Exhaust Flex Pipe Leak

[GMFan]

I've been trying to diagnose this strange exhaust sound my Saturn gets when I get it above 3,000 RPM. It is most noticeable when I let off the gas to engine brake at 3,000 RPM or above. It almost sounds like an engine ping or exhaust leak and the exhaust is burping.

I crawled under the car and noticed that the side of my exhaust flex pipe is black with soot in one spot. Could this be leaking above a certain RPM causing the noise?

I don't know much about exhaust systems. No CEL or SES light.

Any downsides to leaving it as-is besides leaking raw exhaust? Can a shop cut this out and weld in a new one?

Thanks.

 

[pidster]

Absolutely a shop can cut it and install a new one. Flex pipes do fail, this is a routine repair for many vehicles as they age.

If the sound doesn't bother you, I'd just leave it. Not going to hurt your car, might put out a little bit of pre-cat converted exhaust, and I mean a little bit. If that concerns you, then change it. If you have emissions tests in your area, a tech *might* notice it and want it fixed, but I passed emissions every time with numerous holes in the exhaust of my old Tercel. I just used some muffler cement to hide them, they blew out shortly but stayed long enough for the test.

 

[TLMjared]

I would get it fixed as soon as you can. It is a fairly simple procedure for an exhaust shop to out one out and install a universal one. I would fix it so you don't have exhaust coming up from underneath the vehicle into the cabin, definitely not a good thing

 

[mechtech2]

Get a stainless steel one, if you can.
If you wait, it will get worse.
It's hard to imagine that such a small leak can make so much noise, and when it is big, watch out!

 

[fdcg27]

I can tell you from experience that at some point, it will get loud enough that you won't be able to stand it.
You may as well get a new one welded in, since it will likely last the remaining life of the car.
Do not replace it with a soild piece of pipe, unless you want other breaks in the exhaust system due to cracking.

 

[bustednutz]

I have a similar problem on my tracker. Except it uses a spring bolt type system that allows flex. Personally I'd rather have a flex pipe. I need to fix mine as well. It has aterrible exhaust leak at that point and the gasket that was in between the joints is long burned out and gone. Makes a terrible rattle. I have the new gasket. Just need to get under there and burn out the rusted bolts and start fresh again.

 

[Kestas]

I think they're all stainless. And even those develop leaks. I've seen some where the outer ply of the bellows is a nickel alloy - better for hot corrosion than any stainless grade.

I made a lot of money performing forensic examinations of flex couplings for the auto industry.

 

[mechtech2]

Kestas -
Any valuable free info for us information leeches?