Finally Found my Exhaust Leak. FRACK
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Topic: Finally Found my Exhaust Leak. FRACK
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Subject: Finally Found my Exhaust Leak. FRACK
Date Posted: 27 April 2008 at 7:42pm
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So FieroChick and I went down to the Oregon coast for a vacation. Its only 350 miles away, so it was a nice drive. While we were cruising the US 101 I noticed my exhaust got louder. I pulled into some place in Lincoln City to check it out and it seemed to be coming from down low on the Y-Pipe, so I assumed it had popped the donut out. It was a bit frustrating, but there was nothing we could do about it at the moment. So I took it easy on it for the next couple weeks while we were down there. However it seemed to get louder as time went on. To the point that when I got back to BC it seemed to get really loud. I tried with hoses, and even got a 3rd degree burn on the back of my hand trying to find out exactly where the leak was coming from. I had the motor running while I felt around the exhaust ports and joints trying to find out where it was leaking.
At the club tech session last weekend I replaced the Y-Pipe to Head Pipe donut and the sound seemed to change, but still very noisy. Then Friday after a club meet and some spirited driving it seemed like all hell broke loose. Well I started digging around again, trying to find this damn leak. Then I started to figure it out and was really kinda hoping it was not what I thought it was. A crack under the 88 Specific heat shield. For those of you that don't own or have ever seen an 88 V6 exhaust heat shield it is a tin structure that completely wraps around around the Y Pipe. There is no way to remove it without cutting it. Well I started to peal it back as gently as I could and here is what I found. I will post the painful repair after the pics. 
Now if this was any other year Fiero, I would have just gone into the garage and grabbed a spare Y-Pipe off of the shelf and installed it. But Nooooooooo this had to be on my one and only 88. I didn't have a spare down pipe for it. FRACK. The 88 also uses a unique exhaust system which bends ever so slightly differently than an 85-87 V6 car. So you can't simply change it to an 85 down pipe and install an 85-87 exhaust to match it. Now here is where I got lucky. I had just finished parting out an 85 2M6. The previous owner had bought an 88 Exhaust and had the head pipe modified so it would work with an 85 Y-Pipe. I grabbed the entire exhaust and down pipe from the 85 and compared it to my 88GT exhaust. I was in luck, it was a modified 88GT exhaust system. So I dropped out my entire 88 exhaust, removed the Y-Pipe and swapped in the entire setup from the 85. If I did not have that "unique" exhaust from the parts car I would have been screwed. I guess I could have taken the old Y-Pipe down and had it welded but due to the location of the break, (brake) I am not even sure if they could make a strong weld on it. So moral of the story, if you have an 88 V6, keep your ear open for an exhaust leak from under the Y-Pipe and try to find a spare as soon as possible or be prepared for some serious tweaking to repair it. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Replies:
Posted By: Bassman
Date Posted: 28 April 2008 at 7:15pm
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Well done...you can get that fixed, no? ------------- Brian (Bassman) 86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 28 April 2008 at 7:19pm
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Due to the location of the break, I don't think there is any way someone can weld the back of the pipe where the Y joins together? Maybe someone with more experience than me can comment on it. Craker, Chris, Blair? ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Dr.Fiero
Date Posted: 28 April 2008 at 9:10pm
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It could be done - the weld would just be further up, joining them together. Might be hard to get the dead on alignment required though. You'd be best to attach it to the top end of an engine on a stand then weld it up (things have a way of twisting an unreal amount when you weld them). |
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 28 April 2008 at 10:26pm
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Well if you think you can do it, (its not a rush by any means) The setup I have is going to stay on the car for the next while. I will drop it off to you to play with the next time you have your welder out welding something. At this point it is pretty much just going to be tossed into a box of Broken 88 parts to keep with the car for collector purposes, when repairing these parts is worth more than simply replacing with non OEM parts. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: kharmata
Date Posted: 21 January 2011 at 10:31pm
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I know this is an old post but I would suggest cutting the
other short pipe off in the same location - clean and straight with the broken one and then seam weld the two short pieces together and then back onto the main section. Make a jig out of 2x4's or something for positions and flyater. 
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Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 21 January 2011 at 10:48pm
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Why "fix" it, you have what effectively amounts to open-header! Well, open cross-over, in any case. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |