Engine Headers glowing

Mig123

Member
Jan 9, 2021
6
1
13
California
I have a 91 foxbody everything has been redone. The car has ported heads, 30 pound injectors, trickflow stage 2 cam, adjustable fuel regulator. What can be making the headers glow? Everything runs fine with no issues just after about 15 min of either sitting or driving both side of the headers will get a lil glow on them.
 
  • Sponsors (?)


I have a 91 foxbody everything has been redone. The car has ported heads, 30 pound injectors, trickflow stage 2 cam, adjustable fuel regulator. What can be making the headers glow? Everything runs fine with no issues just after about 15 min of either sitting or driving both side of the headers will get a lil glow on them.
Also there is no cats on it as well only mufflers
 
I've seen too much timming (advance)make headers glow cherry red. Start with checking that. And tell all about this engine ex. Heads,intake,cam,tb,ect.
 
lean
rich
retarded
restricted exhaust
those are the most common causes of red headers

if the headers are stainless, depending on the grade and thickness of the tubing, some alloys can glow at a much lower temp than mild steel, so some glow may be considered "normal"...again depends on a lot of things.
 
I have a 91 foxbody everything has been redone. The car has ported heads, 30 pound injectors, trickflow stage 2 cam, adjustable fuel regulator. What can be making the headers glow? Everything runs fine with no issues just after about 15 min of either sitting or driving both side of the headers will get a lil glow on them.
Im having the same issue but mine is idling high and missing also. I have been chasing it for about 3 weeks now next I will be putting new intake gaskets on to see if it is sucking air. Let me know what you find out and I will do the same.
 
Sound like your running lean to me, did you replace fuel pump when you installed the bigger injectors?
It would have to be so lean the engine would barely run. Never seen a lean mixture actually cause glowing headers.

My guess is it’s timing related. Either improperly set, or the timing marks on the balancer have spun.
 
  • Like
  • Agree
Reactions: 2 users
When the timing is set to the wrong part of the timing pointer so it’s 20 deg After top dead center, not before, the headers glow very quickly and it runs rough. It will rev up, but it will have little power.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I had it at the stock timing then I took it to a shop where they told me to set it at 14 degrees which I did and the glowing went a way or atleast I thought it did. I drove it for 30 mins there was no glowing but yesterday I drove it and did some donuts and came home and they started glowing again. They only glow at high rpm, I have a stronger fuel pump so it is not that it’s forsure something with the timing but idk what
 
Im having the same issue but mine is idling high and missing also. I have been chasing it for about 3 weeks now next I will be putting new intake gaskets on to see if it is sucking air. Let me know what you find out and I will do the same.
It would be easier to hook up smoke machine for vacuum leak. Midas has them local here. Scanner might reveal other problems: fuel trim etc.
 
Only thing that will make headers glow is retarded timing. What timing set did you use when you installed the camshaft? Google "using a piston stoo to find tdc" lots of videos and articles on the subject. Buy a piston stop that is adjustable and use #1 cyl. Then I use a 3 buck timing tape from summit to put on the balancer and you should be good from there. Has the wiring been messed with, touched or modified anywhere? Do you have to push in the clutch for it to crank, or can you not touch the pedal and crank in neutral? Do you have a push button rigged up to start it? Just trying to cover all bases here.