2G 98 420A Exhaust headers glowing at idle

[Shadow6856]

98 420A Exhaust headers glowing at idle
THE PHOTO LOOKS A LOT WORSE THAN IT WAS
My phone switched into dark mode to take in the photo and it took in A LOT of light to take the photo, it was a decent glow but not as intense as it looks
This is after running for about maybe a total of 10 min at 2k off and on during first start up
yes I know the bay is still messy It was just for first start up
Engine is in time with timing marks, O2 sensors are repetitively new
anything I should check for?

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[Sirius1995]

Well first of all, those eBay headers are shit, mine never glow but that means there's a lot of really hot exhaust gas coming out or unburnt fuel, 2k idle is way off, idle should be somewhere between 600-900rpm, so my guess is that there's a intake leak near the manifold, check compression and a compression leak test

 

[Shadow6856]

correct I had these ordered from Flashshark
I did notice as I am looking through the site that I have my EGR valve improperly hooked up
The EGR (if facing motor) is the line to the right on the intake manifold I can not find what the one on the left is for

Exhaust Header for 1995-1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse/Talon 2G 420A 2.0L NA

Save 51% on Flashark Exhaust Headers for 1995–1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse and Talon 2.0L 420A. Boost performance, torque, and sound with easy stainless bolt-on fit.

flasharkracing.com

 

[Shadow6856]

Well first of all, those eBay headers are shit, mine never glow but that means there's a lot of really hot exhaust gas coming out or unburnt fuel, 2k idle is way off, idle should be somewhere between 600-900rpm, so my guess is that there's a intake leak near the manifold, check compression and a compression leak test

and yes 2k idle is extremely off, I absolutly had a vacuum leak as in I didn't hook anything into the intake manifold

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

The tubes on that header are very thin, and will glow much more than a cast iron unit or higher quality header. That being said, it does appear abnormal. If you have active vacuum leaks it is probably running too lean, thus higher exhaust temperatures.

 

[Shadow6856]

The tubes on that header are very thin, and will glow much more than a cast iron unit or higher quality header. That being said, it does appear abnormal. If you have active vacuum leaks it is probably running too lean, thus higher exhaust temperatures.

I most certainty did have a vacuum leak, but again the photo is 100x worse than it really was

 

[Canadian_CD9A]

Your catalytic converter is clogged, it’s getting hot because the exhaust can’t escape.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Your catalytic converter is clogged, it’s getting hot because the exhaust can’t escape.

This was my initial thought but I would fix the vacuum leak first to confirm.

 

[Shadow6856]

This was my initial thought but I would fix the vacuum leak first to confirm.

Cat is a hollow shell

 

[Canadian_CD9A]

Cat is a hollow shell

Check any flex pipes in the system and the muffler, as well. Flexes are known to collapse.