My headers and starter touch each other as well, but there are 1 or 2 layers of header tape in there. My first heat soak experience was 30-45 minutes. 2nd time was 3.5 hours. Seems it's time to do something about it. I'm hoping to call Powermaster today. That's another reason I want to try them first. I hope to be able to talk to a real person in tech support at the factory where they are made and get their recommendations on how to overcome the issues and which starter to try. I like the idea of the cheaper $90 starters as far as my wallet is concerned, but I really only want to do this once.