i had obx lt headers and maggie high flows installed about 5 months ago. i was a victim of the mcdonalds ticking when i was in the drive thru. but i noticed the ticking just wasnt in drive thrus when i turn my truck on and it gets warm the right side of my exhaust gets this tick like someones popping it with a hammer. the sound originates around the end of the headers and cats not in the pipes after the cats. any ideas what it is?? its really aggravating and i want it fixed. i have a 97 f150 4x4 with the 5.4

 

Try shaking the pipe to see if it is loose. Sometimes the pipes come loose and will knock against the underside of the truck making clunking noises. Also if there is any heat sheilds under the truck, check those to see if they are loose.

 

i have. the exhaust is tight. the heat shields are also.

 

i don't know how everything is setup and sealed exhaust wise on a newer truck, but i have a slight leak at the collector on my drivers side header on my 75. if it's not sealed tight, it will leak. if there's room feel around the gaskets for leaks, try not to burn yourself though lol.

 

Sounds like a leak. Look for black marks.

 

look for leaks on the outside of the pipes??? see i got the headers then the resonators then the cats and im pretty sure one of the resonators has black marks all over it... ill go check. its night so its flashlight time lol

 

checked... no black marks.... sound is coming from either the cats or the resonators they are so close i cant tell which it is.

 

Try starting it up and get under the truck to listen for leaks. If its not a leak then maybe something got stuck in the pipe when it was installed and isn't small enough to fit through the cat? I'm not sure if the maggie high flows have the honey comb design like the stock cats or if they are a different design.

 

Put some soapy water around the welds... you'll see any leaks if there are some.

 

My injectors echo thru my headers. Both sides, always have lol

 

Yea, your sounds like a leak. I can only hear the injectors if I'm right under the truck when it's running. A leak in the area your referring to can sound like a loud metal ticking as well. I'd do what TruckGuy suggests, but check it cold with a shop vac or air compressor and soapy water.
As it warms up, it leaks less but pinches the gap which can make it louder.

Hopefully it's not your heat-shields. Those really get loud thru the drive thru, but make like a chirping noise.

 

yeah ill check it. im thinking about recording the sound and putting it on here. and it is loud. when im not in the drive thru you can only here it in the cab and by the pipes if you walk away from the truck you cant here it that much you sorta can but not much. but the drive thru its loud as crap in the cab

 

It is possible that your describing a leak, or so we think... post the video!

 

Did you use the provided OBX header gaskets? Could be the issue depending.

 

yea i used the obx gaskets... i told the guy who put them on i wanted to put oem gaskets back on it or copper gaskets something better than obx but he didnt listen... i thought it was alright till i went through the drive thru then it started getting worse and louder and worse... also i know this is off topic but it sorta is related to exhaust. when i had the headers and all installed i was going up a hill and my truck shuddered well i went down to the co-op and had them check my cpu and he said it more than likely was from my o2 sensors reading wrong so i just forgot bout it. i recently took a 20mile trip to paris tennessee and its filled with a bunch of long hills and the shuddering started happening more often and now its happening on just drives around town... have i messed something up???? i really dont have the money for repairs im a jobless 17 year old who does rando jobs just to get gas money