Black2003SS Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 (edited) As many of you know, my times are struggling for what I have in mods an dI have been really frustrated. After taking a deep breath, I decided to go back to the basics and start from there. I took out my CAI air filter and inspected that...it was clean. I inspected my header gaskets and made sure there were no leaks...good to go. Then I started pulling plug wires and spark plugs...BINGO! Huge problem. When I pulled the #1 plug wire, the wire boot snapped in half right in my hand...it was very brittle. Ok? Looked inside and the plug was covered inside with white crystal like stuff/powder! The spark plug was covered in it as well. How could that even make a spark? Must have been barely arcing or something. So I cleaned it off, put it back on, drove to summit (the truck felt better after jsut cleaning it) bought new TR55 NGK plugs and new MSD wires. Drove home, had a beer, let the truck cool down and the sun go down a little bit...pulled all of the plug wires and plugs. I found 3 plugs and wires in the same condition, brittle, covered in white stuff. One plug wire had been melted a little bit, but it wasnt to the core wire, just the boot was cracked/heat stressed. I installed all new plugs and wires. Good to go right? Wrong...I'm sitting there thinking, how the hell did that white stuff get in there? What was it? Road salt from the winter? No...it couldnt work its way in there...not that much of it and all the plug wires should be like that if that was the case. Then...thank god for chemistry classes in college. Do you gusy remember when I said I had coolant leaking down out of the header bolt holes in my heads? I researched it at the time and did in fact confirm that the manifold/header bolts do tap into the water jackets during machining/manufacturing from the factory. I had coolant leaking...I installed my last set of plugs/wires PRIOR to my header install. Well...as most you probably know that when you allow engine coolant to sit, it will eventualyl turn to gel and over time it can crystalize. Well...when you excite it with electricity (the stuff flowing through the plugs and wires!) It crystalizes much faster! So thats what caused all of that. I then pulled the headers, installed new gaskets along with some hasket slear on the threads of the bolts and around the bolt hole under the gasket, re-tourqed, good to go. Results? We will see on friday, but the truck screams now...no more rough idle, no more surging in third gear at top speed...I havent had an opportunity to scan it yet, but will in the next day or two. Iw ouldnt be surprised if some of my KR is gone...Even my g/f said it felt much faster, without me telling her I did anything. Edited June 4, 2007 by Black2003SS (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBlueSS Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detjoe Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 good job, what did you not seal the header bolts the first time? how did it leak out, from the bolt down the plug wire?? I am glad you kept on it. you get some times and I will do the same with just the cam and we can compare the gains for those mods, I would get some headers but my other project is calling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black2003SS Posted June 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 No...I didnt seal the header bolts, because I didnt know they leaked. Once I found out they leaked, I sealed them at the time, but the sealing appeared to not last. I'm just simply going to have to make it a monthly inspection to check for leaks and inspect the plugs wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brobradh77 Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Good deal can't wait to see how it runs now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drako Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Wow! Awesome man, thats some good detective work there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSThunder Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 No...I didnt seal the header bolts, because I didnt know they leaked. Once I found out they leaked, I sealed them at the time, but the sealing appeared to not last. I'm just simply going to have to make it a monthly inspection to check for leaks and inspect the plugs wires. Did you use any thread lock on the header bolts? I've got a repair book that says to use med thread lock for headers I think. I used what the book said and my headers haven't leak yet(knock on wood). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black2003SS Posted June 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Didnt use any thread locker the first time around. I used gasket sealant to seal it off, I havent had any issues oof the header bolts backing out. I used the factory bolts from the stock manifolds too. Another side note, my cats are a dark blueish color, with that carmel/bronze coloring on them. Its looks like they have been getting hot, real hot...this could be an issue. Now that I've passed emissions and I am good for two more years, I might just pull them out and put in off-road pipes and disable the O2 sensors after the cats...What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted June 5, 2007 Report Share Posted June 5, 2007 Your cats could very well be in rough shape with all of that missfiring going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissfans03ss Posted June 6, 2007 Report Share Posted June 6, 2007 I was thinking the exact same thing,pull the cats and check the honeycombs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBlueSS Posted June 6, 2007 Report Share Posted June 6, 2007 Your cats could very well be in rough shape with all of that missfiring going on. Good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black2003SS Posted June 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2007 I'm changing them out this weekend to off-road pipes. Hopefully I can find a shop that will do it for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detjoe Posted June 6, 2007 Report Share Posted June 6, 2007 you could hollow them as Mr. P's How-to write up?? Or are you going to get a custom one made?? I cant wait for your new times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_bnoon_SS Posted June 6, 2007 Report Share Posted June 6, 2007 you could hollow them as Mr. P's How-to write up?? Or are you going to get a custom one made??I cant wait for your new times. In Mr. P.'s write up, I noticed that he used a piece of metal rod to break up the ceramic. You need to do a LOT more work than that to make sure your exhaust doesn't get clogged. Look here as I cut mine up to see what's inside the stock cats (I knew what was in there already since I've done this on other cars). The white blanket doesn't burn up or rot away, so it would just plain plug up the rest of your exhaust unless you cut the cat open to remove it! http://www.silveradoss.com/forums/index.ph...7&hl=gutted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black2003SS Posted June 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 I plan on keeping the cats intact, just wecutting them out and replacing them with straight pipes. That way I can put them back in for emissions down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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