Hey
As per usual I've dismantled my car before relising i dont know what I;m doing :cry: . Anyway I had my car check for a RWC and the mechanic pointed out that there was a hole in the exhaust just below the flange connecting the exhaust manifold to the exhaust pipe, so i thought sweet i can fix that. The car was noticeably louder and could smell fumes so i wasnt doubting that there was a leak but i check the whole length of the exhaust system just incase but found no holes. The only spot i didnt get a good look at was the back of the exhaust pipe near the flange (its an awkward spot to get a close look at) right where the mechanic originally said there was a hole.

So believe that there must have been a hole there i removed the pipe running from the manifold to the cat converter, but theres nothing no holes cracks or otherwise.

my only thoughts now is that when i removed the pipe the gasket came out in about 5 pieces, is it possible the disintegrated could have been casing the problems from the beginning? am i missing something here?

exhaust flange gaskets break down over time - the heating up and cooling down effect constantly does that to it - so you would be right i think - it disintergrating was causing the leak.

its a common place to get a leak - just replace it with a new one.
think you can get them for around the 10buck mark at supercheap? im not sure - its been a while since i had to change an exhaust flange gasket.

yeah more than likely it was the gasket in that condition. they start to blow out.

edit... dont be afraid to do stuff on your car... its not rocket science.

yeah more than likely it was the gasket in that condition. they start to blow out.

edit... dont be afraid to do stuff on your car... its not rocket science.

exactly - and the only way you will learn yourself how to do stuff, is to get in there and give it a go :)

Ok it was a success i think, its not much quieter but i can now drive it without getting a headache which i think is a win.

Ok it was a success i think, its not much quieter but i can now drive it without getting a headache which i think is a win.

Did you use any exhaust cement on the new gasket?

if the flage had warped at all this takes up and imperfections....

I didn;t end up using exhaust sealant in the end, it didn;t get a mention in the service manual and the flanges were straight and seemed to seal well with the new gaskets. Inhind sight might have been better to put some in to be sure, if its still causing problems in a few days i'll have a look at that.