ot/ open headers

[D17 man]

hi, the truck i am working on (1983 chevy) is currently taking up space in the shop, i have more important things to work on before i can finish this project. i ordered dual exhuast for it and only one muffler came in and the other one is back-ordered and wont be in til next month prolly. i need to move this out of the shop and a few miles across town to one of my barns to store it there till i can finish it. will it hurt anything other than my ears to drive it there with one side haveing the open header and the other side muffeled?
thanks

 

[Allan in NE]

Yep,

"A few miles" is gonna burn the plug wires on that side unless you somehow protect 'em.

They can withstand heat, but not a direct blast from the head exhaust ports.

Allan

 

[Bob]

Don't worry about all the old wussy wive's tales about running "open exhausts".

You can drive it as long as your ears can take it, with NO harm TO THE ENGINE.

 

[D17 man]

thanks bob thats the answer i was lookin for. in fact i was thinking of just straight piping it when im all done but i figured i'd leave that part out cause i'd get all the guys lecturing me about that

 

[Lee in Iowa]

If I understand right you have a header and muffler on one side and just the header on the other side. I have been told you should keep both sides equal, if it was mine I would take the muffler back off the one side. Lee

 

[Gene Davis (Ga.)]

Most harm will probably be done to your pocket book if you wake up the law with the noise!! Ask me how i know??

 

[Anonymous-0]

In my younger wilder days I spent most of a weekend night cruising around with one header muffler off and one on, on a 350 chevy. One muffler falling off was not going to stop me from chasing girls. The result: no harm done...to the engine, that is .

 

[S.Crum]

If you are running headers or manifolds chances are there will be no harm done. I wouldn't advise running straight off the head ports. When you shut the engine down, cold air will immediately contact the red hot exhaust valves and make you feel very stupid. From what I'm reading into your post, you are running headers though...right?

 

[JT]

As long as you have something on the head to get the exhaust away from exhaust ports and preventing cold air form getting in to the valves, you will have no problems, had a 1976 Ford that I would take the header flanges and mufflers off and run straight headers when I was young. I would probably take the other muffler off to even the back pressure on the engine. Probably will not hurt it, but why take a chance.

 

[Bob]

Unless you were going to pull the snot out of it, the open ports thing is NOT even an issue.

The valves don't get that hot putzing around with it. It could be run OPEN from the heads with NO trouble, for HOURS, under reasonable driving conditions.

 

[buickanddeere]

Bent exhaust valves from #1 cold outside air somehow making it's way into the engine. #2 this air not getting heated to engine temp via being surrounded by hot engine metal.#3 That air having the ability to soak enough btu's off that valve to shock cool it does not exist. #4 it's an old wives tale.
You can overheat engine components by running the engine too lean which causes extra heat which can induce detonation. This can burn holes through pistons, score cylinder walls, pound out rod bearings, blow head gaskets, break rings AND burn/warp valves.
In fact most failures of two stroke engines are from leaning out or the use of 87 octane fuel causing detonation rather than lube oil failures.
The lean condition occurs when engine backpressure is reduced and when the carb was not re-calibrated with larger jets to bring the air/fuel mixture back to ideal.
The mufflerless engine might just get driven extra hard for a while too just to hear how much noise she might make.

 

[RandyB(MI)]

NO!