Hey People,
I have 92 RS with a fresh exhaust muffler and tailpipes, I noticed the car has water of some sort dripping out of the exhaust pipes, and I am wondering if the car has problem with the engine or if it is just condensation, being I only start it 2 times a week, I get my liscense in 76 days so I can't really drive it anywhere. Lemme know whats going on, tips, ways to find out. Thanx,
Mike

 

It is perfectly normal for condensed water inside the tailpipes to drip out. However, it should not stay dripping for very long. If you rev the engine and water flies onto the ground you could have a coolant leak. Let the car warm up and see if it stops dripping.

 

Yeah, it does fly out a lil' when you hit the gas, but I do think its a coolant leak of some sort, cuz i ran it for 20 mins today, and the whole driveway behind my car got a lil wet, well, not real wet, but enough to fill a cup a quarter of the way. How much does this stuff cost to fix?

 

Well.. it may just be an intake gasket, but it could be something worse like a cracked/warped head or head gasket. If your coolant is low after a few weeks of this, you're going to have to at least remove the intake. If you have the tools to do this, the most specialized of which would be a torque wrench, the only cost to you is a set of gaskets and some silicone. Before you go and do all that, pull your plugs and check which ones look extra clean. The clean ones are where the coolant is getting in.

The first time I built an engine I did not torque down the intake manifold properly and the same thing happened. Has any work been done that could have caused this?

 

Water is the biproduct of combustion. It's very normal and means your engine is operating very well.

Having water dripping out the tailpipe is better than having it sit inside the muffler where it can rot out the muffler. If your coolent level isn't dropping then it's not coolent.

My service truck idles most of the morning while I'm working. It constantly drips water out the tailpipe.

 

Unless the water coming out of the pipe is slick and nasty (as antifreeze always is) then I wouldn't worry about it.

Whenever I start my van up for the first time it leaves a puddle on the ground. Lately, that puddle keeps freezing into a sheet of ice. Stupid jet stream.

 

Thank you guys I will check my coolant, it was filled a few weeks ago when I got it inspected, if it goes down, I am screwed, but it does freeze into a sheet of ice, so I know it ain't some type of chemical. The car never has had work done to it, only a new alternator, flowmasters, and a stereo. Runs like a champ, I was just curious. Thanks.