Caseydilbeck78

So the other day I put some different axle backs on my 06 gt.... now it sounds like I have a exhaust leak on my passenger side up by my header in the top back but it also sounds like the noise is coming from under my valve cover but not sure.... it's really loud when I first start my car of the morning's and after it warms up the noise gets quieter but is still there but after it's warm it don't sound like it's coming from the valve cover... when I'm going down the road and give it gas it gets louder too... it really sound like a exhaust leak but I'm not sure .... just want to see what you guys think before I take it to the Ford dealership

houtex

I'm going to guess that the axlebacks aren't the problem, unless you went up by the headers and messed around with the pipes there. Also, I'm going to guess you got a cracked header or bad exhaust gasket/mating surface of the head/exhaust header.

Get a tube and stick it in one of your ears. I'd lean towards a clean, unused tube, you maybe your middle name is 'danger' or 'aintskeert'. Move the other end of the tube around the header and see if the sound comes from any particular area. It'll be obvious if it does. You can also maybe (when it's cold!) put your hand around the header and see if you can feel hot exhaust gases escaping. The manifold will take a little bit to get warmed up, and the little bit of hot exhaust shouldn't hurt... much...

In any event, the getting better when warmed up indicates to me the gap what's letting the exhaust out is closing as the metal warms up. And it's likely on the underside, which may throw the sound in the way that makes you think it's not coming from there. Getting under the car while running might help with the diagnosis too.

Not sure I'd take it to a dealership for this one. I'd take it to a reputable mechanic/muffler shop, if I weren't inclined to do the work myself. Which I would be, so.. yeah. The conflict, it's real for me...

Hope that helps, good luck man!

/The only thing I'd be worried about is the nuts coming off the studs and/or studs breaking in the head. That'd be where a thrice soaking of Liquid Wrench Penetrant would be the thing to do... and/or run it to make it hot first... and/or my MAPP torch, as I lack an acetylene torch... which would be where the mechanic/muffler shop would be the call...
//Then again, if I got it messed up because of those nuts, I'd probably just bolt it back up and drive it over, so no big deal, eh?
///For what all that ramblin's worth...

m05fastbackGT

How did your car sound just before changing the axle-backs, did you notice anything unusual at all then or not until after making the axle-back change? Unless you somehow loosened the connections between the mid-pipe and exhaust headers? I highly doubt the exhaust leak your describing is coming from the header/valve cover section. That being said, I would check all connections between the mid-pipe and tail pipe sections and most definitely check your axle-back connections to make sure the band clamps are all secure and tight. Also make certain that none of your header bolts/gaskets are loose as well.

Caseydilbeck78

The car sounded just fine and then all of a sudden it has a leak....I jacked up the car and got under it while running and all clamps are tight and I thought I might have loosen it up where the pipe meet the header but it's tight too...I even run the car and sprayed soapy water on everything to see if it bubbled up but I can't find anything.... that's why I'm thinking header gasket.... the car did sit for a year or so without being driven

m05fastbackGT

If everything is secure and tight as mentioned? then it's a very strong possibility that it may be a header gasket along with some of the header bolts becoming loose which could very well result from the car sitting for a year or so without being operated nor driven

Caseydilbeck78

Yeah I'm going to take it to the shop and have them look at it cause I don't have anyway to do that kind of work....I can do small jobs but don't think I can get that done....I heard it's hell getting that passenger side header off... I guess you have to take a bunch of stuff off and Jack up the motor and all kinds of stuff

houtex

Ok, wow. That's quite the job. Had no idea.

I still can/could do it (if I can do that oil pan in the car, I can do this!) but I get ya. Ain't gonna be fun no matter what.

Good luck, hope it's easy for whomever does it!

Caseydilbeck78

Yeah it's a job and if I had the proper stuff to do the job I think I could... but I think it would be hard doing it laying on the ground and not on a lift... but who knows I might try to get the stuff and do it myself... I'll see what a shop tells me first

m05fastbackGT

Taking it to the shop seems like your best option IMHO. Meanwhile, we'll be looking forward to your updates

Caseydilbeck78

Yeah I'll definitely send updates.....

Caseydilbeck78

Well my car is going to Carolina speedworks sometime this week to get header gaskets... it's a mustang shop that only works on mustangs... they do high performance work and they tune cars on the dyno, this will be the first time taking my car there and I hope there good.... they said just for labor it would be 600 bucks and then the price of gaskets and there trying to talk me into some kind of stage 8 bolts that lock in place and don't get loose again over time... has anyone heard of these bolts or have used them... just wanting to know if that would be a good investment and if I should go that route.... thanks

Jaryd21

If you would go that route I would get some headers as well then dont have to worry about them later if you were thinking of getting some shorties or long tubes. I have heard of them and was going to get some my self but decided to wait until I get new headers.

Caseydilbeck78

I already have BBK shorty headers

Jaryd21

Yeah then I would the route with new header gaskets and the new bolts, it will be better in the long run.

Caseydilbeck78

Thanks for the info..... I believe I'm just going to get them.. I don't want to have to do this again anytime soon

houtex

https://www.stage8.com/
https://www.stage8.com/product/8906-...mm-header-kit/
(This is for the 4.6 in your car)

These are locking fasteners, quite the thing. Made of 4130 Alloy Steel, good stuff, while not completely rust resistant, it's more a surface rust than anything, so they'll stay intact. They're also nickel coated which helps with that rusting situation. Will help keep the BBKs looking nice and keeping the exhaust intact to the head. For 80 bucks on that website, no brainer ya ask me. Stock manifold? Meh. BBKs? Absolutely.

For what my opinion's worth on that. Hope it helps!

m05fastbackGT

This is also another reason I stuck with the OEM exhaust manifolds. Unless your upgrading to Long Tube headers? paying up to $600.00 in labor costs + the cost for the shorties just isn't worth the investment IMHO, as they offer very little over the stock manifolds as far as any noticeable HP/TQ gains are concerned.. For what it's worth, they do however deepen the tone and increase the volume somewhat while keeping the stock catted mid-pipe in place

Caseydilbeck78

My car already had the shorty headers on it when I bought it or I'd probably just left stock manifold on it too.... but the bolts loosen up and the gaskets went bad..... the 600 bucks is just the labor on putting new gaskets on.... it's alot but has to be done..... and yeah I'm going to use those locking bolts this time cause I don't want to do this again anytime soon

m05fastbackGT

Just the $600.00 in labor costs alone for putting in new header gaskets/bolts is quite expensive IMHO. However, unless you have the tools and ability to do it yourself? I fully understand you have no other option but to have a shop do the installation work for you, therefore there's really no other way of avoiding those $600.00 labor costs. Anyhow, hopefully those new locking bolts won't end up becoming loose nor have to go through replacing header gaskets again anytime soon

houtex

After watchin' that video... $600 for someone else to do these things and swap out the bolts/studs for those nicer and better ones seems not that bad at all, ya ask me. What, guesstimatin' 4 hours? Sure. I have other things to do for those 4 hours, which would wind up bein' two days for me in my garage on my back and then up top, and goin' back and forth, needing yet another tool I don't have... yeah. Seems a deal to me in some sorta context...

Not sayin' I'd shy away from it, just... yessir, might be worth it in the right sorta circumstances to me... Like these days/weeks/months that work's been stupid... and so have I...

Yep. Prolly best $600 I spend for me not to tackle it right now...

/Ramblin'... that'd be me...
//I need an actual shop with a lift. That'd go a loooong way...