I have an exhaust leak. I'm pretty sure its the primary pipe inside the heater jacket for the #3 cylinder (though it could easily be #4). Undoubtedly this is more fallout from the exhaust hanger failure leaving my exhaust hanging at the head and unsupported for many miles. It was the #3 exhaust that took the brunt of the damage and had the snapped stud.

My gut says just drive it as it is for the time being and worry about it when the new engine gets here. I will hear it, but I don't think it can hurt anything and it not like I'll be breathing it since the heater stuff is all removed and capped off. Is my thinking correct?

I don't think I have time to buy and install a new set of SSIs, and I'm just nervous about taking off and replacing exhaust parts again. N.E. Gathering is coming up fast, and I have cub camp and a trip with Amy planned before it. So I just don't have a ton of time.

The new engine will be a 2.3, and when it gets here I imagine I'll either just buy the new set of SSIs or maybe buy Joe's Tangerine header (or borrow it till he gets his car back together - whatever).

@eric_shea
@jsayre914

And, yes. I passed my several nice looking sets of SSI exchangers at Hershey when this all went down. The irony is not lost on me.

Zach

Well, if you have a broken primary and your heater is deliberately inop, then I say cut off the spot welds on the HE and have a look.

Who knows, maybe you can fix it with a sleeve of some sort until you’re ready to pull the engine.

Chasing exhaust leaks can be a pain in the .....

I have read/heard of pressurizing the system from the muffler outlet with the pressure side of a vacuum cleaner, but I have no experience. is your engine popping/backfiring?

How far out is the 2.3?

Or just weld it once you have it exposed. If you're very careful in how you remove the heat exchanger shell, you could probably put that back on afterward.

If I was feeling very lazy and desperately wanted to go . . . I'd just drive it.

I've done that with this pair of exchangers, and they held pressure (at the time). In this case I pretty much know one is leaking, so I'm past the investigative phase. My assumption is the #3 pipe as that was the one with the snapped stud and the stripped nut. But if its the #4 pipe, it makes no material difference.

The 2.3 is done, except for the intake runners that we are still waiting on. We were hoping the engine would have been able to be showcased at Parade in the Poconos this week. But the intake still isn't in our hands yet, so.... who knows? My guess is that it will come in after the NE Gathering - or close enough to the gathering that I won't have time to install it before Amy and I head out the door.

Which brings me back to my main question - if I drive ~300 miles as is (leaking a little on a primary pipe with the heater stuff off the car) am I going to hurt anything? Or will it just annoy me that the car has an exhaust leak?

Thanks!
Zach

Will the HEs support the new big engine? How are you going to feed it?

No.

You've probably already driven it 300 miles before you even knew it was a problem.

Drive it like you stole it.....

what's the worse that can happen......