Hey all.... So here's the deal... I took off my stock mufflers at the X pipe slip-on connection to ceramic coat flat black the pipes and mufflers.... I like the look of flat black mufflers instead of the shiney polished stainless....well, after removal and now reinstall of the mufflers at the slip connection, I now have an exhaust leak at the block to header area.... I'm guessing that I tweeked the 4-1-2 header somehow during reinstall of the mufflers and now there's a gap or something to cause the leak.... So, my question is--- is there a propper tightening sequence for the header/muffler/exhaust system??? Do you need to loosen everything and slowly tighten a certain part of it first or do you start with one connection and go in sequence??? The ticking of the exhaust leak is annoying and wanted to get some advise from you-all first... Thanks, Eric

ps... Who else is in the SF bay area??? I'm in San carlos... Any recommendations for shops in the bay area for some tuning/dyno/performance stuff?!?!

* Last updated by: wcbrracing on 6/19/2010 @ 10:51 AM *

Let's say you hand tightened the header nuts and shook the header so it floats along or settles in a locking down of the nuts, there is no other way to go but straight in. But here is the deal, you really ate a big taco/blow wheat toe and it just keeps running down your leg, it was good going down, but look out, coming out.

So, what is happening to that exhaust gasket is you are trying to use an already used taco blowing toilet paper sheet... One more time! No can do, tissue pay per view is bend over and take a look if the leak cleaned up you got it all.

Don't you wish someone answered sooner is just say, 'Replace the old crushed out gasket(s), she's played"?

So there's a thin gasket from the block to the header that's the cause??? I can't see any but haven't taken any bolts loose either. The fiberous gaskets at the clamp on portion don't go bad or need replacement do they? And lastly, what's the proper tightening sequence for the exhaust system??

wcb, you wont see those gaskets until you pull the headers completly off, they sit inside the head of the motor. change 1 might as well change em all. if it was me id take my socket and give each a lil turn to make sure they are all tight you may get lucky. id noticed when i changed my exhaust that the head pipe nuts were not very tight at all from factory so its possible they just got tweaked a lil

No bolt stretching or he is going to break a stud! Very simple.

Change gaskets! The crush-step is gone! Now there is a hiss at the mid-crush [once you see the gasket] and there is no way to keep smashing down that hizz is now a fold over on the lower or first step, you cannot close that gap at the bottom of the lower part of that > L < at the bottom of that letter. EDIT: Type a capital L to see that hook at the bottom. This print will not show that in type they use on this forum say. You know, like a gothic type, roman type0.

See that step of the L? See the loop or the crush around the pipe diameter at the bottom of the letter L? Part of the pipe is crushing onto the higher edge of the gasket. You can never get it back all lined up on the old crush is what is happening. Now there is that leak at the first crush at the bottom of the L and that troth it made to make the seal no longer can seal around the diameter of the header's flush points.

Now you are crushing part of the top of the L down to the troth and that is where it leaks, you made no seal around the header at a certain area that not even a nut sheer or a bolt stretch would solve once you figured out the parts in hand on the snap-off!

* Last updated by: Hub on 6/20/2010 @ 8:25 AM *

Hub, unless I read his first post wrong. He never took the manifold off. If that is indeed the case, then i would go with Scotts suggestion of re-torqueing the manifold. Mine was loose from the factory on both bikes 06 & 07. The only spec I can find in the manual (5-5 & 5-36) is for muffler body mounting bolts. 25'lbs

No particular sequence to tighten, AFAIK. I just tightened mine up finger tight and then drew each up snug. Then go back and snug them all again. Keep repeating so that they all snug up fairly evenly until all reach the correct torque.

13' lbs for the torque on header nuts. If that is too loose, maybe a bit tighter on all. This topic was discussed here in Ask Hub. 25' lbs of torque is more than what is normally suggested for a bolt the size of the header nuts. I would go 13' lb and see how that works for you. I believe I went about 18' lbs. Hope they come off when needed.

http://www.zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=BADB3FD9-D56B-84E2-151F8531C0A3A5A3

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/21/2010 @ 4:54 PM *

Yes, but I can't understand a thing Hub says a lot of time. I'm glad my mechanic doesn't talk that way!

Yes, but I can't understand a thing Hub says a lot of time. I'm glad my mechanic doesn't talk that way!

Why, I just don't know WATTo...
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If I can't communicate here, then my videos are just the same. I do not use a torque spec with the drain plug or the exhaust gaskets stud nuts. This is hand tight, where I can still hand spin each nut back on, they are so smooth, I can snap my fingers she butts up against the collar kind of hand torque; no harm, no foul pick a nut or drain bolt.

"Oh SNAP!" Ain't in my vocabulary...