Hey guys, so I just went stg 2 over the weekend and I think I may have an exhaust leak. Its hard to tell if I do or not, I can't feel anything coming out of the DP to MP flange or the MP to AB flange but it I can hear a faint tick tick tick when the car is idling. I don't know if its just the thinner/free flowing DP that I am hearing or what. When I get on it to make a pull or pass on the freeway I get that "hey I don't have any cats" smell in the cabin. I torqued the DP down to spec and I really don't feel like taking off the TMIC and heatshield just to check, any ideas?
Exhaust leak signs?
- Thread starter 06STI360
- Start date
Yes there is sorry I was busy. You take a bottle of warm water and soap and mix them in a spray bottle. Make sure the car is cold before you start it up and spray the area you think has a leak. If you see the bubbles moving right after you start it then you have a leak. Did you use a exhaust sealer with your gaskets?
I didn't put any sealer on the bellmouth gasket since it said it was only good too 600 degrees intermitent. I just have a gasket in the middle with no sealer and no gasket only sealer in the axle portion since I couldn't get my hands on one(I know this isn't leaking). Im 90% sure the DP is just louder and im just hearing more but Im gonna take off the DP to MP connection tonight and put some RTV on it just to be safe. When I open the hood while its running I don't smell any exhaust so I don't think its leaking at the turbo.
You can also use a mirror. if the leak is serious enough it will fog the mirror. you can use the mirror for the hard to reach places by putting a small mirror on a stick and using a flash light to see if the mirror gets fogged. maybe if you could get a video with good sound we could further help you diagnose wether or not it is actually an exhaust leak before you start disassembling your car.
I agree with Paul get us a video if you can!Thanks for all the help guys! Turns out one of the nuts on the turbo is gone lol, I either forgot to torque it down or IDK what happened to it. The sound that I was hearing is just the DP, I crawled under there and that is for sure the sound I am hearing. The Turbo/DP connection seams to be leaking just a little bit by where the bolt is missing. I will go to the dealership tomorrow and pick a few of them up as it looks like a weird thread. Luckly its one that I can access from under the car so I won't need to take the TMIC of again. I did RTV the DP to MP connection just to be safe. If anyone knows any other place I can get that bolt or know the size, I need 2 of them as I stripped one out pretty good the other night.. Thanks again!
Hint for anyone thinking of removing your TMIC on a GR, if you remove the driver side bracket that holds the Intercooler on it makes it 100 times easier to re-instal the TMIC. Then you can slide the bracket underneath and re-install.
Hint for anyone thinking of removing your TMIC on a GR, if you remove the driver side bracket that holds the Intercooler on it makes it 100 times easier to re-instal the TMIC. Then you can slide the bracket underneath and re-install.
