I brought my car in for a saftey and it failed due to an exhaust leak. The mechanic said he could not pinpoint it though.

I remember in the winter seeing exhaust come from the 2-4-6 cylinder side of the engine, so I know its from somewhere around there. Is it possible that it s just a bad gasket somewhere on the exhaust system bad there? How do I track down where the problem is?

hi when low tech way, pull into garage at night and, start up and let get hot, shut off all lights, keep running, if it has big leak it will glow at piont of escape.......................during daytime, jack up rear and support properly and get small mirror and good light, i used big 500w shop light, gets hot, and get a good look around..............unfortuately, very tight and other then taking appart, it might be alittle hard to see,....................if you do take out frontside manifold , be carefull with bolts they tend to snap if you apply to much pressure due to age, then you will have to driill out and it is not easy, i had it done a month ago.ouch!.....................good luck...............................

Grab a buddy with good ears.

Take two chunks of thick cardboard, and put them over the tailpipes and push. Have him/her quickly listen up top to pinoint it (I'm talking about 5 seconds or so!). Narrow it down a bit, then repeat. Found lots of leaks this way (small ones - the big ones are usually pretty apparant).

It's common for Fiero exhaust manifolds to crack,but yes your right, part of the exhaust manifold gasket can blow out.As silver86se says look for cracks or a blown exhaust manifold gasket at night (you may have to jack the car up to inspect from the bottom).

Get a piece of garden hose (3 ft.should do it) put one end up to your ear,
and move the other end around with the engine running.
Listen.......you should be able to hear where it's leaking from.

Hope this helps.....Good Luck,
Michael

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[This message has been edited by 2000RagTop (edited 05-05-2004).]

What does an exhaust leak sound like?

quote Originally posted by sqoach: What does an exhaust leak sound like?

If it is on one of the manifolds, near the cylinder, it will sound ilke a "ticking". If it is downstream, it'll sound like a Volkswagen.

quote Originally posted by sqoach: What does an exhaust leak sound like?

"Ticka-tick-tick-tick-tick!" - rate of ticks proportional to engine speed.

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Would it be ticking all the time, or at certain rpm? I get a ticking noise around 1800 rpm no matter what gear I'm in.

hey just a good idea of where too look. I assume the 2,4,6 cylds are the firewall side manifold? Well Here are two pictures of where I found my leak.

Note the cracks happened on the weld line? Now Granted mine was ported at an earlier time and rewelded, but this is what can happen. just look around where the cracks are. Take a Mirror and posission is so you can see the bottom of the manifold. and check your crass over pipes, you might have a leak there too.

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Oh and it will tick all the time but the more exaust flows through the crack the more you will here it.

[This message has been edited by Fierokid87 (edited 05-05-2004).]

If you have an 88 with the "baked potato" aluminum wrap, you could have a large crack on one of the legs of the y-pipe. I did, and it sounded like a pissed-off Volkswagen.

FieroBear... can we get rid of that tinfoil? Is there a good aftermarket y-pipe for the 88 that doesn't require that insulation?

I noticed #2 was leaking on my car, cat was gone so when I was underneath i could put my hand near the head and could feel the air escaping. Also found a couple more with just my hand, one at egr valve and connection to the y.

Ivan.

Get a bar-b-q lighter from the gro. store & flic your bic, flame will show the leak....
Freddy