B&B Headers and Cracks
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,261
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From: Cooterville, Carolina
B&B Headers and Cracks
This might be a little premature, but I was peaking under my car the other day and noticed a little soot on top of the heater box (near cylinder number 3). Maybe it's nothing and I'll investigate further.
I have the special Performance Developments exhaust studs, and the header flanges appear to be pretty snug to the exhaust ports. I'll see if I can torque the nuts a tad more
My concern is that since I have the B&B headers WITH heat, have the exhaust pipes inside the heater boxes ever cracked? How would I know? Just wait and see if the exhaust fumes kill me in the cockpit when I run the heat?
Experts, please advise. Maybe I'll try to snap a picture.
I have the special Performance Developments exhaust studs, and the header flanges appear to be pretty snug to the exhaust ports. I'll see if I can torque the nuts a tad more
My concern is that since I have the B&B headers WITH heat, have the exhaust pipes inside the heater boxes ever cracked? How would I know? Just wait and see if the exhaust fumes kill me in the cockpit when I run the heat?
Experts, please advise. Maybe I'll try to snap a picture.
Race Car
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,508
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From: England UK
How about deliberately putting some oil into the intake somehow so it smokes like hell, have the heater on and see if any comes through. You could always look at the flaps near the rear wheels under the car with the heater off instead.
I can remember putting redex in cars years ago
I can remember putting redex in cars years ago
Racer
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 448
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From: Newton, MA
dead or alive
Sandman-
I have the B&B wy/heat too. I have about 5ka miles on them now and I did check the heat this past week here in New England. Some mornings have already been in the upper 30s and low 40sa.
glad to say my heat works just fine and no smell (no more leaks now after the rebuild so dripping stuff doesn't burn up and get forced into the cabin when heats on). But as we know CO doesn't have an odor, but can cause head aches, nausea as symptoms and death! Didn't have either of those symptoms and I'm not dead, but just to make sure I took my CO sensor/meter off the wall in my house and used it in the car a few mornings to see if I would get a reading.
well, when I start up in the garage even with the heat off and the garage doors open, the meter goes off the scale...350 and with alarms!!! so there's significant CO being generated by the exhaust (I think my wrench has the CO set at 3.5-4.0% on my 930). when I drive away and place the meter in the passenger seat with the windows open, the meter eventually come back down to zero...0. I closed the windows and turned on the heat to drive up to work for 45 minutes and the meter did not register anything. Did the same going home... same zero reading. to make sure it was working, I did the garage thing again and same reaction... 325 or so with the alarm... so the meter works.
in fact, my wife said ocassionally the meter goes off in the house when I return from work, pull into the garage with the doors open, and let the turbo cool down...
maybe you should try that. I'm pretty sure that from this and the fact that I'm not dead after an hour ride w/heat that nothings leaking inside the heater boxes... so far.
I have the B&B wy/heat too. I have about 5ka miles on them now and I did check the heat this past week here in New England. Some mornings have already been in the upper 30s and low 40sa.
glad to say my heat works just fine and no smell (no more leaks now after the rebuild so dripping stuff doesn't burn up and get forced into the cabin when heats on). But as we know CO doesn't have an odor, but can cause head aches, nausea as symptoms and death! Didn't have either of those symptoms and I'm not dead, but just to make sure I took my CO sensor/meter off the wall in my house and used it in the car a few mornings to see if I would get a reading.
well, when I start up in the garage even with the heat off and the garage doors open, the meter goes off the scale...350 and with alarms!!! so there's significant CO being generated by the exhaust (I think my wrench has the CO set at 3.5-4.0% on my 930). when I drive away and place the meter in the passenger seat with the windows open, the meter eventually come back down to zero...0. I closed the windows and turned on the heat to drive up to work for 45 minutes and the meter did not register anything. Did the same going home... same zero reading. to make sure it was working, I did the garage thing again and same reaction... 325 or so with the alarm... so the meter works.
in fact, my wife said ocassionally the meter goes off in the house when I return from work, pull into the garage with the doors open, and let the turbo cool down...
maybe you should try that. I'm pretty sure that from this and the fact that I'm not dead after an hour ride w/heat that nothings leaking inside the heater boxes... so far.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,315
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From: Cleveland, OH
Wonder if anyone has had headers crack not on a weld? ...mine had cracked, but always on a weld. If I recall correctly, only weld where you're talking is where it's tacked to the heater box.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,261
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From: Cooterville, Carolina
Thanks for the help, guys! What I'm most concerned about is a burnt exhaust valve if I have a leak and do nothing about it. As for my own health and CO poisoning, I'm worth more dead than alive!
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
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From: Cooterville, Carolina
Originally Posted by JoeMag
Wonder if anyone has had headers crack not on a weld? ...mine had cracked, but always on a weld. If I recall correctly, only weld where you're talking is where it's tacked to the heater box.
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Nordschleife Master
Joined: Oct 2001
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From: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
GHL welds theirs, but I've heard that B&B simply crimps theirs or uses JB Weld if they have it.... 
Originally Posted by sand_man
...what the construction was like underneath the sheetmetal boxes.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,261
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From: Cooterville, Carolina
Originally Posted by A930Rocket
GHL welds theirs, but I've heard that B&B simply crimps theirs or uses JB Weld if they have it....
Nordschleife Master
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Kingston, NY
The heater boxes are built around the exhaust primary tubes. As mentioned above, when the header cracks it does so most often at a weld since the metal is brittle from welding, not in the tube itself. Even heater boxes that are welded to the primary tubes will crack at the weld, and not where it is connected to the tube itself. The way exhaust, oil, and other smells get into the heating system is from a leak in the heater box itself or from one of the flexible hoses.
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From: Cheshire, England
We used to buy in B&B headers until we suffered from weld crack issues on a couple of high hp engines, but such is the hassle to return them from the UK for warranty about 5 years ago we took the decision to tool up make our own. The key difference in our headers is that we use pre-made constant wall thickness stainless steel bends which are argon purge TIG welded - our fabricator is a coded welder who works on food pipes for a living - which means that the welds are as perfect on the inside of the pipe as they are on the outside. The downside is that they do cost a lot more to produce than it would cost to buy in the B&B (given the current exchange rate) but to date we have not had one crack, even on systems that have been bent in an accident. The 9m 930 headers are £1695+VAT in the UK, the 965 version is £1795.
