gburke1

I am about to have a Novi 2200 Supercharger installed and I want to make sure I clear up any other problems before installing.

I think I might have an exhaust leak for a few reasons

a) When I turn the car on, I smell exhaust inside the car especially if I have the AC or Heat running. I have to put the windows down to get the smell out, once the smell is out and I am moving it goes away.

b) I have a Pypes Mid Muffler system and it has scraped (bottomed out) tons of times. It's hard to avoid around here, not sure if it's due to poor installation or if it's supposed to be that low. I believe it's the MM system that is also causing a vibrating/rattle noise when at a stop.

c) I keep getting a P0174 Running Lean on Bank 2 (NOTE: I remember when I got my Kooks LT Headers installed, they said I would need 3 o2 extensions, the guy who installed only ended up using 2 for some reason, he said I didn't need the 3rd...)

My personal opinion without getting anything checked is that there is an exhaust leak with the mid muffler system but I could be wrong. If so, could this also be the cause of my P0174 code?

Is there any easy way to get this checked out and how much should it cost?

grabber blue gt

You can start by lifting the car up and checking all clamps and flanges. If you dont have a jack and/or stands I would just take it to an exhaust shop and have them check over everything. Just tell them to tighten all clamps and nuts. I wouldnt mention an exhaust leak, cause some shops may make up something to charge you more and say they fixed it. I am not sure if you read my dealer horror story, but I ended up having to go to a shop to re-connect my xpipe clamp and they only charged me $23. Its worth a shot.

gburke1

Thanks for the advice, I'll probably start there and see if that fixes the issue. Do you think it would be possible there could be an actual hole/tear in part of my exhaust from scraping?

grabber blue gt

You never know, there very well could be depending on how bad you scraped it. I had a slight leak after installing my longtubes (forgot to re-tighten everything after a few drives). I too noticed it when the heat/ac was on, but I also have an off road x pipe so no matter what it is going to smell, but it ended up being a loose clamp holding the xpipe to the rear connector pipes. Not sure if its cold where you are, but a quick way of telling is look under the car when its cold out, and see if you can see any white smoke coming from anywhere underneath the car (may not see anything, but still check all clamps to be sure)

gburke1

I'll give that a shot. It's super cold so if that's the case it should be obvious. What about the P0174 code? If it's leaking could it be triggered by the exhaust leak?

grabber blue gt

I am not great with the whole computer code problems, but hopefully someone will chime in on that. I would check the 02 sensors and make sure everything is plugged in the way it should be, while you are under the car. When I installed my Longtubes they said I needed 3 extensions, but I ended up only using 2 so I am in the same boat as you and I dont have any problems. As I think about it more, I really dont think would be a problem if there is a hole or gash in one of your mufflers, cause when I had a problem with the dealer and one of my pipes was hanging off, I wasnt getting any codes. This question is a no brainer, but was your car re-tuned for the longtubes? If it was, I would contact your tuner and let them know the problem you are having. It very well may be a tune issue that they should have no problem taking care of.

DougFL

The P0174 code could be caused by an exhaust leak if it is leaking exhaust into the intake manifold. Here is a link that may help you understand the code a little bit more in depth:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/ford_lean_codes.htm

At least to arm you with a little more knowledge before taking it in somewhere. The bottoming out you mentioned certainly doesn't help anything. I've seen the bottom of an 89 GT a few years ago that looked like it was driven through a rock pit daily for years. It had so many holes, dents and bends I am not sure how the car was still running! Might be a good idea to get under there and check it out for yourself to look for any damage that may need or could use some fixing.

I hope the above link helps you out a bit.

gburke1

Thanks for the advice.

Part of the problem likely stems from when I was doing some of my earlier mods on a much stricter budget... which means too many different installers and maybe not the most reputable due to budget limitation.

I partially suspect the tune, but on the other hand if the LT's were not installed properly that would seem to me like the only way exhaust could leak in to the manifold... since it's the only part of the exhaust that's really that close to the manifold... but again I'm no mechanic.

I think what I'll do is take it to MC Racing (going to have them install my SC, they are a pretty reputable shop around here) after I do a visual check for any obvious leaks. If I don't see anything obvious, probably will be suspecting the tuning... which at that point the tune is being replaced w Brenspeed Tune once the SC is on, then tweaked anyway.

Since they are installing my SC I think they would be honest about it because the last thing they want is bad press from someone blowing up their car after an SC install.

grabber blue gt

I would check for any leaks first before you take it anywhere. Depending on how long the wait if until your s/c install, you can just wait for the install and the new brenspeed tune, and see if the problem still persists. You can even ask the installer to make sure all header bolts are completely tightened while they are under the hood, even if they charge you a few extra bucks.

gburke1

Looked under the car and I did see a slight amount of white smoke coming from near the front, by the x pipe. I think it was by the cats.