Slight crack in my SSI

[Dezzmo]

I'm in the process of removing my motor/tranny to do some clutch work when I noticed a 2" crack in the right side SSI. From what I can see it only appears on the heater box sheet metal and not on the header pipes.

There doesn't appear to be any damage on the SSI from road debris that would cause this problem so it looks like a stress crack.

Has anyone ever come across this problem before? I purchased them on 11/01/06 and can't seem to find any warranty info anywhere. I'll contact the vendor tomorrow and see what they have to say if I can't find an answer here.

If they're not warrantied I'm sure I can find a local welder that can take care of it.

[Steve@Rennsport]

Tim,

I would contact your vendor about that.

I've never, ever seen any SSI HE (made in CA) exhibit any cracking so this should be looked at very carefully.

FWIW, there are several Chinese-made SSI knockoffs out there so I'd ask where these came from.

John Daniel, the owner of SSI, is a class individual and stands 100% behind his product so I'd recommend that you show him these pics.

[911pcars]

It looks like a crack, but it's a crack in the shell of the heat exchanger, not with the exhaust pipes (as far as I can see). You will probably save time and labor by driving to a well-equipped muffler shop with good arc welding equipment and operator to repair the crack and prevent it from spreading.

Shipping these back to SSI for warranty repair is possible, but you'd have to wrestle with removing it from your engine, as well as packaging and shipping charges.

You can also try drilling a small hole at the end of the crack. This technique can prevent the crack from spreading for a minimal repair. You can always weld it later.

There's also a chance the HE was installed under a lot of stress; i.e. the pipes were not aligned correctly, and installation pulled it into position. In this case, you might expect more stress cracks to form.

Sherwood

[Dezzmo]

Thanks for the reply folk's

Steve, I bought them thru Pelican so I'll contact them first. Would you have John Daniel's contact info? I Googled SSI HE but they don't seem to have their own site.

Sherwood, as you mentioned, the crack only appears to be on the shell of the heat exchanger. After I remove them I'll take a closer look. I can't recall having any difficulty installing them but that could be a possibility.

But then again, is there much of an issue to align the heat exchangers? Their pretty much a snug fit.

[dvkk]

... You will probably save time and labor by driving to a well-equipped muffler shop with good arc welding equipment and operator to repair the crack...

It is very unlikely that he'll be able to find a muffler shop with the proper TIG welding equipment needed for this repair.
Even if he does, overhead welding is not the easiest way to weld.
I would remove the part and take it to a known good welder.

[911pcars]

It is very unlikely that he'll be able to find a muffler shop with the proper TIG welding equipment needed for this repair.
Even if he does, overhead welding is not the easiest way to weld.
I would remove the part and take it to a known good welder.

My suggestion was to avoid removing them and shipping. It's easier to find such a welding facility in a large metropolitan area. Probably more realistic is to remove the HE and have the crack repaired at a genuine welding shop with TIG.

Sherwood

[Dezzmo]

My suggestion was to avoid removing them and shipping. It's easier to find such a welding facility in a large metropolitan area. Probably more realistic is to remove the HE and have the crack repaired at a genuine welding shop with TIG.

Sherwood

This is most likely what I'm gonna do Sherwood. Here in Rhode Island welders are a "dime-a-dozen"!

Heck, the ones that I know will probably work for Beer

[GWN7]

Make sure your telling who ever fixes them they are welding stainless. You need stainless wire and a different gas mix to do it properly with a mig.

[Rick Cabell]

As Steve W. stated above, if these are the real SSI's, then John would probably replace it. You can put the vendor in the middle, but I would forward the picture right to SSi. I don't have their email handy, but you could find it without to much effort.

[304065]

Send it back to SSI for forensic analysis. You would have to cut off the clamshell to verify that there are no leaks in the tube anyway. CO kills.