Should a header glow?

[Paladin]

Ok, the T-Type is parked for the season until I can get around to ripping it apart for loads of repairs. Prior to this, did the normal tune-up's to it to get it running after sitting for 3 years (did the spring cleaning thing off Gnttype). Car runs like a champ despite the dying turbo and trans. I was idling it before (try to do it every one or two weeks) and saw a bit of smoke, didn't smell like much of anything, but when I looked down into the driver's side of the engine bay saw that the header pipe going to the middle exhaust port was glowing orange...not molten lava orange, but you could tell it was hot. This was after no more than 5 minutes of idling. Engine runs fine, sounds fine, all the fluids check out ok.

Now when I first started the thing up (in November) I blew about 5lbs of mouse nest out of the tailpipes, what are the chances somethign may have made it that far up and has created a blockage?

I'm not quite sure as to what may be causing this so if anyone has a good suggestion or idea, please share it.

Thanks,
Sam

 

[Two Lane]

5 POUNDS???????

That was a mouse motel!!

"Healthy" headers do not glow, & usually indicate a dangerously lean condition.

If it was running fine when it was parked, logic would seem to point out the mouse housing development as a likely culprit.

As if, all that's not enough, mice pee where they sleep...and their urine is super corrosive. I hope their condo was not on top of a piston!!

When all this is behind you, consider a cat w/ garage sleeping privileges!

HTH

 

[Paladin]

Ok, now how would I possibly diagnose the lean condition? Car does run fine, drove it around a bit before the turbo took a dump, and it idles smooth... So short of just putting in a new fuel pump, lines, and injectors (will be done eventually), any suggestions on that?

Thanks,
Sam

 

[Two Lane]

Do you have a Scaremaster or Direct Scan...any type of ECM diagnostic equipment? The fact that it is lean in at least one cylinder is fairly obvious.

A simple & cheap idea to begin with is to pull the plug adjacent to the glowing header pipe...check its condition. Unplug the injector to that cylinder...see if any diff in idle.

You're trying to pinpoint any systems effected, or contributing to the lean condition, and hopefully eliminate my worst fear for you...
that the various "leavings" of the mouse family have created some kind of obstruction in the fuel pathway...also, they also gnaw wiring, so there can be all kinds of potential now for shorts, etc.

You're essentially trying to determine the location of the problem's source/cause, & go from there.

But, at least the engine is running smoothly...for now. Would seem to indicate no more permanent damage done...yet. Do not get the header glowing again if it can possibly be avoided!

Years ago, a bud went thru something very similar from "Mice-On & In-The-Motor-Syndrome". He wound up pulling the intake & heads, and had to replace a bent valve, due to a piece of a black walnut!

Wish I could help more...all of your symptoms can disappear instantly if it is an obstruction that either gets burnt-up
completely or dislodged.

So, that will be my hope for you.

Keep us posted!

 

[Gary]

I think a light glow is not out of the question. Think about it for a second. At a 800rpm idle, an EGT meter is about at 900 degrees. Bump that idle up to a 1000 rpm and you'll be looking at better than 1000 degrees. I will gaurantee you that if somehow you can crawl under the hood of your car while someone makes a full pass down the track, you will see the headers turn a brillant orange. I've seen it several times on engines I have broken in. First time it scared the hell out of me. I shut the engine off quickly and thought I had probably ruined the engine. I was quickly educated by Red Armstrong.

Gary

 

[BoostKillsStres]

My GN is right around 730 degrees on the egt at hot idle. Not sure if that will cause a glow or not. I know on my sbc in my nova the rear tubes would glow at night as the fan didn't get much air back that far and I hit the headers w/ a pyrometer once and they were in the high 600's-low 700's at that point so I imagine ours could glow too on a warm night at idle for several minutes as our cooling fan doesn't get much air around the headers.

If you can identify one tube doing that I'd be watching the knock closely and would consider pulling the injectors for cleaning over storage or whatever or at least run a couple gallons of xylene through it and see if anything changes.

Just my .02

 

[Paladin]

I'm going to check on Gnttype how to pull an injector, then pull one of the other ones and see if there's any visible difference in them. I know when I originally changed the plugs on the car (after it had sat 3 years and was most likely abused for 90K miles) the plugs were black in all 6 cylinders. I checked at autozone and new injectors are $49 a pop (looks like that at least, may mean a pack of 6 but probably not)...Swapping it out will be a job for the spring, while its warm for a few days up here in the NE I'll see if I can diagnose if any problems are causing it.

Thanks for all the advice,
Sam

 

[GrndNatnl]

Cover your tailpipes!

Rubber-band rags or stick plastic cups over them so that nothing can get in there crawl up anything. I have to do that myself. My fathers car has always sat in the garage with no problem (and 3" exhaust). However, we have a mouse problem in the shed in the back yard. I'm not sure they discovered the garage yet. Just keeping the car shut up tight for precautions. Not sure how true the mice stories are, but I'm not willing to find out.

 

[Two Lane]

True Mouse Stories

I'm not sure how true those moose stories are either, but several of my friends & I have lots of true mouse stories, from personal experiences.

As a matter of fact, as I think over the damage done over the years to our cars while stored, most of it was rodent-related...primarily the tiny field mice.

Rodents have collapsible/hinged skulls that allow them entries you'd think impossible!

We found one of their preferred routes was through the cowl.
Everything you can do to try to block cowl entry could prove beneficial.

Most recently, I stopped on the way home from buying my current GN at a Full Service Shop owned by a friend to check it out on his lift, do a complete fluid/filter change, lube, etc.

So, one of the techs "freaks" while changing the factory air filter, saying: "Whoa! Check this %&@ out!!". There was a completely
stocked & furnished mouse-house in the filter box, w/cracked acorns, lots of pellets from earlier meals, & several tiny mouse hair nests! So block the air intake also.

Don't know about moose, but a mouse can be a crafty lil' critter.

HTH

 

[ONLYA6]

I just finished pulling apart a 70 Mach 1 Mustang that has been sitting in a garage for 18 years. The owner pulled the motor so I could do the body work. When he pulled the headers off, he found mice in the exhaust ports of the passenger side head! Anything is possible when it comes to a car that has been sitting for a long time.

Jacob

 

[Lee Thompson]

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Been sitting for a while? I would guess your # 3 inj. is stuck or not working properly.