Header on a 3FE (1 Viewer)

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Mar 25, 2005
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Spring, Texas
well im going to built a 2FE, and want to know if any of you guys with 3FE's have any type of header and does it make a big dif from what you could tell, my 40 came with one so i do know with mine.
 
headers do make a significant difference (more so when you open up the exhaust system..
 
Some advantage but not worth it when installing on a motor in a truck. if you are rebuilding/pulling the motor it could be worth +- 25hp. Get the ceramic coated one and be supercareful sealing it up.
 
ok i see MAF has them, any one else sell them?
 
dd113 said:
Some advantage but not worth it when installing on a motor in a truck. if you are rebuilding/pulling the motor it could be worth +- 25hp. Get the ceramic coated one and be supercareful sealing it up.

Hey Dave what's your take on the combination of MAF's header and downpipes for the 3FE? I was thinking if I could route the exhaust system right I could keep it as a full dual, no cats (don't need 'em where I live), run through a pair of Flowmaster 40s. Not sure if it's really worth all the work that'd be involved (or the price for the headers and downpipes), but it seemed like an interesting idea to me. I would think that also with the use of an H or an X pipe in a dual system, you could retain the 3FE's torque as well as gaining the extra HP with the free flowing system.
 
The headers are OK. I am not a fan of headers in general but if you want to squeese every little bit of HP they can be worth it. MAF/TPI/TLC/SOR 3FE headers are all the same I think. The MAF downpipe kit is very well made but I think you can have a good exhaust shop do it for less money.

I ran 2 2" pipes to a dbl cat to a with 3" flowmaster then dumped it over the rear axle. I dont really see the need for a Y or H pipe and I think it would dick with the O2 sensors. Check out the 3FE list for a bunch of exhaust ideas
 
I ran the Man-a-fre headers on my 3FE for a little over a year. I spent the entire time trying to get them not to leak at the collectors (including multiple trips to a good exhaust shop). Finally I was about to cut the collectors off and weld in a ball-socket connector but Man-a-Fre agreed to take them back. This was really above and beyond on their part and I've gone back to them to buy other parts that I could have bought locally as my way of saying thanks.

The power gain was a little noticable on the top end (full throttle highway merging for example). I'm currently running the stock manifold (ceramic coated) and a custom exhaust from the manifolds back. I've got a flex joints in both pipes, a single dual entry dual exit high flow cat, and a dual entry single exit Flowmaster. This set up works very well and does give a noticeable gain in power (at least on an engine in decent shape and in good tune).

HTH,
Joel
 
Moby said:
I ran the Man-a-fre headers on my 3FE for a little over a year. I spent the entire time trying to get them not to leak at the collectors (including multiple trips to a good exhaust shop). Finally I was about to cut the collectors off and weld in a ball-socket connector but Man-a-Fre agreed to take them back. This was really above and beyond on their part and I've gone back to them to buy other parts that I could have bought locally as my way of saying thanks.

The power gain was a little noticable on the top end (full throttle highway merging for example). I'm currently running the stock manifold (ceramic coated) and a custom exhaust from the manifolds back. I've got a flex joints in both pipes, a single dual entry dual exit high flow cat, and a dual entry single exit Flowmaster. This set up works very well and does give a noticeable gain in power (at least on an engine in decent shape and in good tune).

HTH,
Joel

Did it ever leak from the manifold gasket, or just the collectors? A local exhaust guy in Spokane knows a few dirty tricks for sealing troublesome exhaust flanges and he might be able to help me out if I ever go the header route. It's a serious consideration, but hopefully I'll be ready to go diesel before doing a full new exhaust.
 
I've had the MAF headers for probably 3 years. No issues w/ exhaust leaks (guess I'm lucky) but I agree that any performance improvement is barely noticable.

I tried ordering directly from MAF and after 3 months (guessing here) cancelled the order. Found the same item w/ Acme Outdoor who I don't think is around any longer and had them drop ship from "their manufacturer". When the box arrived the return label was from MAF.

They are a direct replacement for the cast iron manifolds including the port for the EGR pipe. I've also noticed that the carb cooling fan runs all the time -probably due the removal of the heat shields from the cast iron exhaust manifolds. you can see a portion of them here...
FJ62-Carb-Cooling-Temp-Swit.jpg
 
We tried a lot of tricks to get the collectors to seal. Different types of gaskets, different sizes. I even hand cut a set of flat copper gaskets from "dead soft" copper. They all worked short term (days to weeks). If you get them and they leak and you're committed to keeping the headers just cut the collectors off the headers and down pipes and go with a ball/socket collector.

Speaking of the EGR I had a horrible time getting the EGR pipe to line up on my 3FE headers. They are hand built and the EGR port on the header side was not close to stock (one of the Man-a-Fre mechanics said they are always hard). My EGR pipe was old and stiff and I broke it trying to get it on. The new one was much more flexible but it still took a lot of effort. If I did it again, which I wouldn't, I'd use studs instead of the stock blots on the EGR to manifold to make it easier to align (i.e. attach the pipe to the EGR valve with the EGR free and then bolt the EGR to the manifold using studs to guide it into place).

When I pulled my headers off I noticed that some of my wiring had melted! Fortunately not my stock wiring but wiring for my aux water temp guage that I had secured to the stock fuel injector wires. The stock wiring was OK fortunately. Mine isn't the only case that I've heard of where these headers have melted wires. You might consider header wrap. I wrapped the tube for the #1 cylinder because I didn't like how close it was to the alternator but I'd wrap the whole thing if I did it again - which I wouldn't :)
 
well when i build my motor up im going to put an RV camshaft and high compression pistons so i think i should, since this motor will be on my 1980 fj40 and not need a cat convert but $400 im on the fence.
 
FJ40onNOS,

Are you putting an RV cam into a 3FE? I thought that the 3FE ECU could not handle having the RV cam? But that is just what I've heard. I have run the 3FE header for the last couple of years. It doesn't leak for me, but it was a pain to install. I would probably have the stock exhaust manifolds prted and ceramic coated if I were to do it again.
 
well im building a 2fe with is a 2f block on a 3fe head
 
well ill find out once i get the far along, i cant wait to get it done, im going to check out the 3FE today ot tomorrow at a friends shop, i want to get all the power i can out of it!
 
thanks man, anything else?
 
"well im building a 2fe with is a 2f block on a 3fe head"

But you will be using the 3FE ECU right? So will the RV CAM cause any problems with the ECU? Will you be adjusting the gate on the AFM to compensate? I have all the parts to do the conversion and I would like to know what other mods have been done in conjunction. Does the 3FE head on the 2F raise the compression? If so you will need premium to combat the detonation which is what I have to do to help my domed piston 3FE deal with the pinging.
 

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