BikerJared Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 (edited) Got them installed yesterday. http://youtu.be/iQgEmT6zB5o When I got the car back, it had some idle problems (erratic idle and dying). After driving it around a little today, everything is peachy. I'm wondering if the ECU is just learning how to deal with the headers. I did get a CEL. I need to figure out how to pull the code. Since it started driving better, I'm hoping it just goes away. Edited January 1, 2013 by BikerJared Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I did suffer from a bit of "rough idling and dying" myself after I removed my stock Air Filter and replaced it with a "Pop Charger Air Filter" by Weapon-R. After a while, I guess the ECU adjusted itself and now the car drives well with no issues. Is getting a CEL error normal after a DT Header Install? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerJared Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 I drove it to get some lunch and its not just idling badly, but it loses tons of power sometimes and then surges. Not even sure what that's about. I'll take it in tomorrow and have the shop check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I had no issues when I installed my headers. If it's bogging and surging, that's got to be something else going on. There is a write up in the Garage section on how to read the codes stored in the ECU so start there. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I would also reset the ECU just so that it's not running on old info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 So you had a shop install them? Any fitment issues they complain about, Or were they a perfect fit? James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerJared Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 They said everything went together well. They said getting the studs out of the head was the worst part. It took them an hour and a half. How do you reset the ecu? Is that just a matter of disconnecting the battery for a few hours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Pretty much, but you can turn on the ignition and step on the brake/turn the lights on to shed any residual energy quicker. Still, leave it off disconnected for a bit. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacoman Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Hi I installed Thorleys on my 95 about 6 years ago with a Borla stainless exhaust system. I had no real problems with the exception of replacing the studs. Some were hard to get out. The pathy is know for breaking the one at the rear on the passenger side. None of the rough running issues that you were talking about. Gas mile improved a little (1-2mpg). Power is a little better. It tends to rumble on the freeway above 65mph. I sounds a lot like your installation. I had one crack a couple of years ago. Thorley made good on their warrenty. They said the they were out of stock and had to fab a new one. They came through, but it took a couple of weeks. My question: Where did you find the headers? I thought they were out of stock a long time ago. Is Thorley making them again? Anyway. I think you will be happy with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Steeevo at rugged rocks put a group buy together to get DT to make 10 sets. It's good to see they still will make a set just for warranty. James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerJared Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 So, I went to take it back to the mechanic yesterday morning. It was really really cold. I started it to let it warm up a little and smelled what I thought was lots of exhaust from the front of the car. I walked around looking for steam spewing out of the newly installed exhaust, and didn't see any. I popped the hood and saw gas spraying out of a rubber hose coupling near the front of the engine - all over the engine heads! I tightened the clamps on the hose and stopped the leak - shut the car off, and dried everything out. It wasn't a part that they would have removed in order to do the work, and I think that the weather is so cold, that the pipes that hook into that rubber tube shrunk at a faster rate than the rubber tube and made enough of a gap to spray gas. I'm just glad I caught it. Anyway, I drove it down to the mechanic and they said it was running really lean (understandable). They cleaned the MAF, reset the codes and gave it back. (They also unplugged the battery for about 5 hours and let it sit). Two blocks away, the CEL came back on. Its only on when the weather is really cold. Right now in Utah, its about 3* F with a -4* F wind chill (on 3mph winds). Possibly colder in some places. I started it this morning and let it warm up a bunch and it drove just fine. Since my next steps are cams/intake/ecu, I'm going to give JWT a call and see what they think. As far as power/mileage goes, I've noticed significantly more power. I've been tracking my gas mileage for about a year to establish a baseline before I do all my big changes. After a few tanks, I'll have a good idea of how the headers improved things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I started it this morning and let it warm up a bunch and it drove just fine. Since my next steps are cams/intake/ecu, I'm going to give JWT a call and see what they think. Well my next steps are CAMS as well from JWT How about we try to organize a GROUP BUY on NPORA. I reckon many are interested in more power. I know the salesman at JWT and can give him a call and organize this GROUP BUY. We could be talking discounts between 10-20% depending on the number of participants. What do you all think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I think you've tried in the past to start a group buy on a few other things and it hasn't gone well, but more power to you. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerJared Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 I wouldn't mind paying less for the same thing. I need to call them up and get some details ironed out. I'm not sure which cams I want yet or how ECU programming will work. I live at least 600 miles away from them and wont be driving the truck down for a dyno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 So, I went to take it back to the mechanic yesterday morning. It was really really cold. I started it to let it warm up a little and smelled what I thought was lots of exhaust from the front of the car. I walked around looking for steam spewing out of the newly installed exhaust, and didn't see any. I popped the hood and saw gas spraying out of a rubber hose coupling near the front of the engine - all over the engine heads! I tightened the clamps on the hose and stopped the leak - shut the car off, and dried everything out. It wasn't a part that they would have removed in order to do the work, and I think that the weather is so cold, that the pipes that hook into that rubber tube shrunk at a faster rate than the rubber tube and made enough of a gap to spray gas. I'm just glad I caught it. Anyway, I drove it down to the mechanic and they said it was running really lean (understandable). They cleaned the MAF, reset the codes and gave it back. (They also unplugged the battery for about 5 hours and let it sit). Two blocks away, the CEL came back on. Its only on when the weather is really cold. Right now in Utah, its about 3* F with a -4* F wind chill (on 3mph winds). Possibly colder in some places. I started it this morning and let it warm up a bunch and it drove just fine. Since my next steps are cams/intake/ecu, I'm going to give JWT a call and see what they think. As far as power/mileage goes, I've noticed significantly more power. I've been tracking my gas mileage for about a year to establish a baseline before I do all my big changes. After a few tanks, I'll have a good idea of how the headers improved things. Many people have posed that hose leaking when it gets cold and the old rubber contracts. Usually tightening the clamps down tighter fixes the problem. Find out what the CEL codes stores in teh ECU are and we can try to figure it out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixinto Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 be sure your sensor one O2's r hooked up proper also. a fudged up O2 will cause lean and similar problems as you described. A lot of times it is a dirty maf too tho. /shrug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 What kind of an exhaust system are you running with those headers? If you are using the factory piping you are actually shouldering off the flow of the exhaust and there is even less exhaust going through than before. The short tube 90-95 headers call for a 2.5" exhaust system for the best performance. I ran a factory sized system with the headers at first so that I could just get it back on the road and noticed no difference. Then I finally had the funding and a chance to develop and construct a full 2.5" exhaust system and noticed a big improvement. If I was going to do it again I would just build a 2.5" mid pipe with the appropriate O2 sensor bung and then get a 2.5" Gibson cat back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerJared Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 (edited) Alkorahil - I pulled the codes and wrote them down. I didn't forget about your question! From memory, one was 12, (MAF related) and another was a lean condition iirc. I get the full set and post them. fixinto - So, this makes me wonder. On the passenger side of the car, there is a plug that's not plugged into anything - right next to the exhaust manifold. It was so close that I tucked it under some nearby conduit because I was afraid it would melt. I wonder if that used to plug into an O2 sensor. I'll take a picture and post it tomorrow. MAF was cleaned when the headers were installed. tungsten - I'm running 2.5" crush bent annodized pipes through a Magnaflow muffler of some sort. Everything except for the cat was replaced. When the truck runs well, it has a lot more power than it used to. It's a totally different truck. I'm very happy with that. I've checked the plug wires (all within tolerances). I've also replaced the PCV valve without any luck. It seems to act up the most when its cold, but lately its been bad even when the engine is at operating temp. If I'm on the highway though, it runs fine. This is leading me to think that the change has the ECU out of its mind or that the MAF is bad. If I'm missing an O2 sensor though, I'll be annoyed because it doesn't look like there's a bung for one on the headers. Are there two O2 sensors on these trucks or just one? (My both my B14 Sentra and B15 had two, and if you left one off, it would freak out). In regards to the cams - I talked to Ben at JWT. It sounds like I want the S2 cams, valve springs, ECU program and pop charger. S2 Cams : $560 Springs : $129 ECU : $595 Pop Charger : $159 That's a decent stage two upgrade. Ben said if I bought everything he'd cut me a deal on the pop charger and may be able to work with me on other things as well. He said that they can program the ECU there and mail it back. I figure its not as good as a dyno tuned one, but close enough. Ben actually owns a pickup in the same gen as my Pathfinder and I guess it shares lots of parts. He didn't think it would be a problem at all to setup the program the way I like it. If anybody does a group buy on any of those parts, let me know, cause I'm in. I plan on doing this either way in the spring (April/May timeframe). Edited January 16, 2013 by BikerJared Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Just one O2. Its on the driver side. Plug hanging off passenger side? Lots of plugs for tranny/transfer case dangling around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerJared Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Hmm. Well - I'll take a picture. This plug ain't plugged into anything. Seems kinda weird. It may just be some strange accessory plug that's inconveniently located near the middle of the engine bay... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Ah, that far up leaves a bunch more. I thought you meant hanging on the underside. Definitely take a pic, we'll get it figured out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 This is what the oxygen sensor looks like stuck into the mid pipe. If yours is missing or damaged you will have issues. Also, unplugging the sensor and running the default map might be worse with a high flow exhaust than factory. Definitely check the sensor out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Alkorahil - I pulled the codes and wrote them down. I didn't forget about your question! From memory, one was 12, (MAF related) and another was a lean condition iirc. I get the full set and post them. fixinto - So, this makes me wonder. On the passenger side of the car, there is a plug that's not plugged into anything - right next to the exhaust manifold. It was so close that I tucked it under some nearby conduit because I was afraid it would melt. I wonder if that used to plug into an O2 sensor. I'll take a picture and post it tomorrow. MAF was cleaned when the headers were installed. tungsten - I'm running 2.5" crush bent annodized pipes through a Magnaflow muffler of some sort. Everything except for the cat was replaced. When the truck runs well, it has a lot more power than it used to. It's a totally different truck. I'm very happy with that. I've checked the plug wires (all within tolerances). I've also replaced the PCV valve without any luck. It seems to act up the most when its cold, but lately its been bad even when the engine is at operating temp. If I'm on the highway though, it runs fine. This is leading me to think that the change has the ECU out of its mind or that the MAF is bad. If I'm missing an O2 sensor though, I'll be annoyed because it doesn't look like there's a bung for one on the headers. Are there two O2 sensors on these trucks or just one? (My both my B14 Sentra and B15 had two, and if you left one off, it would freak out). In regards to the cams - I talked to Ben at JWT. It sounds like I want the S2 cams, valve springs, ECU program and pop charger. S2 Cams : $560 Springs : $129 ECU : $595 Pop Charger : $159 That's a decent stage two upgrade. Ben said if I bought everything he'd cut me a deal on the pop charger and may be able to work with me on other things as well. He said that they can program the ECU there and mail it back. I figure its not as good as a dyno tuned one, but close enough. Ben actually owns a pickup in the same gen as my Pathfinder and I guess it shares lots of parts. He didn't think it would be a problem at all to setup the program the way I like it. If anybody does a group buy on any of those parts, let me know, cause I'm in. I plan on doing this either way in the spring (April/May timeframe). Hi BikerJared, I am in for the Group Buy. Anytime I'd leave the ECU upgrade until after I swap my VG30E for the VG33E to avoid having to re-map the ECU again (do it once only) I am also interested in the CAMs. However, I am more inclined into the S1 CAMs. I heard they provide a better smoother idle. Whereas, The S2 CAMs are a bot rough at idle and give a bit of "Lope". Also, the S1 uses the factory springs and saves you $129 William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerJared Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 I considered the S1 cams. Most of my driving though is > 60 mph as I use the truck to commute. The S2s give me power exactly in that range and provide better fuel economy. That's my only reason for going that direction. If I did more off road or city driving, the S1s would be the only option. I am planning to swap the bottom end for the VG33 + some VQ45 pistons at some point. I asked JWT about it and they said they'd redo the map for $100 - which for me, makes it worth it. I'd prefer to not drive the car super lean for longer than I have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Let me know when you decide to place your order. I'll probably join you as well and maybe BEN could give us both a better discount PM when ready in the future. William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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