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98 Prism Exhaust Leak

by bigdaddy, June 19, 2006



my 98 prism with 111,000 miles is by far one of the best vehicles i have ever owned.

the only thing thats got me stumped about her is this annoying problem, when i go through

any water, small puddle, rain, etc.., it seems to sound like it has an exhaust leak.

anybody know anything about this, any known issues ?

thanks.

I'm glad you brought it up. My '95 does the same thing....I notice it mostly after driving through heavy slush in the winter months.

Strange............

my 98 prism with 111,000 miles is by far one of the best vehicles i have ever owned.the only thing thats got me stumped about her is this annoying problem, when i go through

 

any water, small puddle, rain, etc.., it seems to sound like it has an exhaust leak.

anybody know anything about this, any known issues ?

thanks.

No issues - mine does the same thing. Could be a resonance issue with the exhaust pipe (one section cooled much more than another), or water sucked into the flex pipe section (past the exhaust donut). Also could be water being sucked into the intake (can happen with OEM system). The water will slowly drain out of the resonator (big tube) that sits inside the fender well - that changes the pitch of the air rushing through your induction system. Neither issue is enough to warranty any further attention.

 

 

thanks guys, nice to at least see i'm not alone.

question: i'm also chasing down a p0420 code (with lots of help from

this forum default_smile ) is there a relation with the leak and my p0420 code ?

thanks again, you guys rock !

Yeeea...when I took my car to AAMCO, they've noticed an exhaust leak where the flange meets the exhaust manifold. I guess, they said its a simple solution with an exhaust gasket. I had a whislting squeaky sound from under the hood that sounded like it was coming from the alternator. But...they blamed that sqeak on the exhaust leak. I will never know how my car passed smog. When I drive in the rain, I do hear a deeper, bolder, resonance change when the rain is hard. When only sprinkling, well, not so much. Which leads me to my other question. Would the water being "sucked in" to the engine help in the way of hp? Would those small amounts of water getting into the engine turn into steam upon the power stroke and add hp?

Nope - if anything it will drain power away from the engine. Think of it this way - it takes energy to turn water into steam, that's energy that was used in the normal operation - now is used on the water.

But there are cases where that might be beneficial - example, forced induction (turbo/supercharger apps). Just look at a product called Aquamist - it injects small amounts of water into the engine to regulate combustion temps. Works with superchargers really well, especially ones that are not intercooled. Helps with reducing the chance of detonation - saving yourself a potentially bad situation. Note - doesn't help N/A engines one bit.

thanks twinky64, i'll check the donut in the morning. but it still leaves the question,

would a donut gasket leak set off an insufficiant flow (p0420) code ?

and in response to your question, i think that the HP scenario would involve water

being sucked into a leaky intake or intake gasket. in that case i can't see how it would

add HP. steam is water, water puts out fire, fire makes car run. i could be wrong.

i love this forum default_smile

thanks twinky64, i'll check the donut in the morning. but it still leaves the question, would a donut gasket leak set off an insufficiant flow (p0420) code ?

 

and in response to your question, i think that the HP scenario would involve water

being sucked into a leaky intake or intake gasket. in that case i can't see how it would

add HP. steam is water, water puts out fire, fire makes car run. i could be wrong.

i love this forum default_smile

Yea, I like this forum too. People are knowledgable here and have time to answer your q's.

 

About your code. Hmmmmm. I would call up a respectable mechanic that can look up that code for you. I'm sure they can give you an answer right over the phone for you. The reason why I think water would help is because when water is turned into steam, it expands. But, I guess fish said it wouldn't be beneficial without forced induction. Ima noob as well, just have been a member since last month. Good luck with your experience here. Where are you from?

Bikeman982

Water is usually blown out of exhaust and not into it. Water getting into the intake usually just makes the air filter wet. It won't get much into the engine, and if it does, it just evaporates off and out the exhaust.

Water is usually blown out of exhaust and not into it. Water getting into the intake usually just makes the air filter wet. It won't get much into the engine, and if it does, it just evaporates off and out the exhaust.
Good point about the air filter - the filter should stop water from entering the engine directly. Also, any crack or opening from the exhaust manifold down, in the exhaust system will suck in water/air. Seems to run against against common sense - gases running out of a tube, gun barrel analogy, but it actually will do it. This is how air injection systems work (emissions) - some use an air pump to carefully meter in the right amount of fresh air to finish the combustion process, some will use a check valve (most are reed vales) to just suck in fresh air. Granted - there are periods when the exhaust pulse will push foreign matter out - but the gaps between pulses will suck it in. Think of how a sandblaster works - same principle. A small hole or opening along the exhaust system will siphon water/air right in - the exception is at the tailpipe - water will be blown out of it..

 

 

thanks for the topic link spiff.

i checked the donut myself this morning, hard to say

for sure with it dry, but i think it's making a small amount

of noise now. and with all the other examples in the same

model range, i'd say donut.

thanks again everybody default_biggrin

Bikeman982

thanks for the topic link spiff.

i checked the donut myself this morning, hard to say

for sure with it dry, but i think it's making a small amount

of noise now. and with all the other examples in the same

model range, i'd say donut.

thanks again everybody default_biggrin

You could get a replacement donut and change it yourself. They are compressed after use and it is recommended they be changed whenever the exhaust system is replaced or repaired.

 

 

Seems to run against against common sense - gases running out of a tube, gun barrel analogy, but it actually will do it.

The Venturi effect is a special case of Bernoulli's principle, in the case of fluid or air flow through a tube or pipe with a constriction in it. The fluid must speed up in the restriction, reducing its pressure and producing a partial vacuum via the Bernoulli effect.

Refer to the diagram below: default_unsure

http://f5.putfile.com/6/17102015638.png

Bikeman982

Seems to run against against common sense - gases running out of a tube, gun barrel analogy, but it actually will do it.

The Venturi effect is a special case of Bernoulli's principle, in the case of fluid or air flow through a tube or pipe with a constriction in it. The fluid must speed up in the restriction, reducing its pressure and producing a partial vacuum via the Bernoulli effect.

Refer to the diagram below: default_unsure

http://f5.putfile.com/6/17102015638.png

Nice picture

 

 



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