Projects Im getting Married! Project 46 ford begins!

On the note of exhaust ( pun intended)
I’ve been chasing an under load noise that sounds like a crazy exhaust leak for months. Only happens under load, couldn’t find any leaks, have checked everything it could possibly be.

Then last night I walk into the shop and run my hands over the pipes from the engine bay trying to feel if there’s a cracked weld or a hole in the top side I can’t see from below. I’ve been throwing every dart at the board for seriously months.

Anyhow I get to the first p*** threw were the head pipe goes threw the front leg of the X member and when I check the bottom it’s touching!

Y pipe off the manifolds is high enough, the drivers side is crazy close to the steering box but it kinda always has been. But after the clamped joint before the X member leg it drops down.

A couple weeks ago I was under the car checking convertor bolts and decided to see if I could tighten the collector bolts from under neath, I could and snugged them up but noted no soot. They are white so it’s obvious.

well last night one side of the collector has soot! I think the motor is torquing over to the p***enger side under load and the exhaust is pushing back enough to un seat that donut gasket and let it leak.

It could be as simple as a broken exhaust hanger and would also explain how the last manifold broke when I hit a monster bump in Oklahoma.

I recall now chasing a noise that sounded like something lose swinging and tapping. I never did figure it out but it very well could have been the exhaust hanger exiting the party. Really looking forward to looking under the car and seeing what’s going on the next opportunity that I have.

I’m also going to put a wrench on motor mount bolts and give them another good look.

 

Narrowing in closer and closer. Hopefully you can get it pinpointed. With as long as you've had this on the road if it would be weird if it were an issue with how it was put together. Big bump jostling things or just time and gravity doing their thing. Either way sounds like your zeroing in on it.

 

Yeah this exhaust has been on the car almost 14 years! Wouldn’t be surprised if something work hardened or a rubber joint let lose

 

Hope that's it! I HATE chasing gremlins! Glad you found a likely solution!

 

With our creations, it takes dogged detective work in a target-rich environment, but that's what we do! I got a transmission fluid leak on my AOD so I've got to think like a drop of fluid and figure out how I want to escape from the transmission case through the bell housing. Two prime suspects are transmission pump gasket (less likely) and the snout seal (most likely). It will take pulling down the transmission to fix. I wish it was just a rattle. I'd drive it with that until I could find the source, but with a ****** leak, can't be driving it that way.
Go get 'em, Tim!

 

Yeah sometimes you think you’re chasing a few things and it’s only one thing.

Other times you think you’re chasing one thing and it’s a few things.

Just got a probable answer for a weird transmission issue myself I need to go confirm.