Best way to check for exhaust leaks?

Sonic04GT · Oct 19, 2010

What are your methods, especially around the headers?

My dad mentioned some stuff you put in the throttlebody that causes it to smoke and you can trace it that way.

wmburns · Oct 19, 2010

Get yourself a mechanic’s stethoscope and probe around. You will be surprise how well it sometimes works.

Sonic04GT · Oct 19, 2010

wmburns said:
Get yourself a mechanic’s stethoscope and probe around. You will be surprise how well it sometimes works.

I'll go pick one up tomorrow.

trinity_gt · Oct 19, 2010

The smoke test works.

You can also have a couple of buddies increase pressure in the exhaust by holding thick rags over the tailpipes as the car idles. The increase in pressure can often make leaks quite noticeable even at idle for you as you snoop around the area you suspect is leaking.

Sonic04GT · Oct 20, 2010

Picked up a $10 stethoscope from Autozone but I just can't get the probe down near the gasket to tell if it's leaking. It has to actually be in contact with it to hear anything, not proximity.

I will give the rag thing a try one of these days.

I picked up Marvel Mystery Oil, what my father mentioned he would use for the smoke test. Anyone done this before?

I just had the headers put on yesteday, with Stage 8 locking bolts and SCE copper gaskets. Shouldn't be a leak but there is a noticable clicking/whizzing when driving next to walls and stuff for it to echo off of.

As mentioned in my other thread, there were 2 bolts leftover, which shouldnt have been unless Stage 8 put 2 extra by error.

Kornnut · Oct 20, 2010

If the heads on the bolts are big enough they may not be able to put them in because of the primary will get in the way.

Sonic04GT · Oct 20, 2010

Kornnut said:
If the heads on the bolts are big enough they may not be able to put them in because of the primary will get in the way.

Not sure exactly what you're talking about, but what effect will this have? I might give him a call and see if he recalls why they weren't put in.

Kornnut · Oct 21, 2010

Where the flange and primary meet the curve can get in the way of a nut. We had a hard time with some of mine using stock studs and nuts. I could see where the stage 8 lockers would be impossible to get on.

Sonic04GT · Oct 21, 2010

Kornnut said:
Where the flange and primary meet the curve can get in the way of a nut. We had a hard time with some of mine using stock studs and nuts. I could see where the stage 8 lockers would be impossible to get on.

Gotcha, I can kind of understand that looking at a picture of them where the primary gets really close the the flange. Don't see why BBK wouldn't somehow take that into consideration...

Sonic04GT · Oct 21, 2010

This might be a stupid question but If I can find where it's leaking using the smoke test, do you think black high-tempt RTV gasket maker could seal it or is that not tough enough?

7991LXnSHO · Oct 21, 2010

Copper RTV is for exhaust. But you may have burned up the gasket by now and may need a new one.

Sonic04GT · Oct 22, 2010

7991LXnSHO said:
Copper RTV is for exhaust. But you may have burned up the gasket by now and may need a new one.

By now? Gaskets just went on Tuesday with the longtubes. They're SCE Copper gaskets.

Sonic04GT · Oct 23, 2010

Well we put some Marvel Mystery Oil in through the vacuum on the plenum today. Definitely got some smoke. It is leaking around the flow tube/muffler flange/clamp and on the driver side I found this...it looks like there is a gap big enough for the oil to seep through, and then drip onto the primary where it heats up and burns off into smoke.

Here is a pic of the rear side of the driver side manifold from under the car. You can see where it drips from, and then runs all the way down the primary.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm142/thealmightyhubbard/IMG_0639.jpg

For some reason he used 2 studs in place of my Stage 8 locking bolts, but not on the passenger side.

What do you guys think? Why only right there? Maybe those nuts aren't tight enough?

Best way to check for exhaust leaks?

Sonic04GT

Member

wmburns

Sonic04GT

Member

trinity_gt

Sonic04GT

Member

Kornnut

Sonic04GT

Member

Kornnut

Sonic04GT

Member

Sonic04GT

Member

7991LXnSHO

wanna catch the space herp

Sonic04GT

Member

Sonic04GT

Member

Similar threads

Best way to check for exhaust leaks?

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

wanna catch the space herp

Member

Member

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency