I have an exhaust leak that I cannot find for the life of me! I have recently replaced all of the pipes from the cat, back as well as the muffler due to the beating they took from the car being so low, I also had a crack welded on the Y pipe, and now ANOTHER big leak!

I get under the car and look, no cracks no loose anything and I can only hear it when im inside the car!

Any tips??

Or is it just the muffler bearing


hahaha

 

A couple things come to mind:

You could have a helper get in the car and put it under a load. Put it in drive and rev it slightly with the brakes applied. Be sure to set the parking brake and chock the wheels first if it's on the ground!

A trick I've used while working by myself is to get a 3-4 foot length of 3/8" fuel line and hold one end up to my ear. With the other end you just use like a stethoscope. It works pretty well for finding small leaks around the manifolds where they meet the heads and the 'y' pipe.

 

the fuel line idea is great, ill have to give it a try!

 

It's a two man job but while the engine is running, someone tries to plug the exhaust. You can't plug it completely for very long or the engine will die. Simply holding a rag in the tailpipe will usually be enough.

The exhaust pressure needs to go somewhere. With the tailpipe plugged, it will be forced out any leaks in the system and easier to find.

 

my guess the most common areas for an exhaust leak would be where the exhaust manifolds meet the heads and where the "Y" pipe meets the exhaust manifolds ...