An exhaust leak can cause engine performance issues in your automobile. The acceleration may become sluggish and the engine will stutter and surge. These are just two signs of an exhaust leak. Righter’s Auto Repair lists the other signs of an exhaust leak below.
Loud Noise
If your engine is much louder than normal, it’s possible that you have a leaking exhaust manifold gasket. It can also be that you have a hole in the muffler and exhaust is leaking out of that. Either way, your engine will be too loud, and fixing the leak will be the only way to quiet it down.
Gas Pedal Vibration
Oddly, an exhaust system leak makes your vehicle vibrate. You might not notice the vibration at first, but as the leak gets worse, so will the vibration. At first, you will feel the vibration in your accelerator. Then, the vibration will move to include the steering wheel. Finally, you may feel your floorboard vibrating underneath your feet. This is definitely a sign you’ve got an exhaust problem.
Reduced Gas Mileage
A side effect of the engine problems discussed in the introduction to this blog post is poor gas mileage. The more your engine struggles to function with an exhaust leak the more gas it will burn. As with the vibration discussed above, the reduction in your fuel economy may be subtle at first and increasingly get worse the more your drive your automobile with the exhaust leak.
Acceleration Noise
Sometimes, you can hear your exhaust leak. When you press down on the accelerator, you might hear whistling or the air whooshing out of the exhaust manifold gasket or muffler. The leak can also be in the exhaust system hoses among other parts. These strange sounds can also indicate that your vehicle has a vacuum leak.
Exhaust Odors
Finally, a dangerous sign that you have an exhaust leak is smelling engine exhaust inside of your automobile. This is not good, especially because you might be inhaling carbon monoxide. You should never smell exhaust, gas, or other strange odors inside the passenger cabin. If you smell exhaust, it is leaking inside your automobile and putting you and your passengers in danger.
Righter’s Auto Repair in Lansing, MI, and Grand Ledge, MI, would be happy to inspect your vehicle’s exhaust system and test it for leaks. If we find one, don’t worry. We can fix it. Call the auto shop that is closest to you to schedule an appointment with one of our certified auto technicians today.
