Header is BLUE!

[Reeves]

What will turn a header blue? A while back when I was rebuilding my van, I added an old rusty FM ported stock exhaust manifold to the head and when I was changing the oil last night I saw that the header, and the turbine housing had both turned blue! :confused2:

[Clay]

hmmmmmmm chrome exhaust manis (ie like your cycle) will blue up due to heat, but Ive never seen that on cast iron!

[Reeves]

That's the same color blue this is! And I thought the van was running too rich!

[tryingbe]

Pictures?

Plugged cat will cause exhaust temperature to go up really fast.

[mw6886]

Definitely a heat thing; way overheated.

[Clay]

could you be running rich enough to be burning fuel in the exhaust manifold?

[Reeves]

There is no cat.
It's a side exit 3" exhaust with 2.5" swingvalve and Thrush turbo muffler.
It gets horrible gas mileage. I'm with clay....maybe it's fuel being burned off in exhaust?
Off idle response sucks big time.

[badandy]

You need to add the "pimp van" to your sig homie:nod:

[Turbodave]

Is the Cam/Ignition timing set right? Have you got your flamethrower hooked up to it?

[Reeves]

No flame thrower......yet....

It has acted like the cam timing is off for a long while now. I have checked it and triple checked it. I added a 5 degree advance key and it seemed to run a little better....but still not right.

Ignition timing was at 16 degrees last time I checked it...don't know how it got there, but I backed it down to 12 degrees. That was a few months ago. Haven't checked it again.

It has always ran like poop and has had an off idle stumble. It also gets anywhere from 14 to 16 mpg.

[RoadWarrior222]

http://www.muggyweld.com/color.html
Doesn't look like blue is "that" hot really.

[Reeves]

Well, that ain't bad.

I've never seen headers and turbine covers on these motors blue like this before.

[BIGBRUDDA]

Thats a backup of "TESTOSTERONE":D. It needs to be relieved!!:leghump:

[R/T]

Just cover it in JB weld.

[Shelbydaytona91]

:needpics1: :thumb:

[t3rse]

http://www.muggyweld.com/color.html
Doesn't look like blue is "that" hot really.

that chart is for when it is hot, not after it cools. it sounds like it has gotten pretty toasty. no egt gauge?

[supercrackerbox]

Thats a backup of "TESTOSTERONE":D. It needs to be relieved!!:leghump:

:lol:

[Reeves]

that chart is for when it is hot, not after it cools. it sounds like it has gotten pretty toasty. no egt gauge?

It's my rain rod daily driver van....not a hot rod (yet)...so no egt gauge. The header has a egt port from when I used to run it on the OMNI many moons ago. If I could find another K-type thermocouple I'll stick it in there.

It only runs about 6 to 8 pounds of boost. Sometimes it will peak to 10psi. I've been trying to get gas mileage out of it.

[RoadWarrior222]

that chart is for when it is hot, not after it cools. it sounds like it has gotten pretty toasty. no egt gauge?

Hmmm thought it was half and half, the reds being where it actually starts to glow, which don't remain, but above that is the colors that run on the surface and stay there when it cools off. You'll see them around a weld quite often, a circle or rainbow effect, usually dull gray in the middle, but then it's blue and yellow where the heat spread out.

[t3rse]

When something is blood red it cools to a blue hue. It's more evident if you do any case hardening, than with welding or grinding. You'll see the HAZ (heat affect zone) as it cools. My rule of thumb is that when working with tempered metal, if it turns blue it is too hot and will lose it's temper.

That does sound a bit odd...maybe burning fuel in the manifold as mentioned...can you get pics?

[Reeves]

Yeah, I will try to get pics. I've been driving the van anyway, so I'll have to pull it in the garage and get it up on the rack again.