Bellhousing Fail In 2010 Adm Gtr R35

[wagtr]

You will love the willall midpipe,sounds so much better!

[Wardski]

You will love the willall midpipe,sounds so much better!

If its anything like the youtube vids, I seriously can't wait. I managed to hold out 13 months of ownership to do this mod worried about warranty issues, but it just has to be done

[kymbo]

You will love the willall midpipe,sounds so much better!

The Willal midpipe is rubbish

Mine cracked at the welds and if you look down inside the tubes to where the flexible couplings are, you will see they flair and protrude into the pipe.

Also, mine kept leaking and it was because the flanges that bolt to the dump pipes are to thin and warp when hot? Allowing gases to escape.

Willal,s excuse was that it failed (cracks) because it was wrapped in titanium tape.

Anyway one of my businesses manufactures strctural steel products and if we made or supplied something so faulty, I would want to know about it!

[Wardski]

Anyway one of my businesses manufactures strctural steel products and if we made or supplied something so faulty, I would want to know about it!

I'm a structural engineer in the Petrochem industry. You must have had a dud - In my 22+ years experience the weld and assembly quality on mine is perfectly acceptable.

Each to their own though, I'm happy with the purchase. If I have any issues with it, I'm sure Martin will send me a replacement.

Edited December 22, 2012 by Wardski

[kymbo]

I'm a structural engineer in the Petrochem industry. You must have had a dud - In my 22+ years experience the weld and assembly quality on mine is perfectly acceptable.

Each to their own though, I'm happy with the purchase. If I have any issues with it, I'm sure Martin will send me a replacement.

I am simply stating facts about my Willall mid pipe.

1. The welds developed hairline cracks, sufficient enough for the escape of exhaust gases.

2. The connectipn flanges are too thin and warp over time, allowing exhaust gases to escape.

3. The flexible pipe sections are crudely connected, with the end sections protruding into the exhaust gas glow area.

I would be happy to get it back from my tuner and post some pics if you have any doubts.

Also, I was advised by Willall that, the failures were due to wrapping the pipe sections with Titanium tape and because of that, I had no warranty on the part!

Hopefully Willall have upgraded this part since to overcome the issues I experienced?

If you ask, u may find that these parts are made in China?

If so, as an Engineer in the Petrolium industry, u would know just how inconsistent metal components from China can be.

So maybe u are right when u say mine was a dud?

My reason for providing this information is because members should be informed on all facts.

This is a safety issue. Leaking exhaust gases can lead to serious consequences, especially on a long drive!

[Martin Donnon]

Regardless of brand, type or visible construction - DO NOT WRAP TITANIUM EXHAUST COMPONENTS (OR ANY COMPONENTS ACTUALLY) IF YOU WANT THEM TO LAST. Some race teams do it in certain series, and they throw the exhausts away after every event. They also empty the internals of their engines and gearboxes into the bin after each meeting too. Wrapping any midpipe is going to do nothing other than accelerate the rate of shift in the material phase diagram (overheat it and form other less ductile/more brittle components) and lead to cracking. It does not enhance power and will do very little if anything at all to change the resultant radiant heat from the exhaust. It is a zero gain/all pain modification.

Take from that what you want.

Furthermore: Kymbo, it really shits me no end when folks like you come on here and whine about us not having customer service, and saying that we told you to nick-off because you had wrapped your midpipe. Those that deal with us KNOW that if there is ANY question, ANY ISSUE, with anything we have supplied or done we replace it, and normally free of charge, and we dont care if that costs us thousands, so we certainly would argue with you or aleniate you over a piddly few hundred dollars. We dont have a good name in this industry for no reason, and its a reputation we protect at most any cost. We arent a nickel and dime performance shop working out their mums backyard. We have plenty of resources and a mature professional outlook on how we do business.Think, and maybe ask, was it me that rang Martin directly and had this conversation? If not, then get your facts straight and clarify with said 'tuning shop' before hijacking Willall Racing on the internet. Certainly I do not recall having said conversation with you.

[kymbo]

Martin

I am appalled by your over reaction to my stating the facts.

Mercury Motorsports is my tuner and when Trent spoke to u on my behalf, you told him you are unable to warranty the part because it was wrapped in Titanium tape!

I then asked Mercury to fabricate a replacement in Stainless Steel, which they did.

This problem occured a few months ago. At that time I simply did not care.

But, on reflection there may be safety issues with that part and both u and your customers should be aware.

If not already, the problem with flange thickness etc should also be looked at?

Plain and simple, unless u believe a customer has no right of complaint.

FYI, I still have a cat back Willall system on my car, unfortunately wrapped in Titanium tape and so far, do good?

[Jonny_r35]

Excuse my question but why was the midpipe wrapped with titanium tape?

[kymbo]

Excuse my question but why was the midpipe wrapped with titanium tape?

The belief was that it would reduce underbody heat coming through the floor pan?

And wrapping the cat back system was to help reduce heat soak into the transmission.

OEM systems are heavily layered for heat insulation and noise.

It would seem the tape idea was wrong for a titanium exhaust system and I now intend to remove it from the cat back system.

[Wardski]

If you ever want to reduce under floor and under bonnet heat, get things Ceramic coated... I did this with a Sydney based Hitec made turbo back exhaust for my last Subaru WRX STi Spec R. Worked a treat keeping heat in the pipe and forcing it out the back - So much so, after a hard run I could take any part of the exhaust with my bare hand and it did not burn me!)

IMO, with the amplitude of underbody airflow generated by the aero of the GTR, I seriously can't see the exhaust having any major heat issues. I've left my mid pipe as is and without ceramic...

Edited December 24, 2012 by Wardski

[Wardski]

I am simply stating facts about my Willall mid pipe.

1. The welds developed hairline cracks, sufficient enough for the escape of exhaust gases.

2. The connectipn flanges are too thin and warp over time, allowing exhaust gases to escape.

3. The flexible pipe sections are crudely connected, with the end sections protruding into the exhaust gas glow area.

I would be happy to get it back from my tuner and post some pics if you have any doubts.

Also, I was advised by Willall that, the failures were due to wrapping the pipe sections with Titanium tape and because of that, I had no warranty on the part!

Hopefully Willall have upgraded this part since to overcome the issues I experienced?

If you ask, u may find that these parts are made in China?

If so, as an Engineer in the Petrolium industry, u would know just how inconsistent metal components from China can be.

So maybe u are right when u say mine was a dud?

My reason for providing this information is because members should be informed on all facts.

This is a safety issue. Leaking exhaust gases can lead to serious consequences, especially on a long drive!

Sounds more like a rant than stating the facts.

As far as China manufacturing, I lived and worked in the construction industry in Hong Kong (most famously built Ph2 Hong Kong international airport among others ) and dealt with a whole host of Chinese manufacturers over a period of 7-8 years. Yes, there "can" be issues with fabrication, same deal with your iPhones, TV's, laptops, fridges, washers and dryers.. From what I can see, Willall employ a strict pass/fail QA/QC regime as do all companies who have goods manufactured in China.

While I'm not really defending Willall (Martin is more than capable to do so himself) from what I can see of my mid-pipe - it looks the goods and fabrication is top notch - and customer service is 2nd to none

Thanks again Martin for getting the mid-pipe to me before xmas!! The day of reckoning - 27th Dec is coming so quickly! Cant wait to pick her up from Nissan with more angry + rattle free on the 28th (gonna be the best xmas prezzy ever!)

Edited December 24, 2012 by Wardski

[GT-R OZ]

Hey Wardy, thought you were paranoid about your losing your precious Nissan warranty? Gather you got the ok for your after market mid-pipe!

[Wardski]

Hey Wardy, thought you were paranoid about your losing your precious Nissan warranty? Gather you got the ok for your after market mid-pipe!

Sure did. Nissan Aus gave me the all clear

[Wardski]

Well, looks like I won't be getting the GTR back today, and probably not until the end of next week after I'm back to work.

Nissan have contacted me this morning telling me they have sheared 2 of the stainless bolts off back of the turbos, and now awaiting advice from Nissan Japan as to whether its now an engine out affair..

I'm not sure what has to be removed to gain access for the bellhousing replacement, but do they have to take the dump pipes out to get to everything???

Either way, this is MEGA disappointing - I'm fking spewing........

Edited December 28, 2012 by Wardski

[wagtr]

Thats a shame,its hard to wait that long,i hope the techs were not hung over from xmas !

[Wardski]

Thats a shame,its hard to wait that long,i hope the techs were not hung over from xmas !

Nah I met the techs yesterday, and he seemed fine (unlike myself lol)..

I just didn't think they needed to remove the dump pipes from the car to get the job done.. A bit strange really.....

[Martin Donnon]

Turbo stud damage is VERY easy to do to these cars. They CANNOT be rattled off, they need to be carefully undone by hand, very slowly, and with much patience to avoid damage. Removing the broken studs from the manifolds can also be extremely tricky. Normally the engine will have to be dropped to remove the turbo manifolds and machine the broken studs out, before changing to an oversize stud (which we actually make for this very reason). The dump pipes normally need to be removed to allow access to swing the bellhousing out....which is why in most instances we take the time to drop the engine from the car to avoid complication. Sorry for you Wardski, but its not the end of the world, they can fix it!

[GTR-N1]

Interesting.

Spray Inox > short breaker bar?

[Martin Donnon]

Just carefully with the correct socket, by hand, and they are normally fine. Rattling them fails EVERY time

[Wardski]

Turbo stud damage is VERY easy to do to these cars. They CANNOT be rattled off, they need to be carefully undone by hand, very slowly, and with much patience to avoid damage. Removing the broken studs from the manifolds can also be extremely tricky. Normally the engine will have to be dropped to remove the turbo manifolds and machine the broken studs out, before changing to an oversize stud (which we actually make for this very reason). The dump pipes normally need to be removed to allow access to swing the bellhousing out....which is why in most instances we take the time to drop the engine from the car to avoid complication. Sorry for you Wardski, but its not the end of the world, they can fix it!

Cheers Martin. Thanks so much for your advice on this situation. I was worried that they were doing something un-necessary..

I guess I'm not really angry about what happened, just angry that I'm back to work next Wednesday, and I've been without the GTR for most of my Xmas break..

Edited December 29, 2012 by Wardski