cdeptula

about 6-8 months ago i found out that when i lent my friend my car that he had been a little more drunk than he led on and while he was driving on his way back he hit a curb,but like completely hit the curb and now i havean exhaust leak. it sounds like a beater civic and im starting to get sick of the sound and i want to fix it.

ive been told that he hit the curb in a fashion that it sounds like a hole was punched in my catalytic converter but i have no idea how to go about fixing it and as u all know lexus isn't cheap to bring it to them for them to fix it so im just wondering what suggestions you guys have? thanks in advance

Lexmex

Your literally going to have to turn on the vehicle and probe around underneath (or the length of the exhaust piping) and keeping your hand away a bit feel and warmth and listen for any leak (hissing). Depending on the severity of the hole, you might be able to seal it up with some sealant like Permatex (I think about every auto store has this stuff). It's also possible if you take it to an independent exhaust shop they could weld shut (assuming the leak is bigger) the hole. This really shouldn't take much $$$ at all, maybe at the most just a few minutes to seal.

Generally, the exhaust leaks occur near gaskets where two pieces are held together by bolts or near the front or rear of the catalytic converter or muffler (where the piping meets the cat or muffler).

cdeptula

yea to be completely honest i think its close to the Cat / piping interface because its loudest around there plus that's about where my buddy said(from what he could remember) is where he ran over the bump. somehow in the center of the car

ive heard of a method of checking the exhaust by putting soap and water into the manifold and it bubbling out the hole but that seemed shady so i wanted to ask first.

carguy07

"ive heard of a method of checking the exhaust by putting soap and water into the manifold and it bubbling out the hole but that seemed shady so i wanted to ask first."

Not only shady, but it won't work. I would look at the flex pipe first if nothing else is obvious. If you can hear it that much it will not be hard to find.

salimshah

Manifold No way. Gasoline engines have good compression (not as good as diesel) but introduce a non-compressible fluid instead of air and the result can be catastrophic.

With the exhaust cold, just feel the leak. You can even partially block the exhaust tip to create more pressure in the system [dont over do it as you can choke the engine and wet the spark plugs].

Salim