i had my car looked at by a shop instruter and he said i have an exhaust leak. how would i go about looking for this leak and how do you test it

 

Ya gotta crawl under there and find it. Starting the car can help but stuff gets hot quick. Some leaks are not easily visable from the ground. Had a pipe on mine rust out only on the top seam, I could never see it until I dropped the pipe.

Sucking exhaust fumes is bad, It will build in your system over time. Daily exposure will build up and can mess with your health.
Put your air controls on Max AC, even if it don't work. Max AC closes your fresh air vents and wont suck gases.[works that way on all GM cars] If the temp slider is on warm, the ac don't work, you get warm air.

If you only smell it when your windows are down its probably right uder ya, could be a hatch seal leak also, or a spare tire area is rusted through sucking fumes. Bad door seals can suck fumes if the exhaust dumps right under ya.

Cheap quick hatch n door seal fix.... Buy a roll of that sticky tape window/door seal they sell for houses this time of year and add it on top of your stock seals. 1/4 for the doors, 1/2 for hatch. I did it real quick one winter to stop the cold air from cutting through the car. Been on there for 4-5 years.

 

Apologies for a slight thread hijack.

I've got the same problem. When I reconnected the collectors to the manifold on the passenger side, I noticed the spacer / donut was hooked up metal to metal. This seems wrong to me. Shouldn't there be a gasket or something between the collector and the spacer / donut, and between the spacer and the manifold? This is probably whats causing my small exhaust leak.

 

but does your car lack power and have a rough idel like my car does. It seems like my car sounds different then before the leak

 

It does have a rough idle, yes. I set the timing so that isn't the issue.

I just wonder if there is a gasket or something that I am missing for the spacer / donut on the passenger side. Anyone know if there is something that goes between the metal, or is it supposed to be metal on metal?

EDIT: Unfortunately what the other person said is true, you gotta crawl under there and kinda hold your hand around (without touching) the pipe to see if you can feel any exhaust coming from there. Be mindful of how long you stay below it so you dont get burned by accidently touching the pipes, and for the exhaust fumes accumulating below the car. If possible, do it outside where nothing is obstructing the movement of air on either side of the car.

Or take it to a different shop and have them locate it for you since they have car lifts making it easier and faster to find the leak.

 

Anyone got an answer for that last one. ??

 

When I went to reattach the exhaust manifolds to the y-pipe I found a little donut/spacer deal, but i found only one. It attaches to the y-pipe , but what side do I use it on. passenger or drive - i cant remember. I only have one. Its flared on one side along with nothces on the sides for the bolt to go through. Do I need a gasket of any sort for this?, or does the donut/spacer just bolt in between the manifold and the ypipe metal to metal??. Thanks.

 

The spacer only goes on the passenger side, between the Y and the manifold. Since I last posted I did a lot of research into it, with help from the guys at NJFBOA, and found out that there is no gasket on either side of the spacer - its all metal on metal.

I haven't yet crawled under my own car to start feeling around for the leak. I tried to "fix" the clicking sound I heard, which I originaly thought was the exhaust, by tightening the rockers. Big mistake since I ended up pushing the valves completely open. Now the car wont start. easy fix but havent done it yet.

You may need to tighten the metal on metal connection for a decent seal between the spacer and the Y / manifold. If you can, try to sandpaper some of the rust away before sealing the pipes up. That may help prevent some exhaust from leaking. To tighten things up, use washers if you have to, between the flange and the nuts. If you have the AIR pipes on there, they will provide some resistance that creates a soft seal on both sides of the spacer. Once everything is tightened up, you should be able to lift your body like a pull-up without anything moving.

Good luck!

EDIT: One suggestion I was given was to put a small amount of RTV around both edges of the spacer for a better seal.

 

its just a thought, ive never tried it but it seems logical that you could possible use a laser pointer and aim it down the side of the pipes but not touching and the gases should interfere the same way you see heat waves. you see the dot moving on what ever its placed on. If your really lucky you can do this on a cold day and steam that you might not see the laser will deffinately pick up just like if you were to shine it over a pot of boiling water

its just an idea dont try to slay me for it.

 

look for black marks on the pipes even a pin hole will leave a mark

 

Hi from OZ!

With regard to exhaust exit location, is there a place (side maybe) that will limit the fumes sucked back into the cabin? My car does have a quite fumey smell inside and I do not know how to fix?

I will try the run on AC setting bit!

Another odd thing is that the windscreen seems to get a light film build up on the inside that I need to rub off maybe once every two weeks. It seems maybe a bit oily? Could this be related.

 

Yep put it on max AC and run fan on hi so there is less neg pressure in the cabin and it wont suck fumes as bad.

If you smoke that film is from that.
what ever u smoke will leave a film on the windows over time.

 

Thanks Gumby!

I have just bought some of that sealing tape stuff to try, will put on this weekend.

Ref the film - I do not smoke at all or in my car.

Thanks again.

 

i got one too, its the header gasket, mother****er smells like gas all the ****in time and i drive it with the windows open and i still get ****in dizzy and headaches and ****, gonna replace it this winter