Rock

It is if your trusting your life to a Sears jack.



Wayne, I would love to have it looked at sooner but the first chance I'm going to get is Wednesday.

jangy

Best of luck, Rock. I am at least assuming you are not driving it in the mean time?? Assuming we are talking an exhaust issue, this loss in power is directly related to heat buildup in the motor, so please do not be running it more than needed.

chris @ evosport

I'm sorry to hear about your car! The issue here is the use of stainless steel as opposed to mild steel. Stainless steel headers do not offer little or no flex, especially when heated or cooling. This is why you'll see the headers cracking or welds breaking. For one on a stainless header due to the cost of the steel some companies will make the thickness of the primaries and other parts of the header thinner to help avoid raising prices. In so doing they're creating a technically weaker product. This is where the use of Mild steel really shows it's value, especially when coated. Mild steel will offer more flex and be far less likely to crack. One concern for most is the fact that mild steel will rust; that's where the ceramic coating comes in to protect the product. In the end you come out with a header that's more affordable and longer lasting. Our headers our made of mild steel with a ceramic coating for the above mentioned reasons. If anyone is interested in a set please feel free to pm or contact me directly-

-Chris

absent

He's right about W211,since my cracked header was in the G and new part is on the way.

outdrinking

Did you happen to spray water on the headers or exaust system. Cold water and hot stainless do not mix well. Might have caused something to crack because of sudden contraction or expansion. Good luck

Rock

Thanks Jangy. You assumed right. Fortunately, I have some other choices in my garage. I will drive my Stillen modified 300ZXTT for a couple of days but I cannot wait to get my Merc. back.

A pic for you:

Rock

Chris,

Nice plug for your company but we are not even sure it is the headers or the connections.

jangy

Nice, I was worried you may actually drive that Lexus around!!

LOL with the EVO plug.

Rock

Lexus= Chick car

Jspeed

I have Kleemann headers too and from what you described, it may be the same thing that happened to me. I had a plug on the downpipe blown out but I'm not sure what that plug is for. It looks like its there for an O2 sensor to be screwed on or something.

Rock

What was the fix.......a new plug?

SeaCoupe

His information is actually helpful. Yes, I read it as a plug, but helpful.

Be sure to let us know what it was.

Now trusting your life to a Sears jack? As long as you put jackstands underneath you'll be fine. I have used a Craftsman jack and stands for at least 10 years.

I'm thinking you blew a collector gasket, and/or the bolts at the collector came loose.

E

Jspeed

The size of the plug/bolt was the same as an o2 sensor so they found a used one lying around and screwed it on. Sound was gone after that. But this was on a Kleemann downpipe so I'm not sure if its the same thing on your car.

absent

Well,bad news for me,Kleemann changed their mind and now they refuse to replace the cracked headers,instead they offer a new set at a discounted price.
I have no choice....



In the meantime driving a minivan loaner (R350)

Rock

Why did they change their mind? I assume the header's warranty was one year. How far past that was your car?

I will post pictures and details tomorrow. I have an a.m. appointment with the shop. Fingers crossed.

vrus

Rock,

Damn.. Sorry to hear about the troubles.. I am sure it is nothing major and is most likely a crack like everyone is saying.

If you open the hood and get a shop light and shine it onto the header on each side and downward as far as possible, you should be able to see almost down to the collector.. Look for the crack or for black soot... If it is leaking, it will leave a trail of black soot somewhere.

If you dont see anything from up top, then the next likely candidate is the joint where the downpipe connects to the stock exhaust tube.. Since that is the weld spot, it is the weakest joint in the system.

jangy

Have no choice? Actually, it may be time to make a decision.

absent

Th car was delivered in April '05 and has 18 k miles.
I will fix it (replace headers) and already started looking for a new daily driver.

Rock

Okay guys, it's a first!! I cracked a W211 Kleemann Header. I posted a few pictures so you can see the clean break.

I already spoke to Cory at Kleemann and fortunately, it is still under warranty and it will be replaced. Cory has also been good enough to request that Kleemann replace both headers. I will let you know how it all turns out.

I still love the car and love Kleemann. It's just a bump in the road on my quest for 701hp (a Vrus reference).

Jakpro1

Why I will always be a Kleemann customer. Customer service that is 2nd to none.

Glad to hear everything is okay. The "popped plug needing redrill" possibility scared the crap outta me.

hydeaway

Rock - glad to hear that kleemann is going to replace it under warranty.

Grumpy666

A break like that may be indicating that the exhaust system is under stress when expansion and contraction occur. You may want to have them loosen all the hangers and reposition it. Just a thought.

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

I was about to say the same thing. Very clean break though.

Rock

Grump, Thanks.... I will have that checked during the reinstall.

Also, a quick question for you. I was looking at at an old thread about headers and you made a reference regarding coated headers but never stated an opinion. What do you recommend. Can I have these coated or can I use thermal header tape? Any advantages?

vrus

David,

If Cory is sending you a brand new set of headers, ask him to have them coated before they ship them.. They do it as an option for their customers for $400.. It is a black coating that will not only protect the headers but also improve efficiency by keeping the heat inside where it is supposed to be.