howto track down/fix exhaust leaks?

bigcletus94

Registered User
I have this really annoying sound that I have been told is an exhaust leak coming from the left side of the motor, almost under the car but it is hard to tell. My SC has always had this sound but it seems to be getting louder!! I tightened the manifold to down pipe bolts a while ago and it seemed to help quite a bit. So recently when the sound got much louder, I jacked it up and tried to tighten the bolts again. But it didn't seem to help as it did before. I am thinking I might have a crack in the manifold or it might not be sitting perfectly flat against the head. Are there any manifold gaskets available for our cars that might solve the problem? When I tore my motor down before, there weren’t any gaskets so I didn’t reinstall any.

Can an exhaust leak cause any other problems besides from the annoying sound?

Are there any tricks to find out where the leak/sound is coming from exactly? The sound is much louder in Drive and Reverse than it is in Park or Neutral. Thanks for any help.
 
Is it a ticking sound or an obvious exhaust puffing sound?is it louder when it is cold and quiet down when it warms up?if so it sounds like the manifold is leaking at one of the ports.check for any black carbon around the ports.they make gaskets for the manifolds but i personally have never used gaskets on any manifolds.i recently replaced the head gaskets on my sc and never used any manifold gaskets.depending on how bad of an exhaust leak it is it can hurt the performance anf fuel milage a little.hope this helps,chris
 
Yeah, it is a ticking and it gets really loud under a load, going up a hill or into the boost on the gauge. Also it is a lot louder when the motor is cold and it quiets down some when it gets warmer.
 
yea it sounds like its leaking on one of the ports.it probably warped the manifold from the leaking over the past.you really only have two options.remove the manifold and take it to a machine shop and have it resurfaced and put it back on without gasket or try putting a gasket on.if you put a gasket on it will prolly burn out in no time if the manifold is warped bad enough.you could even try putting two gaskets on that one side.i would take the manifold off and have it resurfaced if it were mine though.
 
Do you know what a bad cat sounds like? I would check to see if the cat on that side is partially clogged b/c that sounds like its ticking. Good luck
 
Check around and see if any local machine shop have a smoke machine. They can put it in the tail pipe and pump a chemical smoke and find any leaks in about 5 mins. It won't harm the cats or mufflers or anything. I use one all the time to find leaks in exhaust, intake, or crankcase. They are the most handy little machines ever made.
 
I got mine from snap-on for 1400. You can pick one up for about 1k or less if you happen to find someone who will part with it. I'm telling you, they are the most handy time saver ever made.
 
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