damn exhaust...

[camaroincal]

So I've had this rattle for over a year. I knew it was coming from somewhere around the cat., but wasn't positive. So the other day I started up the car...cold..and looked under the car. I saw 2 exhaust leaks. One was very small but was coming from the weld connecting the cat. and I-pipe. The other leak was a bit further down the I-pipe under some kind of bracket. There was a considerable amount of condensation coming from that leak.

And then of course is the rattle. It only happens when accelerating slowly in 1st gear, and also at WOT at certain rpms. It looks as though it's coming from the same area as the larger exhaust leak. But I also suspect the heat shield above the cat. is the culprit. I'm gonna take it to a shop and have em put it up on a lift and get this thing fixed.

The other thing I'm worried about is if my cat may be clogged. I don't smell rotten eggs, but I just suspect it might be going bad. I have 88,XXX. If I take it to a shop, what should I ask to them to do about checking to see if my exhaust in't clogged up, particularly the cat...? Is it a backpressure test I should ask for? How much would that run me?

[99v6cam]

mine did that and i only had 62xxx, when i changed it out when i put the headers on, I shook it and you could hear the stuff rolling around inside.

[NCState98]

With mine, you could feel a considerable amount of heat about a foot or 2 below the cat, showing that it was clogged. Mine was really backed up.

[1DangerousV6]

do you have an aftermarket exhaust on the car?..sometimes aftermarket exhaust systems can shift on the stock hangers..resulting in leaks and rattles..but at your mileage i would also definitely look at the cat...you're right at the point where i just had mine hollowed and sleeved [img]smile.gif[/img]

[EolGul]

You probably should have acted sooner. I had the same exact problem and got my cat replaced for free under factory warranty. I THINK he said it was 80,000 miles or less.