I just recently installed a used vibrant rh w/ hfc. other than a rattle from the cat wich is bugging the crap outta me. a more serious prob. to me is this burning smell from the engine bay after driving. My pops is telling me its a coolant leak from somewhere. I think it has something to do with the header.


anyone have any suggestions or advice?
thanks!

 

it's the header....give it a couple days.

 

burning coolant has a sweet smell like pancake syrup.
its the header like sohc said.

 

wow i figured since it was used already by another person, all the breaking in would be done.

yeah its def not syrup smelling...its like harsh chemical smelling.

 

it could be the grease from your hands from when you installed it. if you don't wipe it down thoroughly the header will burn it off. even when you wipe it down it still could smell a little.

I wouldn't worry unless the smell continues for more than a few days.

 

If you used anything like PB Blast or something to lubricate the bolts it burns off and that's what causes the smell. Same thing happened with mine and after a few days there was no more smell..

 

like mentioned, probably the grease and oil from your hands. give it a few days and see how it goes. Also with the cat vibrating, im not sure what thats all about. I would get under the car and take a look.

Anyone use hte Vibrant with the HFC and have a rattle fix for the guy?

 

speaking of rattling, i need to see whats up with my rattling also.
it annoys me because when i get on it, it sounds like a blow off valve when i let off to shift.

 

I looked a bunch of times, checked for clearance of the defouler, sub frame, possible exhaust being repositioned, etc. all with the car on. when i took it to the muffler shop to ensure i tightend everything and put a gasket in. he acutally brought it to my attention that the cat rattling could very well be what im hearing but it just resonates more inside the cab than even outside.

The cat is a little smaller than the casing it comes in. and with the ac on boy does it rattle!

on the bright side, the smell seems to have calmed down. now the engine bay smells like hot car. and from the exhaust a lil gas. not too bad though.

 

you should get an engine torque damper, or the innovative motor mounts.

 

you think that would calm that annoying cat down? lol

 

Damn man you got cams and no tune? Def hope on the flashpro train.

Side note: max why is your car sounding like a blow off valve. I think you have an exhaust leak . You might wanna look at the header very closley b/c there could be a crack, broken weld, something like that.

 

no, it would shake your car more, so you wouldnt pay attention to the rattling cat lol


its a rattle, like a loose heat shield sound. i would look at the header, but its too much **** to take apart just to look. which is why i hate this car.

 

yea well it cant be too annoying or else you would have taken the **** apart and looked lol

 

haha damn. i have ten million other rattles just from random things (plastic panels or clips) you know, your typical honda rattles. I dont think I need one more. Heard the tourque dampers are worth the 150 though.


But seriouslly, for the ones with this header, those rattles are your cat if you dont have clearance problems. Im thinking of just taking it off and having a ss pipe with some flanges so i can fit a legit cat to pass smog when that comes up.

 

O yeah, and i have had the cams on for a yr. No problems. Theyre only stage ones so they can handle w/o tune. but flashpro would be nice..

 

ok so just when i thought the smell was gone it came back! We checked for any hoses that might be hitting the header, belts that may be damaged, etc. theres no coolant or oil leaks we can see. and the maifold gasket and all other gaskets are in tact.

what else could it be? it seriously smell like some crazy burning chemical or rubber.

should i try to rinse off the engine block and get rid of some dirt that may be stuck in the cracks and burning?

 

anyone?? help! lol

 

maybe its your driving habits or it could just be that your slightly riding the clutch. idk, i would try to just do a good overall clean job on the engine bay and see if that helps

 

Any chance it is the cat burning up inside?

 

whats an easy way to clean the back of the engine block? can a light spray of water go back there or is there any electrical things i should be aware of?

 

watch your alternator and spark plug cover. water has been known to get into the holes and cause severe damage. the smell is probably the exhaust tbh.


i can vouche for the engine torque damper since i have it myself. best 125 bucks i ever spent. next to that hooker i bought off sunset

 

you mean rented lol

 

finally went in due to my coolant being almost gone. the oil cooler ring was busted. causing a leak that i check a million times and didnt see.

Now Im not sure how much this should cost to repair. he told me 300.

Im hoping someone who actually knows can chime in and tell me if im basically going to get raped tomorrow.

I just know its something i cant do due to lack of equip.