Repair 7

Park the vehicle on a level spot and set the emergency brake. Crawl underneath the vehicle with a trouble light and a wire brush. Position yourself so you can see the exhaust system. It runs from the tailpipe up to where it disappears into the engine compartment.

Move the trouble light slowly up and down the exhaust as you inspect it. Look for places where black carbon has built up. This can indicate theres a hole in the pipe. Scrape away the carbon with the wire brush and look for an exhaust leak.

Look for rusted areas on the exhaust pipe. Moisture, salt on the roadways, and other factors can cause rust to form. The rust eats through the metal and creates leaks. Clean rust spots with the wire brush and look for holes in the metal.

Inspect the exhaust pipe for dents, dings and other signs of damage. These areas may indicate places where the pipe was damaged. If you drove over debris in the roadway or across a bumpy railroad crossing, for example, (especially if the vehicle sits low), the exhaust may have gotten a hole in it.

Inspect the joints connecting the exhaust system together, according to www.basiccarrepair.com. These are common places for a leak to occur. Make sure they are tightened together and arent rusted, or are otherwise damaged.

Start the vehicle and raise the hood. Listen for hisses or popping noises, according to www.aa1car.com. Look for discolored or burned paint by the exhaust ports on the cylinder head. Check the sparkplug wires and the rubber boots for signs of heat damage caused by an exhaust leak.

Jack the back end of the vehicle up off the ground, and place jack stands under the vehicles frame for support. Place wheel chocks against the front tires.

Inspect the exhaust pipe for cracks or punctures. If you find one, ensure it is the only one.

Cut through the exhaust pipe with a hacksaw, roughly an inch on either side of the leak to remove a section of the pipe. Ensure your cuts are perpendicular to the pipe to make inserting the replacement pipe easier.

Snip an appropriately sized piece of aluminum sheet metal with tin snips. Youll use this to bend into a replacement pipe that will be slightly longer than the opening you cut with the hacksaw.

Wrap the sheet metal around the steel pipe to form a pipe-shaped tube. Ensure the new pipe, called the inner sleeve, is small enough to fit snugly inside the two ends of the original exhaust pipe.

Fit one end of the inner sleeve into the original exhaust pipe, and then push the other end of the inner sleeve into the other end of the exhaust pipe.

Create another new pipe with the tin snips, aluminum sheet metal and rolling device. This time, make the new pipe slightly larger than the vehicles exhaust pipe, as it will serve as the outer sleeve.

Place the outer sleeve over the inner sleeve, and secure it an inch from either end to the vehicles exhaust pipe with exhaust clamps.

Wrap several layers of muffler tape around both ends of the outer sleeve, between the exhaust clamps and the vehicles exhaust pipe. The tape will ensure no exhaust is able to leak out, as well as eliminate any vibration noises associated with your work.

Remove the wheel chocks and jack stand, then lower the vehicle back to the ground.