I installed the MAC Headers but the y-pipe isn't bent right, so i have to drive it to a shop that can hopefully fix it. Would I hurt anything by running with open headers?? It's only 2 miles down the road. Actually the driver side is the only one running without the y-pipe connected

After installing them I am getting a lot of smoke. Is it just coming off the headers where i got grease all over them putting them in? or something more serious...kinda smelled like burnt popcorn

 

No man you're fine. The only thing you might damage is your health and hearing...

 

Got the y-pipe fixed! they just cut it and bolted both sides up, took a collar around the open area and welded it. sounded mean as hell out the gmmg.
Few things...the smoke off the headers, so it is normal? because it smells pretty bad...seems to be going away though

I know it is going to go through a series of heating and cooling cycles and i'll have to tighten the bolts down later on again. I ran it it for a few minutes, and when i turned it off, I was getting a clicking. just went..click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click...and so on until it stopped
Is that normal? This is the first huge thing I have done to the car so i guess i'm a little paranoid

 

the smoke might be just the paint burning off. not sure bout the clicking

 

the smoke is nothing to worry about and neither is the clicking it is just the sound of the metal cooling, after a few more heat cycles and tightening everything down all the way that should stop or be a lot less.

 

Where do you hear it coming from? Is it a click or a ping? On both my '93 my heater core went like 6 months ago and I remember hearing a noise like that and saw a little bit of coolant coming from under the passenger side. I then realized what it was when I saw the pool of coolant under my floormat...that could be it maybe...but theres a ton of different things it could be that make clicking noises...

Another more logical thought just came to mind as I finished typing that...it could be everything you just installed settling in since it was heated up. Just my $.02.

~Kevin

 

yep...that clicking stopped so I guess whatever it was settled. Smell still there but not as bad...think I have a slight leak somewhere, but I probably just need to tighten everything down again. Went through quite a few heat cycles tonight...i'll do it tomorrow

 

So how do you like the mac headers? Can you feal a diffrence?

I'm supposed to be getting my mac's in a few weeks.

 

well...it's loud as crap through the gmmg. right now i'm running no cat. but i may try iy to compare to see if i like it because it is really raspy. Install was a pain and took me a while because i could only do it for like 30 min. a day after work. I do love them though and as far as feeling the difference, I think I do...hopefully i can get it on a dyno soon because i am curious

 

You can run with open headers as long as the PCM doesn't go into closed loop. Fire it up and drive it there dead cold. If it warms up too much and goes closed loop it'll start to go waaaaaaayyyyyy friggen rich.

Steve