Exhaust leak

Stag>75 · 29th November 2012, 08:34

I have a 2001 75 V6 which I bought a few months back. I get exhaust fumes in the cabin (I notice it on my clothing and skin when I get out of the car and I believe it to be exhaust as I have had this in other cars I have owned). I have searched the forum and found references to the breather pipe (Which was slightly cracked on mine and I replaced it with an improvement in one smell going away) and also oil leaks (I'm not losing any oil) but I see no standard issues for the V6 exhaust. I had it checked by an exhaust specialist who spent quite a while looking from exhaust manifold right through but could not find anything. I suspect it is somewhere around the manifolds as the smell decreases when I take away the under engine cover. I've been looking on the internet for ways to detect leaks and in particular for ways to make the exhaust smoky to make it easy to trace leaks. I have seen reference to SeaFoam (Which appears not available here in Australia). Anyone have any suggestions on what I could safely use to make some smoe in the exhaust without wrecking the catalytic converter etc?

SD1too · 29th November 2012, 09:30

John,

Support the car on axle stands, remove undertray, start the engine from cold and immediately place your hand as close as you can to the parts of the exhaust which you suspect of leaking. If there's an escape of gas you'll feel it. You don't need to do any more than that.

Simon.

Stag>75 · 1st August 2013, 09:00

Well I tried all sorts of ways to see where this smell has come from and I am at a dead end. Whenever I drive the car (even for a short 1.5KM return drive) my clothes have a scent of fumes and I know I have inhaled the gases, I'm not imagining it. I had a mechanic go through everything today but no luck. he believes Exhaust is 100%, he says there are no oil leaks and he checked the breathers, the fuel pipes, the charcoal canister, even checked the battery to see if there might be something there (Clutching at straws)

Personally I tried several techniques. I invested in a stethoscope and also tried with a vacuum cleaner sucking the end of the exhaust pipe (Then testing with stethoscope). I have searched the internet to determine ways of creating smoke from the exhaust but the only option seemed to be "seafoam" which seemed to be something useful where the car has carbon deposits in the engine.

Does anyone have any further ideas? Ideally I am thinking of a way of doing two things 1) Creating a smoky exhaust (Without wrecking the engine or the cat) 2) Somehow pressurising the internal of the engine with a coloured gas to detect if breathers or similar could be a problem.

MrDoodles · 1st August 2013, 09:13

More likely to be cracked breather pipes on the engine, which is very common on KV6's!

All still available here!

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-GRID999773

29th November 2012, 08:34	#1
Stag>75 Gets stuck in Rover 75 Saloon 2.5 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Melbourne Posts: 563 Thanks: 52 Thanked 96 Times in 80 Posts	Exhaust leak I have a 2001 75 V6 which I bought a few months back. I get exhaust fumes in the cabin (I notice it on my clothing and skin when I get out of the car and I believe it to be exhaust as I have had this in other cars I have owned). I have searched the forum and found references to the breather pipe (Which was slightly cracked on mine and I replaced it with an improvement in one smell going away) and also oil leaks (I'm not losing any oil) but I see no standard issues for the V6 exhaust. I had it checked by an exhaust specialist who spent quite a while looking from exhaust manifold right through but could not find anything. I suspect it is somewhere around the manifolds as the smell decreases when I take away the under engine cover. I've been looking on the internet for ways to detect leaks and in particular for ways to make the exhaust smoky to make it easy to trace leaks. I have seen reference to SeaFoam (Which appears not available here in Australia). Anyone have any suggestions on what I could safely use to make some smoe in the exhaust without wrecking the catalytic converter etc?

29th November 2012, 09:30	#2
SD1too Doesn't do things by halves Rover 75 2.5 Connoisseur Auto (1999) Dealer launch model. Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Former Middlesex Posts: 20,382 Thanks: 1,587 Thanked 3,749 Times in 3,181 Posts	John, Support the car on axle stands, remove undertray, start the engine from cold and immediately place your hand as close as you can to the parts of the exhaust which you suspect of leaking. If there's an escape of gas you'll feel it. You don't need to do any more than that. Simon. __________________ "Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble." Sir Henry Royce.

1st August 2013, 09:00	#3
Stag>75 Gets stuck in Rover 75 Saloon 2.5 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Melbourne Posts: 563 Thanks: 52 Thanked 96 Times in 80 Posts	Still a problem Well I tried all sorts of ways to see where this smell has come from and I am at a dead end. Whenever I drive the car (even for a short 1.5KM return drive) my clothes have a scent of fumes and I know I have inhaled the gases, I'm not imagining it. I had a mechanic go through everything today but no luck. he believes Exhaust is 100%, he says there are no oil leaks and he checked the breathers, the fuel pipes, the charcoal canister, even checked the battery to see if there might be something there (Clutching at straws) Personally I tried several techniques. I invested in a stethoscope and also tried with a vacuum cleaner sucking the end of the exhaust pipe (Then testing with stethoscope). I have searched the internet to determine ways of creating smoke from the exhaust but the only option seemed to be "seafoam" which seemed to be something useful where the car has carbon deposits in the engine. Does anyone have any further ideas? Ideally I am thinking of a way of doing two things 1) Creating a smoky exhaust (Without wrecking the engine or the cat) 2) Somehow pressurising the internal of the engine with a coloured gas to detect if breathers or similar could be a problem.

1st August 2013, 09:13	#4
MrDoodles Banned MG ZT+ V6 190 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Spalding Posts: 13,245 Thanks: 369 Thanked 1,196 Times in 818 Posts	More likely to be cracked breather pipes on the engine, which is very common on KV6's! All still available here! http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-GRID999773