Miller

So I bought an sc300 about two years ago for $300. I couldn't get it to pass emissions. Definitely have an exhaust leak(among some other issues). The first culprit on the list was exhaust leaking from the engine bay - I figured the header was cheap and warped, mostly because it was wrapped. The header looks like it was polished at one point, but now it looks like its covered in black crunchy rust? It looks like it was in a fire. Is it still usable if I double up on my gasket? I'm just trying to pass emission for now, this is not a daily driver.

vipsoarer

It should be fine as its most likely moisture that got stuck in the wrap which caused surface corrosion. I would not double up the gaskets for numerous reasons, mostly because it wont fix a warped flange. Lastly, I would check the welds for cracks on the manifold. Moisture on any welded material, especially unknown filler material from an ebay manifold, can cause cracks at the welds.

Miller

Thanks! I'll take a look at the welds tonight when I clean the piece up. If the flange is warped, I'll start looking for a replacement.

vipsoarer

You're welcome, happy to help. If the flange is warped only a little bit you can always try to take a belt sander to flatten it a bit. The flat sanding surface will allow you to effectively true up the face where the gasket goes without making the surface uneven like an angle grinder would. Just be careful and go slow checking for the parts that arent freshly ground looking and keep goes until its all clean when you lay the flange flat against the sanding belt.

1997Soarer

iTrader: (1)

The black, almost rusty finish is the result of the header wrap. It will do that to stainless steel. Plus almost all the header options for the 2JZ-GE are pretty much made in China now, the quality of the stainless isn't very good either.