ddb

I know what you mean by sounding like a real V8. I understand M-B wanting to make a quiet car, but these W210 E55's are ridiculously quiet. I'm surprised AMG let them go with the stock, restrictive manifolds and resonator. It seems they fixed this with the W211 and other AMG cars.

My car does sound sweet with just the x-pipe (and resonator delete) and hiflow secondaries. If it gets better with these headers I will be thrilled. I know it will run better, but sounding even better is a bonus.

How much difference did your Renntech airbox make in terms of performance and sound? What about your tune? Would you do both again?

Thanks!

snooozie

You are right regarding the W210 AMG been sounding a little too quiet. Since then, I think AMG must have quite a few complains about the sound level and when they launch the W211 they make sure to tune the exhaust sound to be more like a V8.

The RennTech airbox with the AFE Pro Dry S filter would definitely make a different in the sound and performance. The biggest difference I notice with the airbox is the smoothness the power band coming in under WOT.

Here's the link when I got my RennTech airbox.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w210-amg/...lter-sale.html

IMHO, I would take my time doing all the mod and enjoy every stage of all the mod you do. The tune would be the last thing I would do as that would be the mother of all mod (for me that is, as I have no intention to go SC with the engine). The beauty of the W210 E55 is that it will let you enjoy every stage of mod you do to it over time

ddb

I finished resealing the breather box that sits on top of the passenger side valve cover. These will leak eventually and require cleaning and resealing with RTV. It's an easy DIY, but time consuming to clean it properly. I could have done a better job cleaning around the valve cover and near the fuel rail/injectors. I did clean the mating surfaces of the breather box adequately. Here are some pics for folks that haven't seen this part of the valve cover:









I then removed the exhaust manifold and bolted up the header, torquing down the nuts that secure it. The studs that come with the headers for the down tube are too short, or I don't understand how to use them. I could've reused the original bolts, but they are rusty and I rather get some new bolts tomorrow.

So all I have left on the passenger side it to install the two new bolts on the down tube, retorque the header nuts, reinstall the coil boxes, reinstall the spark plug wires, and bolt down the secondary water pump (I believe this is what it is) which I moved for more access. I don't believe I will have time to work on it tomorrow, so I hope to finish up the passenger side on Wednesday. Then I can start on the driver's side on Thursday after work. I'm going to reseal that breather box as well so it may take me to Saturday to complete the header install.

cudaized

Looks great!

SleepersRock

I re-sealed the valve covers at 80K. It wasn;t too bad a job. Took my friend and I a few hours.

If I do the headers, does it make sense to do it again not that the car has 155k?

ddb

SleepersRock,

Since you've logged 75,000 miles since resealing the breather box it is probably a good idea to have a look and see if they're leaking. If they are you already know how to fix them.

The advantage of tieing the resealing project with the installation of the headers is you gain the needed clearance to install the headers by removing the coil packs and the plug wires. This also gives you more room to remove the breather box and clean around it if needed. You also can clean behind the coil packs while at it.

So yes, I think it makes sense to tie the two projects together. Let us know when you decide to do the headers.

Best of luck,

ddb

Strigoi

Got a call from the machine shop today and they're going to take a bit more work than expected. I talked with the owner (who is a badass, old school machinist) and it's going to be a bit more expensive than the original quote. He's anticipating it taking at least an hour and a half to get them right. He said he should have them ready for me tomorrow. This weekend is looking kind of busy so it may be another week or two until they get installed.

I'm fine with paying more as long as they're done right. An extra $50 also isn't a big deal at all. It is tattoo money that's getting wasted, so it kind of sucks. At least my roommate is installing them at his shop so I won't have to pay for that.

ddb

Yea, at this point you may as well do whatever is necessary to get the flanges correct before having them installed. It really is a shame that we have to work on a brand new set of headers right out of the box. I'm sure some have installed them untouched without problems, but it is well worth getting the flanges flat to minimize potential problems down the road.

You are very lucky to have someone work on your car for free. I have that weird thing where I hate working on my car while doing it but am extremely satisfied when I'm finished.

I wrapped up the passenger side today. I removed the coils packs and plug wires on the driver's side. They kicked my butt. Nothing went smoothly today. I quit before I broke something. Tomorrow I will clean and reseal the oil fill/breather box. Hopefully I can get the manifold off and the header on by Friday or Saturday. I'm really looking forward to firing it up to check for exhaust and oil leaks before taking it out for a long drive.

cudaized

Take your time. No rush. Quality instead of quantity...

I installed my headers today. Easy install. I felt the improvement during my initial test drive. Now I am waiting for the ECU to adapt. Then onto the dyno test...

ddb

Congrats on a smooth install, cudaized!

Your pic shows what I noticed as I reattached my auxillary water pump: one rubber hose is about an inch from the header. I haven't heard about any issues so hopefully the clearance is more than adequate.

I agree 100%, better to take your time and do it right the first time.

Did you notice any change in exhaust note? Are you going to do the resonator delete/x-pipe mod down the road? It really made a difference in my car.

Looking forward to your dyno results.

cudaized

I did not notice any change in exhaust sound at idle. There was no "header tick" that I have in some of my other cars. If I didn't do the installation myself, I would not think that anything was changed from stock.

Driving it, is somewhat different . As I "test" drove my car, I noticed a better exhaust sound. Deeper, more authoritative at mid range and higher RPM.

I am on my way to do the next step: remove the secondary cats, remove the resonator, add an x-pipe, and am actually contemplating replacing my primary cats with some high flow ones. (Also wondering if I should address that crimped driver's side down pipe prior to the primary cat. It bothers me)

westu93

Looks amazing ddb. Im running on stock everything but i want to add an x pipe with resonator and secondary cat delete. But im having a hard time deciding on which x pipe to get. Im looking for some on ebay and i found a couple. Also i don't know if i should get the 3" or 2.5"?

Please look through these and tell me which one you guys recommend i get, unless you know of other ones i did not list that are better. Thanks

1. http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Aluminized-EXHAUST-X-PIPE-CROSSOVER-EQUALIZER-/181112361087?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a2b23507f&vxp=mtr
2. http://www.ebay.com/itm/GP-Universal-Crossover-X-Pipes-Polished-Stainless-Steel-3-/380706090341?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item58a3d9ed65&vxp=mtr
3. http://www.ebay.com/itm/GP-Universal-Crossover-X-Pipes-X-Pipe-Aluminized-2-5-Diameter-/380704593942?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item58a3c31816&vxp=mtr
4. http://www.ebay.com/itm/SS-T304-Exhaust-X-Pipe-2-5-Inlet-2-5-OD-/181092644556?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a29f676cc&vxp=mtr

ddb

Hi westu93,

Your car is a newer W211 E55. My car and this section is for the older W210 E55's. So I'm not sure about the specifics as far pipe diameter for your car. I do know you are better off with stainless steel (T304 or T409) versus aluminized steel.

You should post the same question in the W211 section and I'm sure you will get the needed advice.

Best of luck.

ddb

ddb

When you get these planned exhaust mods completed you will really have a beast! You will love the sound.

I can't wait to hear and feel the differences when I get this last header bolted up. I didn't have the time to work on it until yesterday. I finished cleaning and resealing the breather box and will get the header on today. I will post my initial impressions after the first start and drive.

armaniE55

ddb

Finally!

I have to admit the driver's side kicked my butt! I just finished the install this evening. It seems like every nut and bolt was difficult and I was constantly dropping tools and hardware in the engine bay. With a lot of patience and persistence I finished the install.

I'm really glad I took the time to reseal those breather boxes. It added time to the project, but I don't have to worry about them for a long, long time, if ever.

Like cudaized reported, my car sounds like it did before the install at idle (the resonator delete/x-pipe did make a big difference at idle and otherwise).

I haven't driven the car. I did a quick detail and will drive it for the rest of the week. Can't wait for the ECU to fully adapt.

I did start it with the air cleaner box installed (the front cover off) to check for exhaust leaks and to make sure I didn't have any giant leaks where I resealed the breather boxes. I let it run for a good period and so far so good.

Strigoi, sorry you had a fitment issue. I too would be very pissed if I were in your shoes.

Looking forward to the drive tomorrow and the rest of the week. I will report my impressions as I experience them.

ddb

ddb

It has been about 12 days and a little over 200 miles since I completed the header install, and I've driven the E55 each day. So I'm sure the ECU has fully adapted.

Early on I heard a ticking/clicking noise (more so than the "normal" ticking I've heard since buying the car about five months ago). I worried for a minute that it was an exhaust leak, but I was rather certain that I took my time and did a good install. After some searching on this forum I thought it might be the vapor purge valve. I had a listen with a stethoscope and confirmed the ticking noise was the exact same rhythm. I tried cleaning it without success so I replaced it and problem solved.

All I can say is the car sounds and feels fantastic! When you stand on the gas the roar from the exhaust is unreal. While cruising or more normal throttle the sound isn't too loud, or annoying at all. So it really is best of both worlds. With the headers and other exhaust mods the car definitely feels stronger. Of course I don't have any quantitative measurements, but I don't care.

I tried to make a decent video clip and thus far don't feel like I've done a good job capturing the sound. I'm attaching a video nonetheless. Sitting there revving the engine stationary just doesn't do it justice when compared to the engine being under load.

ML63 AMG

Wow, that sounds so meaty!