EYE_WHY Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 I was driving a friend home from school today and we had to go up a pretty steep long hill. I kept my 94 loyale in first the whole time but it was struggling. I drop my friend off and hung out at his house for like 10 minutes. I started my car and drove down the street and it was very loud, like no exhaust on the car loud. I got home and I've check it out and it seems that the gasket between my engine and y-pipe blew out on the passenger side. I can clearly see a gasket on the drivers side, but there is like a black void on the passenger side. The exhaust system is solid, no rust holes so that is the only thing I can think of. Also, the nuts and bolts that hold the pipe on are pretty rusted and I don't know if I should try to take them off or just take it to a mechanic to fix. Any ideas? Am I right in my assumption that it is a gasket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 I was driving a friend home from school today and we had to go up a pretty steep long hill. I kept my 94 loyale in first the whole time but it was struggling. I drop my friend off and hung out at his house for like 10 minutes. I started my car and drove down the street and it was very loud, like no exhaust on the car loud. I got home and I've check it out and it seems that the gasket between my engine and y-pipe blew out on the passenger side. I can clearly see a gasket on the drivers side, but there is like a black void on the passenger side. The exhaust system is solid, no rust holes so that is the only thing I can think of. Also, the nuts and bolts that hold the pipe on are pretty rusted and I don't know if I should try to take them off or just take it to a mechanic to fix. Any ideas? Am I right in my assumption that it is a gasket? Yup, I'd say you lost a piece of your gasket. One way to check is get under there while it's running and see if you narrow the sound down to where the gasket is missing -- maybe even feel it puffing out. Often, even when these nuts are completely seized on the studs, the studs will unscrew from the engine block, so you can still take it off. But I am not sure where to get a new gasket. If you can get one, it should be a 20 minute job to replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby_boucher Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 Does it usually struggle that bad up hills??? i bet that sucker blow out because your cats plugged..... but i would just get a good rust breaker and spray the bolts and then let it soak in and try to get them off if you, at any point, feel like somthing is going to break take it to a mechanic and have them break the bolts so there liable if they break off right next to the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted September 30, 2005 Author Share Posted September 30, 2005 Thanks for the tip zye, I checked it out an looks like I have nothing left of the gasket. Smoke was puffing out from all around the manifold. The bolts look pretty bad some I am just going to have a mechanic do it. I hate rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 I would guess a plugged cat caused the gasket to blow out, or an internally collapsed pipe. Cars need backpressure to help make torque, so you will find the performance lacking. Was it slowly getting louder over time , thenall of asudden very loud, or did it just let go? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted September 30, 2005 Author Share Posted September 30, 2005 I didn't notice much going up the hill, but after I turned if off and then back on again and drove around a little, it got loud. How would I check for a plugged cat? And yes, the low end torque is horrible and overall performance is bad but I guess that is to be expected. Now I guess I just have to find those gaskets online somewhere? While I am at it, should I replace my exhaust system too incase something is plugged? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 Is this the 94 loyale with 40K on it? wow im impressed. With such low mileage on the car, I would suspect a internal rust collapse someplace in the exhaust system (if its the original). It could be the internals of the cat rusted, the muffler collapsed etc. the weakest point in the exhaust systeml\, if i remebr correctly, are those gaskets. Everything else is a nice tight bolted flange, with equalized heat loads on either side of the flange. The fact that car was struggling up the hill is a sign that something is already clogged/blocked. That cat pipe is not cheap, and I strongly suggest you shop around for it. I got mine from JC Whitney, at a very respectable price, and it was name brand. I have heard good things about http://www.catalyticonverters.com/ . A subaru can climb a tree, albeit not very fast without complaining. See if you can shake the exhaust system, or hit the cat and the muffler with your nhand an see if anything rattles (wear saftey galsses). how was your gas milage before this? Did the car seem to perform less with more gas applied? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 You can pick the gaskets up at a local napa. Thats what i did for my 83. Never ended up using them though. One of my studs just fell out because they had been in and out of the block so many times for exhaust and head work. It was a fairly new gasket and hadn't been leaking all that long so i did the suby thing and taped some new threads and put a bigger bolt in it. No more leak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted September 30, 2005 Author Share Posted September 30, 2005 Nipper, my gas mileage lately has been about 25ish around town and 30ish on the highway. The car has always taken a little umph to get it going but once it is in the 2000+rpm range, no power problems. I'll check out the exhaust system to see if I can hear anything. What I semi-suspect is that there had been maybe just a small section or chip of the gasket gone a couple months back and today it just totally let go. That small section of the gasket being gone would account for the trouble with low-end torque power as I was climbing that hill correct? I'll check napa for the gasket, thanks hatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 Yes it would. Also get four studs and replace them too. I had the same issue you had once, and the bolts kept loosening themselves untill i replaced the studs, then the problem was fixed for good. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 Make sure the gaskets you get are the metal-type with a stout metal ring around the inside. There are different kinds, and that's the only type that actually works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted October 1, 2005 Author Share Posted October 1, 2005 Ok, thanks snowman. Is the car still o.k. to drive?? I still need to get to and from school and work before I will get a chance to fix it next week. I was talking to a friend who said that it was alright if I run it, but if I don't fix it soon enough the exhaust will start corroded the engine etc. I plan to fix it next tuesday, is it safe to drive maybe a maximum of 20 miles for I fix it?? Thanks for all the help guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Dont beat on it, there is the outside chance you can burn a exhaust valve. Backpressure also slows the speed of hor gasses past the exhaust valve. I dorve mine for a week like that (about 350 miles) with no issues, aside from a headache. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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