LCE Header Rust Out and Repair Attempt

So after about 2 years my LC header has developed a serious case of rot. I chronicled the issue in the thread linked below but basically most of the welds around the inside of the collector corroded away very badly.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/change-in-exhaust-note.510762/

The next two pics are from the thread linked above.



Now I did have this thing wrapped in header tape so I take some blame for the corrosion but I had assumed the stainless steel would be fine underneath. Well after a little tear down and inspection it seems that the collector and the welds on the collector are mild steel. Both the collector and the welds on the collector are magnetic, the stainless primary tubes are not.

Here's a few more pics.









The crustiness inside the tubes is from the welds on the outside that burned through. I'm guessing that because this weld metal is magnetic that these welds were made with mild steel MIG wire. Even wrapped with header tape stainless steel should not react this way.

After a bit of grinding...



Some more shots of the back sides of some of the welds.



I really wish LC Engineering would start using ALL stainless steel in the construction of this piece. It's a great bolt on with nice fit and it adds decent power but they advertise it as "Stainless Steel" when in fact only about half of it is. The collector, flanges, and weld metal near the collector are all mild steel. I'm not sure what it would cost to use all stainless in manufacturing but for a $450 header to look like this in 2 years kind of irks me. If this thing were 100% stainless I should be able to pass it down to my grandchildren.

Here's my plan to fix it. Since the metal is too far gone to get a good weld on I'm gonna try to close off the collector from further upstream. I'll try to make a piece that fills the space between the center of the tubes and then some strips between the tubes down to the collector on all four sides. I made some paper templates to illustrate my plan.



I can't really think of anything else to try. Getting weld in some of those places is gonna be tough. If any of you guys have an idea I'm all ears.

Thanks for reading!

 

I’m no welder but I do hvac. When I do anything other than copper I use blue brazing rods. Not sure if they would work in this application but it’s what I would try myself.
https://www.lawsonproducts.com/Cronatron/43-Silver-Flux-Coated-Brazing-Rod/CW1024.lp

That said... I’ve got an lce header myself and this is kind of scary. Never heard of it happening.

 

Hopefully you won't have to worry about it. I'm fairly sure the problem was mostly from the header wrap. I was trying to reduce under hood temps, plus I just liked the way it looked.

 

I thought about brazing for repair but I don't think it would hold up to the temperatures in the header.

 

Why would header wrap cause this? Sorry for being ignorant.

 

It can hold onto moisture where it would have evaporated off of a bare header.

 

Yea, it's possible that any moisture became like steam trapped in the void by the collector. Hot and moist sounds like a recipe for a good time but it's the worst case scenario for steel.

I had another theory that since the wrap traps heat it allowed the collector to become so hot to the point of turning red. Like perhaps on a long uphill on the highway where there is prolonged throttle. Once steel becomes so hot it will more readily oxidize. It's like trying to MIG weld with no shielding gas. The metal just oxidizes right away and turns into a grey crusty mess like what was on my header.

 

Thinking about how I'm gonna weld that piece in I decided the MIG gun would be the best bet. Instead of getting the proper shielding gas for stainless I'm going to try a self shielding flux core wire for stainless steel.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Demon...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

I would have liked to get a more trusted Lincoln product but they don't sell their self shielding stainless wire in less than 33lb spools. We'll see how it goes next weekend.

 

Recommended 309 if welding stainless and steel together. If you get 309, be mindful if it needs dual shielding

 

Especially for high temperatures

 

I'd also consider this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/181060763353

Edit:
And this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/121535727190

 

I find this interesting, I have had Pacesetter headers for years that have NEVER done this.

 

What's the diameter on those tubes?

 

I think the primaries are 1-1/2". I kind of put this project on the back burner for a while. I have a few other projects I'm working on for now.

 

I was just under my hood last night and I noticed that my lce header that I installed 6 months ago has the ceramic coating peeling off the tubes in big flakes and the flanges have a lot of rust spots coming through. Hasn't even been through a single winter yet. I bought this thing hopin that it would last the life of the truck. Not looking so good.

 

I wonder why this is occurring, I see the header is much more confined and closely wrapped together on the later 2.7s in the 2nd and 3rd gens. Mine has been fed a hot lunch and been doused with salt, mud, snow, rain water and has no rust, only one or two little surface rust patches have ever popped up and they were on the flange up at the head. Very strange, too bad there isn't an LCE rep on the site, maybe they'd have some insight.

 

Have you tried reaching out to LCE yet? i was about to pull the trigger next week on black friday on the header. having some second thoughts after this thread.

 

I bought it brand new in box, but 2nd hand, from another member on this site. And, I don't see anything on their site about any warranty, so I'm guessing that they will tell me to get lost.

 

Bummer... still think it might be worth a shot sending them an email, never know. are you happy with performance of the header?

 

I wouldn't assume that, my experiences with LCE back when I had a 22R-E were always positive.

I think it's the heat trapped under wrap that's the problem. Normally headers get hot enough to glow but when they get to a cherry or bright red you're getting up there, cherry is roughly 1300F, which is where you can start changing the metallurgy of stainless.