So I noticed a change in the exhaust note recently, and this is what I have found!

These are GT Spec RCM headers.

Are they finished with or can they be repaired?

To me it looks like the welds on the slip joint have cracked, and of course where all the pipes come together.

What do you think?

 

contact rcm is the obvious answer

 

Thanks for your helpful input mate, really appreciate it!

 

Should be possible to MIG those welds up enough to be gas tight. Won't look pretty, but should prolong the life somewhat at least.

on a separate note, havery they been heat wrapped? They look so horribly rusty even considering where they sit and all the heat cycles etc

 

You running anti-lag mate?

 

Yes very rusty shouldn't be like that surely,,, you sure there RCM headers??

 

no problem! sometimes very difficult questions can be easily answered

 

I believe its common on the first batch of headers they made, i have some here for my blob ive gotta get welded that have also split along the slip joint, not bad for a set of headers that set you back around £400 when new,

 

take them to davis n snell at chivenor 01271-813466 speak to steve the man is a welding god. he will probably sleeve the crack and weld over

 

Yes, they were heat wrapped.

 

I do, but rarely use it.

 

Yes, they are 100% RCM Headers. They have the little logo on the flanges.

 

Cheers mate, I'll see if they can do something with them.

 

That logo has **** all to do with rcm thats the makers mark as every 3 bolt gt spec headers have that logo on the flanges .

 

scrap those. so rusty and that quality is Not RCM.

 

All made by kakumei

 

It's just surface rust, which is fine.

my reason for asking was that I had a pair of lateral headers (ie same ones), and they looked quite similar under the heat wrap.

I now have a pair of rcm ones (but as per banny they're the same anyway), and I think I'll remove the wrap and run them naked and see if that affects the look of them (might keep the up pipe wrapped)

sadly I think it's a fact of life that stainless headers sometimes crack, because stainless expands a lot with heat, so there's always the chance that it will crack in joints (especially if e.g the slip joint slightly seizes etc), particularly with the long runs on a set of subaru headers.

 

Egts will always exceed the opering temp limit of 304 stainless steel, this is why killer b are so expensive as they are made from 321 stainless steel

 

Wrapping them will keep the temps even higher then?
What steel grade are oem headers made of?
I'm using an old set of oem EL wrapped and are holding out well.

Edit: was thinking of going rcm/tommi/lateral etc...so interested

 

I had a set of RCM headers crack, they were wrapped. Got a new set and left them naked, under bonnet temps went through the roof!!!! They are now wrapped

 

hmm, yeah that would be a bit of a shame

 

The best way to go.

Have exact same ones one mine cracked and been welded.

Expect they will go again then it will be a proper set.

 

 

iv cracked more sets than I care to remember , iv had them welded but they will go again in the end ,,,iv found they will crack a lot sooner when heat wrap is used so I tend to leave them unwrapped

 

They are actually GT Spec headers, not RCM, but still made by the same people apparently?

I will see what the engineers that madscoob has mentioned have to say about repairing them, if a no go then I think I will just get some Japspeed headers as if they are prone to cracking, then whats the point in spending double the money if they need replacing often!

I will still use the up pipe as that is slip jointed and is in very good condition and the Japspeed headers use the same three bolt flange on the up pipe from what I can tell.

I will be wrapping them as well as I already have pretty high under bonnet temps and leaving these unwrapped is only going to add to the problem.

Would a rapid change in temperature cause headers to crack, say if water was to have come into contact with them? Logic says that as they so hot when in operation that the water would simply turn to steam upon contact?

 

I understood lots of short runs don't help an exhaust system as condensation never gets burned off effectively. leading to corrosion. My ceramic coated headers were fitted at Zen in 2008 and they've been ok thus far. The ceramic coating wasn't cheap.
Trev

 

I have had the Lateral Performance 3 bolt exhaust manifold and then the Rcm 3 bolt exhaust manifold, they are NOT the same. The main difference is that RCM use much larger bolts for the 3 bolt up pipe, giving it a larger clamping load and stopping the gasket from leaking on the up pipe.

The Lateral exhaust manifold was on my car for a very short time, when I removed it the up pipe bolts were rusty and could not be used again.

I think all the 3 bolt exhaust manifolds are made in the same factory in Taiwan.

 

Yes RCM and Scoobyclinic heads are the same both come boxed up with made in Taiwan on the box...

 

Rcm/gt spec/tomei etc all same headers.
You should use new bolts/studs every time

 

HKS Headers any good?