You might still have a leak if you are throwing the SES
First, I want to say that the customer support from Motordyne is fantastic. I had a leak from blown gaskets and they sent me replacements at no charge. I had them installed over the weekend. The difference was amazing but unfortunately short lived. I posted the picture of the blown gasket several posts back.
- The fuel smell was gone
- The SES was gone
- The nasty, raspy, whooshing noise was gone
- The exhaust note was almost stock, very quiet
- Now all of that is back, keep reading ….
Granted, I am on the OEM NISMO exhaust, but I could hear a rattling, whoosh noise directly related to the amount of throttle applied. It was easy to identify once I knew what it sounded like. Having the car leak free enabled me to identify the leak sound. If I accelerate up to say 30-40 and shift to 5th/6th and floor it, I could easily hear the raspy leak. I thought that was just a test pipe noise but realized that was the exhaust leak.
Replacing the gaskets significantly quieted the exhaust. However, the new gaskets lasted about 72 hours. I have searched around and cannot find a metal based replacement. When I had a Random Technology HFC on another vehicle it came with metal based gaskets. I do not think these fiber based gaskets are working, but I cannot find a more suitable replacement. The same tuner (Jotech Motorsports) did the initial install and gasket replacement, so I do not think it is an installer issue. I am SC’ed but that should not increase exhaust temperature or otherwise compromise the gasket.
So, I am seriously considering going back to the OEM cats. Again, this is absolutely no slam on Motordyne. They produce a great product, but I think some applications need a more durable gasket. I cannot explain why the vast majority of Motordyne ART installs have no problem. The problem seems to be limited to a few buyers. I have no idea what the underlying problem is with the people experiencing the leak problem and then the SEL.
Just my experience and I want to keep the pipes but I need a gasket solution.