exhaust problem

[craig_g]

I have a 1999 rt-10. my drivers side exhaust cover is starting to turn brown from alot of heat. The passanger side does not seem to be having the same problem. I have stock headers with a B&B cat back system. I purchased the car as is and had the side covers repainted due to this. while the covers were at the shop I wrapped the mufflers with heater wrap to help provent this from happening again. no such luck !! so,,,,, do you guys think I should just get a cat delete kit and be done with this problem ? I belive the left side cat maybe going bad and causing the excess heat. I have not had a check eng light come on, I thought that maybe if the cat weas going bad it would throw a code but nothing

 

[Dom426h]

Damn, you repainted them once and now one is browning again? Its possible that the one cat has been slightly clogged since you purchased the car. I'd pull em both out and replace with hi-flow cats or some type of straight thru type muffler similar to the B&B component that is in the side sills.

 

[craig_g]

Browning again within 3k miles !!! I don't want to repaint them every year that's for sure. To install a high flow cat do I need to cut off the oe or is it welded on ? I'm just trying to get as much info as I can before I remove the covers and get this project started. I wish I remembered how the cats were installed when I had the covers off before.

 

[Rickman6]

You need to cut the oe off and weld on a pair of Random technolgy race cats...they work as a charm and runn much cooler too....plus you could potentially gain a few ponnies as well...

 

[DrumrBoy]

Cat delete works better than any hi-flow cat system for reducing heat. If you can get your car registered sans cats, you'll never have this problem again. Check for threads on cat/muffler delete, there are a million descriptions of the noise level, the sulfur-smell and other aesthetic differences which occur. I'm catless and mufflerless..... love the sound and don't smell anything nasty.

 

[Paul S Lacey]

I tried wrapping but the side pods get much hotter as the heat is contained inside, took off the tape and no problem.

The factory is a refective material to protect the side sills and the paint, but a clogged cat will increase the inside heat from the exhaust, cat delete will solve the problem.

 

[plumcrazy]

i agree, gut or delete the cat and install non foulers.

silver cars will yellow VERY fast, not sure what color you got. and a clogged cat can cause all kinds of issues you dont want to know about. be very careful

 

[craig_g]

Keep in mind my state has no inspection so I don't need to worry about passing emissions

 

[craig_g]

i agree, gut or delete the cat and install non foulers.

silver cars will yellow VERY fast, not sure what color you got. and a clogged cat can cause all kinds of issues you dont want to know about. be very careful

the car is silver !!! I think I am going to remove the cats and install the roe o2 eleminator to keep the cel light off.

 

[KNG SNKE]

craig check pm's

 

[dave6666]

Ventilation, not insulation.

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[craig_g]

Wow. I guess that would keep the exhaust cooler !!

 

[craig_g]

What is drone ? I keep reading about it and I have no idea what it is.

 

[Dan Cragin]

This is a common problem, it shows up more on the silver and gray Vipers. If one side is more discolored than the other you may have an issue with the converter. There also may be a defect with the sill insulation. We install vents in the side panels. This most likely will correct the problem.

There are many other tricks to correct this, feel free to give me a call.

 

[Knight Viper]

With an RT/10 you wont suffer from as much 'drone' as a coupe will, it is that harmonic hum at certain RPM ranges that just drums on your ears and unfortunately it can occur at the sweet spot (favorite cruising rpm) and beat your ears to death.

 

[craig_g]

With an RT/10 you wont suffer from as much 'drone' as a coupe will, it is that harmonic hum at certain RPM ranges that just drums on your ears and unfortunately it can occur at the sweet spot (favorite cruising rpm) and beat your ears to death.

Gotcha !!! that explaines alot

 

[rojo]

Man, I noticed some yellowing on my 99 RT/10 sills before putting it away for the winter. I will be following this post closely.

 

[CHAP4034]

Ventilation, not insulation.

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Dave
What is the connector at end of the exhaust?

 

[cfiiman]

Did you custom make that plate Dave? What does it look like from the top view?

 

[Mopar Steve]

I think everyone is missing the bigger issue, the cats are a symptom not the cause. It could possibly be a bad injector causing it to run to rich.

 

[dave6666]

Dave
What is the connector at end of the exhaust?

The rear O2 sensor. Most people are too lazy to reinstall them when doing custom exhaust work. I was not, so I properly modified the harnesses and there you have it.

 

[dave6666]

I think everyone is missing the bigger issue, the cats are a symptom not the cause. It could possibly be a bad injector causing it to run to rich.

Agreed that could be something to look at, but wouldn't the primary O2 sensor detect this and try to adjust that entire bank? Maybe making the car run like crap with 4 lean and 1 now not so rich?

 

[dave6666]

Did you custom make that plate Dave? What does it look like from the top view?

Green light to post pics of my car LOL. And yes, those are custom side splitters. I posted a DIY build thread at VA and TVG.

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[craig_g]

When I've seen cars with a fuel inj. that was sticking or failed the cel would come on and when the ECM was read for codes it would show up as a cylinder misfire.

 

[Dom426h]

I think everyone is missing the bigger issue, the cats are a symptom not the cause. It could possibly be a bad injector causing it to run to rich.

Good advice, if only One side is overheating than there is likely an issue on that side.
- If it fas a "faulty" injector is there any way to troubleshoot this besides dropping her off at the dealership and them looking at the computer while it runs?
- Do think it could be some clogged or slightly clogged injectors(i assume this could be a prob on some vipers because alot of them sit for extended periods of time) This is why when i first purchased my snake i ran two cycles of Techron through her and have always used top teir fuel.

- A bad or "lazy" O2 sensor could cause an improper A/F ratio causing the cat to overheat. To easily troubleshoot these you can hook up to a handheld scaner that lets you see what the O2 sensor is doing in real time. It is Very easy to spot an O2 sensor not functioning properlly.
my friend has one of these that comes in pretty handy at times: http://www.amazon.com/Actron-CP9185-AutoScanner-Diagnostic-Scanner/dp/B000T8UG52

When I've seen cars with a fuel inj. that was sticking or failed the cel would come on and when the ECM was read for codes it would show up as a cylinder misfire.

You'd be surprized how much **** can go wrong with these cars while not throwing a single code. I know i was...

 

[cfiiman]

Green light to post pics of my car LOL. And yes, those are custom side splitters. I posted a DIY build thread at VA and TVG.

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Damn that is a sick looking car What wheels are those, sorry for all the questions lol

And how in the hell did you get your hood body panel by the front light to line up that straight, it is perfect!

 

[craig_g]

took off both side covers and the right side it turning brown also, not as bad but still. I am going to borrow a laser temp gun from work tonight and start up the car and get a temp reading off both the cats and see what the actual temps are on each side and see if one is running hotter thank the other.

 

[dave6666]

You need to DRIVE the car around to get those temps...

 

[craig_g]

will do !! I will take a little 15 min drive and get it warmed up then get temp readings on both cats.

 

[Dom426h]

How many miles are on her Craig?
any other mods besides B&B catback?