Arite i barely installed an invidia downpipe myself.. everything went smooth, but im suspecting an exhaust leak... i searched but i dont got fumes, felt around didnt really feel air... but i do notice that there is a ticking sound or clicking sound coming from the engine when i open the hood, im not sure if it was there before, am i just paranoid and think that there is a problem? One of my friends said something about the timing being off?? i dont kno what he means but yah...

So how can i really tell if i have an exhaust leak??

 

bump

 

Hi,

If you have a leak, you will probably smell the fumes, esp if it's in the front of the car (near dp I would think?). Also, if you have a leak, you may see soot or carbon buildup on the pipes where it's leaking. If you don't feel air or smell fumes and there is no soot, you're probably ok.

The motor does tick, that's fairly common. Did you torque the dp spring bolts well (if they are retained with that dp)? Also, does this re-use the donut gasket?

In my car, I've smelled fumes after getting out of car. Partly it was the HF cat not cleaning the exhaust enough , but after re-installing my stock exhaust, the shop was able to tighten one of the spring bolts. The spring was binding and it never torqued itself snug. It would just spin, so I was worried it was stripped. Luckily, after loosening it and retorquing carefully, it's all set. Now the smell is much better and I didn't see any signs of a leak while it was on the lift.

Good luck,

FB

 

thanks .. ill check again, well im just kinda concern because i heard exhaust leaks can hurt performance or soemthing... Is the downpipe suppose to really add major grunt?? like u can feel a major major difference?? i felt a difference but it wasn't like WOW! but then again i still have my cat... Somoene told me once i remove the cat then you will feel the downpipe really kick is that true??

 

HAte to bring this up but did you find out whether there was a leak or not. I'm hearing the same thing you describe above during cold start-up.

Thanks.