the best way to find a exhaust leak

[matt3989]

ok well to start i have a '99 3.8L 'maro, it has pacesetter (for about a year now), the egr is still connected, it also has a carsound cat and a 3" magnaflow

i've narrowed the lead down to somewhere on the passenger side, close to the header, most likely where the header connects to the y pipe, or the header itself,

my question is what is the best way for me to find where it it, then fix it? do you guys use a wet rag, a chemical of some sort, soapy water, or something else to find the leak?

and how do you fix it? in this location running a full weld it out of the question, and currently I'm tightening every bolt i can find in that area, and covering the seems (not the one between the header and the head) with muffler mender.

[bah]

Re: the best way to find a exhaust leak

seafoam, hands down

[matt3989]

Re: the best way to find a exhaust leak

will the seafoam push out noticable smoke? if the leak is from the header itself will it hurt the gasket?

[mtcrss2006]

Re: the best way to find a exhaust leak

I dont know about the gasket, but I know seafoam shot a h^ll of a lot of smoke out of my exhaust manifold at a leak i didnt know existed.

[vr4gasm]

Re: the best way to find a exhaust leak

start the car and have 2 buddies hole their hands over the muffler tips =X

[HeadyFirebird'00]

Re: the best way to find a exhaust leak

spay a soapy water soultion over all the seams when the engine is running. then work with it from there, either weld or try asking an exhaust shop guy how they would fix it.