Strange Smells After Header Install
 

Hey guys, last week I purchased a slightly worn RevWorks UEL header and installed it the next day. It had no dings or cracks, and just had the classic coloring of being used for a few thousand miles. Got an O2 spacer on it as well.

Installed it the next morning, did a double gasket attachment to the over pipe, and torqued everything correctly. It's currently attached to an Invidia OP, resonated Front Pipe, and N1 exhaust. Now, this is my first header, but I don't think it's supposed to leave a smell every time I turn off the car and get out. It simply smells like gasoline fumes/fuel or at least have an aura of that smell around the car. Next is when I sometimes step on the gas it's fine, but when I come down from it the inside smells a little bit like a burnt fuel or metallic-ish smell; almost carbon heavy.

I'm not sure what's going on, but it's beginning to concern me. It doesn't seem to be getting worse but it does smell bad.

Any ideas? I honestly don't think it's a gasket leak, but I'll be replacing all of them with the Grimmspeed set within the month.

Do you have any cat's left? Zero cats would make that smell, but it would usually be towards the back of the car.
Sounds like an exhaust leak to me. Did you use new gaskets?
Oils in your hand from the install could cause a smell too, but for me it went away after two heat cycles.
OEM gaskets are good too.

Yup, if it's catless it will smell like that, which is what I bet the problem is. :cheers:

With zero cats is it really that prevalent? Seems like it would be less extreme. Either way, I can deal with forever, but I wonder how much it'll go away with the gasket change.

Yep, It will be stinky.


None. Unless there really is an exhaust leak, but I bet it's from being catless.

Well shit, okay then. Thanks for the help.

I was behind an older Camaro the other day and reminded of how it can smell.