After several years of piping hot fumes out your engine, an exhaust pipe leak is inevitable. Sudden changes in temperature, along with substantial deposits from the vapours gradually corrode this pipe. Speed breakers and rough terrain can quickly get your pipe leaking in several spots after repeated hits. Ensure your vehicle is on a flat surface and employ wheel ramps and other sturdy supports instead.
Your life is worth more than a leaky exhaust pipe, so do be careful. Fixing your exhaust pipe just right has to begin with you checking out where the leak is coming from. Follow these steps for an effortless fix;. Manifold links with car engines differ. Your car may have just one massive pipe or a collection of pipes connected to the engine. Check out turbochargers or any catalytic convertors underneath your vehicle.
These encourage the unhinged flow of exhaust fumes from your engine. There could be multiple convertors on your vehicle, depending on its make. Inspect these parts for any apparent leaks. But a lot of steps are involved to ensure the hole stays closed for longer.
Check them out for an effortless exhaust leak repair;. A wider exhaust leak may be impossible to cover with epoxy. Exhaust leaks not exceeding 5mm can be easily handled with epoxy. Also, when using epoxy for some connectors on your exhaust line, both parts have to be a little flush. Most repairs will not stick or seal if done over dirt and grime.
Make sure to wear eye protection while scrubbing the area to prevent debris from getting in your eyes. Use sandpaper to prepare the surface of the pipe. Once you have scraped off most of the dirt and grime, take a piece of fine grit sandpaper and use it to scrub the portion of the pipe you need to repair. Sandpaper will remove the last bits of dirt as well as creating tiny micro abrasions in the metal to help the tape or epoxy adhere to it.
Roughing up the surface of the metal will create a stronger bond for the patch. Wipe the surface down with acetone. Once you have brushed and sanded the pipe around the leak, wipe the area down with acetone to clean it and help the exhaust epoxy bond to the metal. Acetone is the primary ingredient in nail polish remover, so using nail polish remover will work well for this purpose. You can purchase acetone in the cleaning chemicals section of many retail stores, or nail polish remover in the health and beauty sections.
Determine if the hole is small enough to be sealed without a patch. Small cracks or pinholes can be sealed using just epoxy or exhaust tape, but larger holes will need a patch. If the leak is a thin crack or small hole, you can proceed without purchasing or making a patch to help. If the hole is larger, you will need a patch as well as epoxy. Wrap the exhaust tape around the pipe. If you are using exhaust repair tape, wrap it all the way around the pipe, covering the exhaust leak with at least two layers of tape.
Make sure to wrap the tape around the pipe for a few inches to either side of the leak as well. Different kinds of exhaust repair tape will require different application methods, so be sure to read the instructions thoroughly before you begin.
Other forms of exhaust repair tape needs to be wet before applying. You can purchase exhaust repair tape at most auto parts stores. Mix the epoxy together and apply it to the leak. If you are using epoxy to seal the leak, mix the two parts together using a wooden dowel. Once the two parts are mixed, it will begin to cure immediately, so apply it to the leak quickly. Dab the epoxy over the leak, then use the wooden dowel to spread it around the area.
Leave a thick layer of epoxy over and around the leak. Different types of epoxy have different curing rates, so read the instructions on the package to know how long to allow it to sit before driving the vehicle.
Method 3. Determine the size of patch needed. You can purchase exhaust patch kits from your local auto parts store, but cutting up a piece of an aluminum can will actually do just as good as job at serving as a patch for a larger exhaust leak.
After scrubbing and cleaning the area, determine how large the patch will need to be to cover the leak and leave at least a half inch or so of extra material beyond the hole itself. If you purchase a patch kit, make sure to read the directions to assess the size of a leak the kit can fix. Cut an aluminum patch to fit over the leak. Use a pair of heavy duty scissors to cut your aluminum can into a patch large enough to cover the leak.
You may also choose to wrap the can around the pipe. For smaller leaks, you can simply cut a circle of aluminum that is a half inch larger in diameter than the hole. Wrapping the can or patch all the way around the pipe will provide the best seal. Cover the area surrounding the leak with epoxy.
Just as you would seal a leak with epoxy, mix it together and apply it to the pipe around the leak. Make sure to apply enough epoxy to create a seal for the patch, but don't apply so much that the epoxy begins to drip into the exhaust piping.
If you are going to wrap the patch all the way around the pipe, apply most of the epoxy to the area around the leak and a lighter coat all the way around the pipe.
Place the patch over the leak. Either place the small patch directly over the hole or wrap a large patch all the way around the pipe. If wrapping the patch around the pipe, make sure the middle of the patch is over the leak itself. Make sure none of the leak extends beyond the sides of the patch. Apply epoxy over the patch. Use a wooden dowel to apply more epoxy to the edges of the patch. You may even choose to coat the patch itself with epoxy. This will help hold the patch in place as the epoxy dries while also creating a more solid seal to prevent any exhaust from leaking.
If you wrapped the entire pipe with a patch, you do not need to coat the entire patch, but pay special attention to wear the patch meets on the opposite side of the pipe from the leak.
Secure a large patch in place with hose clamps. If you wrapped the patch all the way around the pipe, use two hose clamps to secure it in place and ensure a tight seal.
Place one hose clamp on either side of the leak on the pipe, then use a socket wrench or flat head screw driver to tighten the clamps into place over the patch. You may want to clip the excess ends off of the hose clamps once you are done. Did you know you can get answers researched by wikiHow Staff? Unlock staff-researched answers by supporting wikiHow. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 2. Not Helpful 2 Helpful 1. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. Not Helpful 3 Helpful 3.
The amount of time this repair will take varies depending on the type of patching material you opt to use. Some exhaust tape or epoxy can set and cure very quickly, while others may take over night to dry. You may also check your oxygen sensors for proper operation. This could also indicate you have a clogged catalytic converter on one side of your car so you may consider having those inspected as well.
Thanks for really a great and neatly written post. It helped my understanding of the system and think before taking it to repair shop. I am driving honda civic lx for more than two years. Recently I fixed the slightly loose bumper after another car hit from back slowly. I fixed it just by hitting and pushing the bumper connecting metal with hammer.
At that time I remember, I might have touched the tailbox and end of tail pipe. Most probably after that I hear little more noise from the exhaust end. At the time of driving I feel that for speeding up it takes little more time compared to few weeks back. Do you have any idea what could happen?
Thanks in advance. Thanks for your question about your Honda Civic. It does sound like you could have damaged your exhaust system by bumping it while fixing your bumper. Based on the age of your car, if the exhaust system was original it was probably very rusted and thin so even a light bump could have caused a hole or break. If you can grab your tailpipe when your car is cold and shake it easily you may consider taking your car to a muffler shop to see if they can repair the exhaust leak.
Thanks for your question about your exhaust fix. Our recommendation would be to go to a few local shops in your area and ask for an estimate on how much the work would cost to get the best price.
Noticed a rattling from my exhaust near the tailpipe over a couple of days. Yesterday I gave it a gentle waggle and it became very lose. Checked under to see the connection into the silencer is rusted out. Could this be the cause? And is this the kind of thing a repair kit could handle? Or am I going to have to get a mobile mechanic into my apartment car park? All help and advice appreciated. Thanks for your question about your exhaust system.
Depending on the thickness of the metal, you may be able to simply have the connection from the pipe into the silencer welded and have your problem fixed easily. In the worst case you would need to get a new muffler attached to your exhaust system.
If your car wont even crank, try checking the battery and the starter. If your car is cranking but wont start, check for engine codes and check for the proper fuel pressure and the presence of spark. After reading these articles, I believe an exhaust leak between the manifolds and one of the cats may be at least part of my issue. I have an automatic WS6 Trans-Am. I recently finally got some decent money coming in and got the transmission repaired along with alot of other issues including 2 new cats aftermarket from summit and 4 new O2 sensors.
While driving, I noticed upon acceleration above 30 MPh, a loud sound coming from area where manifolds meet cat and performance power seemed to be down with quite a bit of shaking in the steering. It ran great when I first got it back but got progressively worse over the course of a week. After that, it lines out and seems to run and start normally the rest of the day. My driveway is steep and I have scraped the tailpipes several times backing out.
Thinking maybe the welds on the cats might have been subpar and the scrapping might have knocked it lose causing a leak. Any thoughts? Thanks for any help I get! Thanks for your question about your Trans Am. The inspection technicians are correct that your vehicle needs to be driven for some time in order for all the emissions controls to perform their self-checks.
There are a series of diagnostics they need to run at different operating conditions including cold starts, city driving, and highway driving so we would recommend you take your car through many different driving situations before you head back for an inspection.
Before you do all that, you need to figure out the engine codes. Based on a few assumptions they could all be caused by the exhaust leak you mentioned. If exhaust is escaping before the catalytic converters it will cause odd readings at the downstream O2 sensors and possibly turn on the SES light for that or the air system. You may also check to make sure the O2 sensors that were installed were the correct OEM sensors. The only code that seems out of place is the misfire code.
Hi my check engine light keeps blinking and we have fixed everything from spark plugs down. My exhaust has a leak and I was wondering if it could be messing with the sensor? It is possible that your exhaust leak is affecting one of the engine sensors. I have a small leak where the manifold meets the head.
I am afraid that if I start to take the manifold off I will break some of the bolts. Is there some sort of ceramic product that I can use to stop the leak? I have a Dodge Dakota with , miles. I can see the small leak and also I can get to it. Thanks for your help. Thank you for asking about your Dodge Dakota.
Feel free to contact our technical support line at with any other questions. I have a Trans Am WS6. I noticed the exhaust was leaking around the clamps after I picked it up from my my repair shop. It had been in for a totally different reason. When I took it back to them and told them about the exhaust leak, they told me it was normal. They looked at me like I was crazy and preceded to tell me that it always leaks when it is cold because the pipes slip inside each other and that when the pipes get hot they will expand and not leak.
I have never heard such nonsense. A friend put it on a lift for me and we could tell they were all new leaks because of the recent discoloration on the pipes at the clamps. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
They shop could be correct, but the circumstances, size of the pipes, and clamping force on the pipes would all have to be in a very narrow range for a leak like that to happen. It does seem more likely that something shifted during the work they did causing the leak. If you have the chance to have your exhaust system welded together it will make for a much better seal.
I have a Altima it jus started today sounding like a truck an its getting louder does this sound like an exhaust problem.
Thank you for asking about your Nissan Altima. I have a Lexus LS I had a diagnostic done on it and it said I have an exhaust leak behind the starter. Thanks for your question about your LS If you had a leak in the exhaust before the upstream oxygen sensor it could indeed cause your car to be running poorly and cause the emissions issues you are having.
It is possible to get to your exhaust system under your car. Since you have a V8 engine, there will be an exhaust pipe coming down from each bank of your engine and running under your car. I have a 02 Isuzu rodeo sport with 4 cylinder 2. I had a major exhaust leak and fixed it. It youst to reach I drove it with the leak.
Got any ideas how to get my compression back?? Thank you for asking about your Isuzu Rodeo. Are you experiencing any issues with the vehicle stalling out or idling roughly? I have a licoln town car smoke comomg feom the miffler used ur product and i still habe oil burning any idea what i should do. Thank you for asking about your Lincoln Town Car. I have a 98 toyota sienna.
Recently started hearing a noise that sounds like maybe an exhaust leak under the engine area. The car runs fine and no codes.
I cant afford an expensive fix. Thank you for asking about your Toyota Sienna. What is the noise you are hearing? Have you noticed any other symptoms? In the last two weeks a steady rumble has come from the engine.
No grinding or banging it sounds like an airy rumble or growl and it sounds to be coming from the front of the car under the hood.
It gets louder with exceleration, but seems to disapate at higher speeds with a steady speed. If I accelerate than I hear it more again until my speed gets steady. Would this sound like a leak to you? Thank you for asking about your Chevrolet Traverse. Based on your description, it does sound like the symptoms of an exhaust leak.
A leak anywhere in the exhaust system makes a rather distinct rumbling noise and is more noticeable when accelerating because the engine is working harder, making the noise louder. One easy way to tell when you have an exhaust leak is to lift your car up while its runnin than run your hand along the pipe dont touch it though as it might be hot and feel for any air. If you feel air on your hand theres the leak. Easiest is when you have access to a hoist but you can use a jack and stands to lift the car and crawl under.
I have a honda accord 2. Have a leaky gasket just after the catalytic converter that net. Can this cause a P code, cylinder 1 running rich. Please help.
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