exhaust leak in headers

[oi nah]

so I've just put an engine back exhaust on my ve omega, and both the headers and cats, and catback are 2 different brands, headers and cats from black ops, and catback from dea performance. the headers were a c*nt to get in but i got it done aswell as the cats. and I tried bolting up the catback but it just wouldn't sit flush at all. no matter how much i cranked the bolts it just wouldn't sit flush. so i got a bandaid fix and got some copper rtv and put it over all six flanges that connect together, that being the pipe that connects from the headers to the cats, the pipe that starts from the cats and the pipe that connects the midpipe. i turned on the car, and yuppp, sounds like sh*t. and yuppp, its coming from the headers. i reused the old gasket on the headers, so I'm assuming that may be the problem. I'm also thinking that because i tightened the catback bolts so tight for the flanges to be as close as possible, it may have moved the headers just slightly enough for exhaust gases to get out. when i turn on the car, it smells like something is burning, and faint white smoke comes out from the headers. also runs extremely rich, but may be because its coming straight from the block, or the 02 sensors aren't in. i hope this is exhaust gases, and not something else burning. I'm gonna bite the bullet and sell the dea performance catback and get a black ops catback so it'll all work together. just a part of life I guess, you live you learn. I'm gonna get new gaskets for the headers too.
any help would really be appreciated, cheers guys.

 

[keith reed]

If you are able to get the car up in the air get a bit of hose pipe and hold it to your ear to check where the leak is coming from. Give that a try before you go buying a new system. You definitely should have used new gaskets.

 

[oi nah]

If you are able to get the car up in the air get a bit of hose pipe and hold it to your ear to check where the leak is coming from. You definitely should have used new gaskets. Give that a try before you go buying a new system

I'm 100% sure its coming from the headers, and yeah i would of just bought new gaskets and left it at that but the catback has too many leaks because it doesn't sit flush because there 2 different brands. so i think its just better to buy a new catback and sell the one i bought already. last thing i want is to worry about the rtv falling off, because its only placed around the outside of the flanges.

 

[keith reed]

Another option is to cut the pipe behind the catback to make sure both flanges align and reweld the pipe.

 

[oi nah]

Another option is to cut the pipe behind the catback to make sure both flanges align and reweld the pipe.

yeah i could do that to be honest. i would have to get someone to weld it for me though because i have no idea how to lol

 

[Fu Manchu]

Would be poor build quality. You’ll be fluffing about for ages trying to sort it.

Yep, cut and re weld the flange.

 

[keith reed]

yeah i could do that to be honest. i would have to get someone to weld it for me though because i have no idea how to lol

If you are anywhere near Sumner Park get Alex at Mr Muffler to do it for you. It would be a lot cheaper than replacing the rear section.

 

[oi nah]

Would be poor build quality. You’ll be fluffing about for ages trying to sort it.

Yep, cut and re weld the flange.

what do you reckon the burning smell and white smoke at the headers is do you reckon? im hoping its just because it hasnt gone through the cat.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Would be paint and oil burning off.

The car will run like shite for a while because its data from the O2’s will be different due to different cats, air leaks, or no O2’s.

Once the leaks are fixed, the paint and oil residues burnt, the ECM has relearned its fuel trims, things should be better.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Also understand that the factory exhaust (other than the headers) was stainless and what you’ve put on is mild steel, so will be a short life from it.