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Kink in exhaust header

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mypoorbrain

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Truck was down for a week or so after snapping the rear shock tower in a crash and waiting for parts. I picked up the shock tower and a new bottle of fuel.

Problem started with truck being very hard to start. Eventually got the mixture right so it would stay running but it isn't making much power now. Low end power is almost nil, high end power delivery is good though.

When I crashed the truck, the shock tower dented the exhaust header. Could this be the cause of the truck being hard to tune/drive? It was running ok after the crash when I zip tied the shock tower together but now, not so well.

I know the importance of good exhaust flow in these engines but that does not explain why it was running ok before. Could it be a bad batch of fuel? Or time for new exhaust?

Any help/insight on this would be appreciated.

...I also switched to a 56t spur gear, but everything is running fine there...
 
same with my truck. i ripped off a shock in a hard landing and it put a little dent in the header. since then it has been harder to tune. i also have no low end and its on brand new fuel.
 
I would like know if it effects power since I dented my header in 2 spots. My motor was pretty new at the time so I can't say if I lost power after
 
If you're careful you can rest the header on a soft surface, a towel or something, and stick a rounded object in the pipe end of the header and carefully bend it back to shape. It doesn't always work, but I've done it.;)

A small dent shouldn't affect much, but a big one will give you problems.
 
Any dent has in impact on performance, be it in the header or the pipe. XRC dyno'd an engine with a dented header vs without, there was noticeable power and RPM loss.

You can also try plugging one end with something and tape, then fill it with water and plug the other end, then freeze it. When the water freezes, it will expand and push the dent out. I've done it a few times with single chamber pipes with pretty good success. Never tried a header though. Find something you can really jam in the ends like a cork. Make sure to tape it though or the ice will push it out.
 
I would bet that it is hurting performance. The size of the pipe where the dent is is restricted by maybe 20% which I'm sure will cause issues. Funny thing is it was running ok when it first happened.

I'll try the freezing trick there and failing that, I have an excuse for new exhaust!
 
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