intake and exhaust strokes as "breathing"..... but that just means there's air going into the engine and exhaust coming out. That isn't going to hurt a fuel injected (or properly tuned carb setup) engine with open headers. If it did, you wouldn't see all the cars at NHRA events running open headers.

And if there was damage, its not likely you would "bend pushrods". With a carb setup, opening up the headers and not adjusting the fuel might cause it to run lean and burn the valves. But with a computer controlled fuel injection system, the computer will correct the air/fuel mixture when you improve the engine's "breathing".

As noted in several posts above, you can get into trouble with a computer controlled system if the O2 sensors are in the header collectors, close to the open end - and that's where they usually are. The air mixes with the exiting exhaust, the O2 sensors think its running lean, and the computer pours in extra fuel, causing the engine to run excessively rich.