Exhaust Leak

[greenmonster99]

I have 99 Mountaineer V8, I am suspecting an exhaust leak because I am getting a loud ticking sound from the engine area under accleration. What is the best way to pin point an exhaust leak?

 

[alfben75]

Hey there. I have the same problem when starting up, but goes away after 5 minutes. You might want to check the spark plugs and wire to see if they are connected correctly. I had a louder tickying sound but went away after replacing my spark plugs and wires. Hope this helps.

 

[Tbars4]

use a pice of vacuum hose and put it in your ear, honest...this is now a directional sound finder which you can move all over to hear with...it's an old hearing trick of mechanics to pinpoint various sounds...

if its ticking i think it would be an exhaust manifold gasket or a cracked exhust manifold...sometimes it's the connection between the manifold and pipe....pretty common...i hope this helps as the tubing trick will do the job, good luck...

 

[dynamite196]

You can usually find 'suspect' areas by examining the exhaust closely. The spots that look burnt more than others are a good place to check. Once you have located them, start the car (i like to do this when the car is cold) and try to feel for air escaping with your hand. You only have a few mins before the exhaust gets hot so be careful. Not the best way of doing it, but it works.