MaroonC63

Okay, let's see if some guru's here can help me.

Basically, i had headers installed a month ago. I think it might of been a faulty install because the car used to lag when i would downshift and accelerate. Last night, downshifted, and accelerated and the car sounded insanley loud like the headers became loose or they were leaking. My esp was disabled and the check engine light came on. The car kept stalling and shaking, had to get it towed. If it truly is the headers, the performance shop that installed them will be seeing my attorney because they've already been on my bad side for a horrible job they did when they decided they wanted to experiment on my car to make a few dollars.

Guilty

Hi eurocharged!

avery.whss

well did your car smell like really bad exhaust after? when i had an old RHD car we took the headers off just to see how loud it was, it smelled really bad after so I'm guessing most cars would stink if the headers were loose or off...don't worry about the CEL, honestly the CEL means jack****, my CEL has been on for like 3 months straight and the dealership will even tell me the car is retarded for keeping it on because theres nothing wrong, yeah your car stalled and jerked, mine has too 2-3 times now..mostly on flat roads too, i just ignore it and restart the car

MaroonC63

Fumes were only coming out of the right tail pipe. When i started the car on the startup sound was where the primaries meet the headers not from the tailpipes. The cel was flashing and the car was shaking vigoursly. Sounded like open headers, tried to drive it but it wouldnt accelerate that much kept hesitating with a weird idle.

avery.whss

ah yes, flashing CEL is worse then a CEL that just stays on..but don't worry too much about it...sounds like they came off for sure then..hopefully it's a easy fix

Ingenieur

you have a 2013 P31 C63 and monkeyed around with it?
headers? cats? software (the heart of the system)?
for all that is good and holy why man, why!!!???
the oem exhaust note is one of, if not, the best around
put everything back to stock and see how it runs...I'm guessing better


for all the junior birdman engineers who think they can out think AMG, do this:
get educated at a top notch school for 8 years for a PhD in mechanical engineering specializing in hipo combustion engines and powertrains

aquire 10-20 years of progressively responsible experience in the field

get a job with AMG and spend 5-10 years there

then leave and start a business
like the guy at RennTech
then you may have some credentials which lead to credibility


ignore ANY check light at your own peril

SheryarYO

his car...he can do whatever he pleases with it. not like he tried to install these things on his own. he took it to a shop where they specialize in this sort of thing and it looks like they may have done a ****-poor job.

hope you get everything sorted out man. i was looking forward to your photoshoot. actually...if you ever get around to it, let me know so i can come out too.

estrellajon

Sounds like the shop didn't torque things properly especially on one bank since you don't feel pressure on one side . Let us know what the shop will do to solve this issue .

estrellajon

A flashing CEL means misfires in progress and possible component damage. A Steady CEL means the system has verified an issue and error code is available

Ingenieur

really? truly? lol
you mean he's not going to listen to internet chat room advice


generally people who can afford cars like his are not mo-rons (entertainment and sports types excluded)
you imply he's an imbecile


he can't use his 75k investment, was left stranded and talking legal action


what do you suggest?


suggestion: put the car back to normal and see if it runs better...it will

mercedes4ever

Ingenieur has given him excellent advice, sure its HIS car, but so f#@king what? He asked the question... Ingenieur answered it with logic and commensense.

GeorgeSmooth

Wow, and I took my engine out at 16,000miles, stripped it with no manual then reassembled it in the garage of my home. I bought tools as I went along.

Ingenieur

let me clarify
I did not mean to imply the OP was a JrBE
he trusted one apparently


his car is amazing stock, I hope he can enjoy it

Ingenieur

but you did not engineer/design it
you built a puzzle, congrats


I see amateur engineering every day
often testifying against them in court

MaroonC63

Thank you for your advice, it's okay everyone he's just looking out for another AMG lover. See, the thing is, i love my car more than anything, and i agree, in stock form, it's an amazing machine. But i do see track days, and i love going to the drag strip, so for me, some things had to be upgraded. Even on my 09, i did many upgrades to the engine and suspension. Leaving a car stock, you'll run into problems also, just not as bad so i do agree stock would be more of a relief. The main issue here is that the shop i was going to is wordly known, very looked up to on this forum also. They just thought they could get away with work they didn't know how to do, basically they thought they'd just make a few quick dollars because of the good faith most people have towards their company. When it comes to a persons car, if you don't know how to do the work, just say so. I was told countless times how perfect their work was, and how flawless all their work will be. Every single time, that wasn't the case. I have stopped going there as of now awaiting them to fix things on their part, we'll see how it goes but my attorney has everything on hand.

SheryarYO

?

Only advice/answer he gave him was to revert his car back to stock...unless I missed something. I am slightly inebriated at the moment so I may be wrong though.

Car is great stock, but there's always more you can get out of it. Obviously OP wanted to take that route since he gladly shelled out the money for it. Don't see how telling him to go back to stock and not mess with it at all is helpful advice...

If I had any knowledge at all on the matter I'd chime in, but I don't so I just hope it all works out. I'm assuming all the work was done at EC and it can all get resolved as hassle free as possible.

MaroonC63

Yeah, i was really disappointed. Just when i thought i could let the shop off the hook, this happened. I dont think any shop should "attempt" jobs they can't do, but this one seems to do it all the time. The photoshoot will be done the second my car is out of the shop! A guy on here i traded rims with will be doing it, would be great if you can come out!!

My good friend and SA said "The headers themselves are fine, its where the left exhaust mates up the headers that is the problem. Who did your install? Wasn't done properly. My tech tried to put it back together unsuccessfully. The right exhaust is fine. We will look at it again on Monday and I will let you know."

Hopefully it's nothing major! These engines are really realiable

MaroonC63

Followed your build since day one! One of my favorites

Ingenieur

yes, that is the ONLY advice I would give him


continuing down the current path will only lead to more problems/cost


I could say crawl underneath and see if something is loose
or do some computer diagnostics
but the issue is complicated by the software and applying headers, etc., to a system never designed for it...
and would not resolve the issue, in my opinion the solution is to return to stock...put the money in brakes, suspension, etc. if he likes, but the engine system is complicated and difficult to improve upon


again, not my business, but I don't like seeing good people waste hard-earned money...but I'm funny like that
to each their own

m a x i m u s

is this EC in DC? sorry to hear about your issues, I hope it all gets worked out for you.

Mikegpr03

Wow my friend that was deep
I'm no genius but sometimes we come up with some nice ideas along the way too

TTA850

MaroonC63, sorry to hear of your issues these cars really are perfect with a few mods. Flashing CEL only occurs when conditions exist which could result in possible catalytic converter damage. The CEL as most things today is mostly emissions based.

Because the stock exhaust is too quiet and there's a ton of power to be gained.


All the education and experience in the world means nothing if you don't have the mind to see solutions and history is not full of 50+ year olds innovating in motor sports. However it is full of guys like Smokey Yunick ( read up on him if you don't know, amazing individual http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Yunick ), Carroll Shelby, Mickey Thompson, Vic Edelbrock, Fred Offenhauser, Louis Chevrolet, and Henry Ford.

Anyone that thinks the factory is infallible is the one who needs an education, most all cars today are a compromise of sorts and can be improved upon - including AMG's.

This I agree, ANY check engine light should not be ignored.

Ingenieur

imho not deep, but basic common sense


we all have our areas of competency, some can even claim expertise, lol


I can stop a bleeding wound but I'm not a surgeon
if a doctor performed surgery on one us I doubt many would rip it open and try to 'make it better'


the internet is littered with modding horror stories: not only MB/AMG, but BMW, Audi, et al...not sure why one would futz with the reliability of the package...but again, to each their own

estrellajon

CEL just notifies you that the engine has detected something wrong but not necessarily catastrophic. Combustion Engines in general are robust and will be able to take issues such as this. Nothing to worry about on your side. Sounds like you have uneven pressure between banks. The biggest issue to worry about is that shop you dealt with and pending legal issues.

Nothing wrong with upgrading engine components as long as it's done properly especially with dealing with force induction. Every make will have enthusiasts successfully add more reliable power.

Although I agree with AMG engineers designing and making a superb motor, it's no different than any other combustion engine whether it's a V8, V6, I4, I6, flat6/4 etc. The process of burning fuel is the same. No need to be an AMG engineer/mechanic to work on one as long the person has engine building knowledge.

Ingenieur

too quiet? really? It seems pretty loud for a street car


you generally don't get a PhD in engineering if you can't solve problems

I know who Yunick is, old school, and did as much rule manipulation as he did innovative engineering...


do you know who Paul Rosche is?

Ford worked as an engineer for Edison,
his best work came when he was 45 (model T)
his education was the 25 years leading up to that point
ever hear of Adrian Newey?

'improved' requires definition...was his car improved?
just because a few non-technical sorts think it is an improvement does not make it so...some power in excess of what already can't be used at the expense of efficiency, reliability, warranty, value, etc., would not be considered an 'improvement' by many


making more power isn't always an 'imrovement'

many times compromise is the best solution
a big part of engineering is deciding what compromises to make
in order for the total package to be optimized