I had my headers installed by JE in Baltimore and I don't hear this rattle at all. not sure if they removed the bolt you guys are referring to or what, but I was listening for it today, got nothing. Maybe email those guys and ask them what they do with it.

 

they shave the bolt at je.

 

Well from reading some posts on this forum over the years it appears there is some confusion on this subject and I might be able to shed some light on this. Over the many years we have been installing headers on the ISF there are really only two sources for a rattle noise and as rare as they are they are usually easily prevented.

The first and most obviouse is on the driver side. A small stud/nut (10mm nut) holding the heat shield on that sits between the collector and the floor pan that shields the heat from the floor pan of the driver side header. The stud that is welded to the floor pan sticks out a half inch past the nut that holds this heat shield in place. Under hard acceleration the motor twists or lifts on the driver side and the header collector obviously lifts with it towards the floor and touches the end of this stud momentarily. It will also do the same during a hard turn with moderate acceleration. The good news is It literally takes 3 seconds to saw off the excess stud and still retain full function of that bolt and heat shield.

I've seen people post pics of the bolt that holds the heat shield on rearward of the driver side motor mount and say that this is causing vibration. This is the one that is confusing people because this does nothing and is not making any noise at all. The header is extremely rigid and is attached to the motor so there is no room for anything to move there. Here is the pic for educational purposes. This bolt in the picture holds the heat shield to the block, back towards the bell housing. Again, nothing moves here so there is no vibration from this.




This does not cause a rattle and is normal for this to be extremely tight and touching.

The only other source of rattle on these that we have seen is one that will come from the passenger side and the image above is often mistaken as the cause of this. The actual source of this rattle is coming from the passenger side O2 sensor. Again this is typically a very simple fix because the end of the o2 sensor contacts the heat shield under the same conditions mentioned in the first rattle. For an update, It's been quite a long time since we have seen any of these issues because Sikky changed there QC process to check each header with a faro arm to catch any abnormalities.

When we do any install of exhaust or headers regardless of what car or brand part it is we always do a shake or rattle tests to make sure nothing can contact during extreme movement of parts. It's standard practice that I think some shops may not be accustomed to but after 15 years of installing aftermarket parts its just something you learn to do to prevent comebacks and it just comes with the territory.

We have installed hundreds of these headers and there are several hundred more in use all over the world. If your getting your headers installed at a shop that has not done this exact install before I would advise you to have them reach out to Sikky or us for an explanation of what to look for and tips or point them towards this thread. If people actually read the PDF install instructions on Sikky's site it would probably help also, but we all know how many people read instructions LOL.

We have installed every brand of ISF header here and know hands down the Sikky headers are the easiest to install and have less issues. This is our opinion so don't start the debate again. We just choose to stay out of the back and forth of who has problems with who's headers and bashing. Read up, make your own decision as to what header you want and buy it. We know we will continue to use Sikky with 100% confidence in quality and proven results!

Keep in mind this is to help those with questions and not meant to turn into another debate about what header is better than the other. Not interested in beating that dead horse anymore. thanks

 

Do you have a photo of this process? And can you saw this nut off without dropping the motor?

 

Yes, either I was not clear enough in my explanation or you don't understand what I'm talking about but I will attempt to further explain.

Yes, it could not be any easier to get to this stud. Its directly above the header collector in between the collector and the floor pan which is where it bolts to the exhaust. You could cut the stud without doing anything other than getting under the car. Nothing would need to be removed. I can't find a pic online of it anywhere but next time we have one in the air I will snap a pic of it. And your not sawing the nut off. Your sawing the extra portion of the stud that sticks out from the nut that is holding the heat shield on. Hope this makes more sense.

 

Took the F to a bodyshop and i found the issue. The header is literally touching the transmission.

 

Wow...That is crazy. I can't seem to figure out how someone can not notice that after an installation and not think that wouldn't be a problem?

 

i guess after putting some mileage on it , it expanded and started rattling since late 2014. So glad i know what it is. Can finally schedule a appointment