i just replaced my intake manifold gaskets and omp lines and my headers are practically on fire and thats just at idle, ive been doing searches on this and some say its a lean condition others say rich, i did notice my secondary fuel rail is leaking fuel right above the rear injector, which makes me think if thats the problem it must be running lean, im told its normal for headers to glow when being driven hard but this is just idleing in my driveway. i was considering going back and using some gasket maker to make sure i have no vacuum leaks and re seal my manifold, but im looking for a difinitive answer on what causes glowing headers. the car is a 90 gtu 6 port i have no cats and im running a pacesetter header.

 

by glowing, you mean like light emitting glowing or reddish color?

For headers to be glowing they have to have serious heat applied to them.
At idle, there is no such situation that would do that unless you have a clogged cat, but you indicated you have none. Lean and rich mixture will induce some glowing because of heat, but it would have to be severe at idle but at that point the engine will shut off already.

 

its pretty damn red, but thats looking at it at night during the day it doesnt look too bright, i know i have a smal gas leak on my secondary fuel rail im guessing that would cause a lean condition im soooo stumped

 

First thing to do is make sure your timing is set correctly.

 

my timing has been set with a timing light. just now ive been messing with my cas to see if i can make it stop glowing....unfortunately no luck

 

dude, ive never seen glowing headers at idle. that sounds like serious issue.

i wouldnt think driving the car in that condition would be wise.

do you happen to have a picture of it? im just curious. sorry i dont have much info to contribute


--- looks something like this? -----

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uVa-...eature=related

i found this thread you might wanna check out. has some things you can look at that wasnt mentioned in here.

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/glowing-rb-headers-785288/

good luck.

 

glowing is almost always heavily retarded igntion timing

 

id say clogged cat maybe

 

LOL, poster stated No Cats.

 

bad timing.. 99% guarantee

 

^^^ agree i had that happen to me once after an engine rebuild, checked the timing again and realized it was off by quite a bit, after it was adjusted properly it sounded better and stopped glowing

 

Instead of "messing" with the CAS, why don't you read the section on setting the CAS and timing in the FSM and follow that procedure. If you have, then just take a step back, reread it and give it another go.

 

in the daylight its not bright almost un noticeable ive been messing with the timing, i also noticed i have a leaking injector gromet. im gonna remove my manifold again this week and replace all the injector gromets. so anoying lol

 

same thing happened with smogsux, come to find out his ignition was not functioning correctly. check spark first, then check timing

Lloyd

 

ok so i i pulled one of my plugs and it smelled like fuel, had a blackish color to it so i figure im running rich. i tried adjusting my cas one way compared to the other. when i got it so my headers werent glowing at idle the car was much quieter and much less powerful but it was more like the car didnt wanna accelerate and it felt hesitant

 

you may have had the timing correct all along but the leading plugs or wires are shot and hence the car runs off the trailing ignition 15 degrees late ,, so shows hot pipes and no power and weak idle

i will say it again,, glowing pipes are almost always retarded ignition,, be that bad timing,, or failing leading ignition

 

ok, i have new plugs and wires, and i know im getting spark at all the wires, is it possible that im not getting enough power from the coil??

 

i am using cheep brand wires, is it common that they could not be able to handle the power from the coils?

 

i know enough to say never say never
so its entirely possible the coil is shorting to ground ( common in rx8 coils )

its also entirely possible the CAS is just stabbed wrong,, or you got 2 dud wires and 2 dud plugs
you need to check the ignition over and swap-see the cheapest components and rule out the timing and or ignition issues
you need to check also that the trailing coil is flopping T1 T2 OK as i can see this also bringing its own issue

do not continue to operate the engine for timely periods as i see that sort of heat being very detrimental to apex seal springs

 

Not to mention the FUEL LEAK ALMOST RIGHT ON TOP OF YOUR GLOWING HEADERS!

That would be number one on my list of things to do, unless you like the smell of burning plastic and metal.

 

its quite easy, get a dvom and check resistance and voltage in and out of the coil. that will tell you if the coils are good or not.
i have had both the trailing and leading fail on me in the past

Lloyd

 

is there a write up somewhere on checking the voltage output and resistance on the coils?

 

Also check the mass air flow, that will also cause glowing headers...