66-67 Dodge Charger Source Guide
Exhaust Gasket Q & A
Q |
11/21/03 John: How can you test for an exhaust mainfold leak? I tried tightening the bolts - all were tight. But - do you have any tips for replacing the gasket? Those are really tough bolts to get to and they are really tight! |
A |
11/21/03 John Paseman: You should be able to feel an exhaust leak - certainly you can hear it! Start-up cold and feel for a warm puff in the area you believe is leaking. Spray the nuts with WD-40 a day before you go to take them off and drain the coolant. Why drain the coolant? Because Chrysler motors have the exhaust studs go into the water jackets. It is almost a given that at least one of the nuts is so corroded that the entire stud will turn out and if you hadn't drained the coolant - it will pee all over! Clean the surfaces well - it is a good idea to get them as flat as possible. I use a file on the exhaust manifold face to make it FLAT. The factory did not use a gasket on the exhaust manifolds - it was just two flat machined surfaces. |
A |
11/22/03 Thomas Connell: I have found this trick to work in locating an exhaust leak. Take a small rubber hose (a couple of feet long) and hold one end to your ear and the other near where you believe the leak to be. It is a cheap stethoscope. |
A |
11/22/03 John Borris: Another way to check is have someone hold a shop rag on the tail pipe outlets while you listen with a heater hose where you think the noise is. The shop rag forces the air out of the leak making it easier to find |
