header leak--ok to drive?

Mystic1350 · May 24, 2010

i have a drivers side header leak, probably either at the gasket or due to the crap MAC headers that i have thay may have a small hole in them (they are brand new thou).
ANYways, is it ok to drive with this leak? i have all new internals and dont want to risk hurting them by driving it. please let me know your thoughts

also, i know people per previous post have told me to unbolt motor mounts and jack up the engine...is it as simple as that? will that give me enough room to access the bolts and change the gasket (assuming its the gasket).. also, i dont need to unbolt tranny or any drivetrain?

79'293stang · May 24, 2010

I did a header install with a friend of mine and we had it on a lift, unbolted the engine, took out the starter, undid the steering shaft, then jacked the engine from below and did it. We were installing long tubes though so it was a real PIA.

32ValveRom · May 24, 2010

As soon as I saw the thread title I thought "take it to a shop" for the same reason ^he said. It's a pita.

Mystic1350 · May 27, 2010

yea i already know its a pain in the butt..but want to know if its bad to drive with on.. i know its before the front 02's so i assuming the readings will eventually get banged up and cause drivabilty issues

Art07GT · May 28, 2010

The bigger the leak the higher your chance of damaging the exhaust valves,guides,and seats. The closer the leak is to the Hot components the higher your chance of damage. Just make a common sense decision based on your interpretation of your leak, your NEED of driving this car instead of (walking,pedaling,hitching or simply driving the minivan) VS, how big is your wallet,etc.

Chances are, a small leak at the collector is more damaging to your pride than it is to your motor. A considerable leak at the cylinder head to header connection is problematic for damage to internal engine components. I cant use my 5 senses on yours so i would suggest^^ as above
bring it back to whomever installed them. unless this helps you decide it might cause damage or not.

Mystic1350 · May 29, 2010

thanks for the input..i def am going to stop drivign it until these gaskets come and i get the leak checked out/fixed... i just had a complete engine rebuild and heads ported/valve job so i dont want to jeopardize. hopefully nothing has gone bad in the 1000 miles i have had this leak and new engine

mustang_jr+ · Jun 8, 2010

I had the same problem. The sound was embarrassing. It sounded like a Jalopy.

Do a favor and replace the headers as you're playing for the labor and you might as well
ditch the macs. (I hate macs)

Mystic1350 · Jun 9, 2010

yea the sound def sucks...i just dont know if im hurtin the engine by driving it...contrary to the above, 4 speed shop people have told me it is fine to drive but what was written above scares me a lil

i def have heard bad things about the MAC's..mine arent even 6 months old and they started rusting...not sure if i can dish out $500k for BBk's chrome though

mustang_jr+ · Jun 9, 2010

Mystic1350 said:
yea the sound def sucks...i just dont know if im hurtin the engine by driving it...contrary to the above, 4 speed shop people have told me it is fine to drive but what was written above scares me a lil

i def have heard bad things about the MAC's..mine arent even 6 months old and they started rusting...not sure if i can dish out $500k for BBk's chrome though

Get the plain black ones, you can't even see the headers in our cars.

header leak--ok to drive?

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