Side sill heat... how much is to much???

[MAVPR]

Well I have had my 97 Viper gts only a few days now so i know very little! I had a Corsa exhaust and RT 3" cats put on before I got it. I am waiting for better weather before I take her out (spring maybe), but I let it sit and heat up today for maybe 15 mins when i see a fair bit of steam coming from the drivers side sill which i guess is normal as i know they get very hot! also a section of the sill became kind of soft from the heat. The thing is the other side has no steam, much cooler and the sill is nice and firm.

Is this normal? I just don’t want it to heat up so much that the paint starts to bubble, which i hear can happen?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

I've never seem steam come from my sidesills even with stock cats! That sounds like its way too hot!

 

[Copernicus]

Have you recently washed your vehicle? Perhaps the steam is coming from moisture being held by the insulation?

 

[plumcrazy]

i get steam a lot since i wash the car so much...its the water from washing i bet

 

[Bonkers]

Mine steams everytime I start her after sitting for a few days -
condensation (dew) loves to build up in the sills for some reason
and when the exhaust heat builds up it pours the steam forward out
the gill. Some days (like after her bath) it looks really bad.

If it doesn't fade off after a few minutes on the road keep you nose
open for melting nomex.

 

[OKViper]

Could be just steam, but listen to the sound and make sure it isn't an exhaust leak from the new exhaust system. An exhaust leak in the sills will melt them.

 

[crazyspeed]

Whenever I wash my 97 GTS , I get water inside the sills...I don't like it, but I don't know how to stop the water

 

[GT40DOC]

I can't figure out what you means when you says "you gets a soft spot in the sill". I have a 97 GTS with factory cats and mine gets hot where I live, but I have never experienced a soft spot in the sill. I might be tempted to remove that sill and take a look at your new exhaust and be sure the insulation is still there. The sills are very soft alum., so maybe that is what you are noticing.

 

[PatentLaw]

I recollect that someone took an actual temperature reading once. They should be able to provide you some guidance to see if you are withing spec. You will have to buy/borrow a gauge that goes that high, however, to measure your own.

 

[Viblur]

Agree with the toooo hot posts.. drop the sill and take a look, compare the left and right side for clearing.. or take it back to the joint that did the work for a visual.. the sills will discolor quickly and are expensive to replace.. been there, its a pita.

 

[MAVPR]

I can't figure out what you means when you says "you gets a soft spot in the sill".

Well at the point where the steam/smoke was coming from the sill had softened and expanded which made it kind of flexible, I was able to push it in and out.

I have also noticed a foul smell when standing on that side of the car kind of like eggs! Would this lead you to believe that there is a slight leak?

Thank you for all your ideas! I think i will drop the sill and have a look for my self as the people that fitted it are about a 6 hour drive away!
Is dropping the sill easy? Just undo a few screws and pop it off i hope?

 

[DAMN YANKEE]

When I put on my Corsa system, with the clamp torque to the prerequisite 45 ft/lbs, I noticed there was quite a bit of water dripping from the post stock cat to Corsa junction.

First, the clamp must be in hanging straight down (down at the sills, down at the "over frame" pipe, hanging horizontal at the rears), with the bolt facing out. I assume this is what you did.

Second, the Corsa system requires a couple of good heating cycles to seal up. They recommended at least 15 minues of solid driving. During the first cycle my Corsa systems leaked gentle water at every junction. At no time was there ever any exhaust venting, gasing, etc anywhere. Nothing that could be felt by the hand or heard. Now my sills were off, so close inspection was possible. You retorque AFTER the system cools all the way down. I retorqued the clamps to 45 ft/lbs. The next time I started it up, both of the sills still ever-so-gently leaked water.

I called Corsa and they suggested I reheat the pipes again (and let them fully cool, again) and retorque to 55 ft/lbs. I did this and there was only the slightest water drip at the driver sill. After a while, everything sealed up tight.

My guess is that you still have some torquing to do. Take them to 55 lbs.
Please let me know what you find.

Sill comes of easily...its putting it back on that is some what of a pain.

 

[GT40DOC]

mAVPR,
Go to illustrated upgrades section of the main menu and look under Corsa installation on GTS. That will show you how to remove your sills and what to be careful of(over tightening the screws). The sills are made of very soft alum., not steel, and are easy to deform with slight pressure. I doubt that you are softening the metal with heat. That said, I would remove both sills and look at things, then start it up and see what happens when things heat up. Check your sill insulation for water, you may have really soaked it....Doc

 

[Ron]

If your sill is soft, it's seriously corroded and should be removed for investigation and repair. They are very expensive and every effort should be made to salvage them. The early insulation holds water and will greatly aid in inner sill corrosion.

Temps on a normal Viper's external sill surface are hottest just behind the hood in front of the door on top of the sill. Can't remember exactly but in the area of 200+ degrees. If your paint isn't discoloring it's probably not excessive, but either way the soft sill required immediate attention / investigation.

Removal is easy, (12-ish sheet metal screws above and below) but you must use blankets on the floor otherwise you'll be sure to scratch the paint. In addition, when replacing screws I'd suggest using silicone seal on the threads as you should not torque them much (they'll strip the holes) and if they back out your 13" wide back tire will find them for you.

 

[MAVPR]

Ok so today i took the sill off and found that the exhaust was leaking slightly where the join is to the cat nearest the front. I repositioned the clamp and torqued it up to 55 ft/lbs which seemed to solve the leak. Thank you DAMN YANKEE.

RON,
Thank you for that information, I put my sill back on and let the car run for about 10 mins after which the sill was still very hot right behind the hood like you said. I could put my hand on it but only for about 3 seconds, does this sound right?

I am sure the softening of the sill (which was behind the hood) was due to heat because as soon as it cooled down it was as firm as the rest of the sill.

I ran out of time today but ill let the car run for a bit longer tomorrow just to make sure things are ok!

Huge THANK YOU to everyone who has chimed in to help a noob with what is probably a simple problem to you guys! This forum rocks!

 

[DAMN YANKEE]

Glad it all worked out.
Let it cool all the way down AND CHECK THEM ALL retorque as needed.

Lots of discussins on this board on how to cool off those sills.

Alot like high flo cats, sills are cool, noise is up.

Some like venting the sills, sills are cooler, more stuff gets in.

Some find that they are out of tune and the cats are working too hard to cancel out the bad tune.

Some run straight pipe, as in no cats, sills are cooler, might need cat-simms, may have emmissions issues, not exactly legal.

Some wrap their mid pipes, cat and resonators with header wrap.

Some like Roe wrap, I use it, it works.

Some just run stock with no issues and the occasional painting.

Good luck.

 

[mike007]

If you smell rotten egg smell from exhaust, then you have plugged or saturated cats. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Ron]

I can't imagine aluminum getting soft via heat and not having the paint burn. Something is still amiss.... A infrared temp gun ($49.00 or less on Ebay) would at least provide an accurate temp number. Also agree that rotten egg smell is not normal and might indicate other issues.

Good Luck

 

[MAVPR]

Ok i think my choice of words is the problem here, "soft" when really i should have said "more flexible". In any case everything seems to be ok now!
I used some silicone on the underside screws, Great idea! Thanks Ron!

Thanks again to everyone how chimed in!