Been digging into some gremlins and noticed my exhaust manifold is warped and leaking pretty bad. I can't get it in to get fixed (don't want to deal with broken bolts) for 2 weeks. Is it ok to drive the car a little or will it cause damage? Maybe just some short cruises.

Thanks,
Wayne

 

No problem, just an annoying noise.

If you're the canary-in-the-coal-mine type, you'll want to avoid driving with the windows closed, but on any local warm weather drive it would be tough to absorb enough CO to hurt you - a long cross-country drive in winter might be a different story, but as long as you don't find yourself getting inexplicably tired while driving, you're okay (I've had this in an old Porsche - you've got to open windows if you get tired).

Bottom line: Don't worry about it.

- Eric

 

Thanks Eric. It is beautiful long weekend here in Canada so the t-tops will be off!!

 

I've been driving my truck with a leak on BOTH exhaust manifolds for nearly a year now. Unfortunately, it's up for inspection, so I'll be starting into the repair today. Just be sure that the leak isn't pointed at anything flammable or susceptible to heat, like wiring or fuel lines.

 

Yup, go for it. Just sounds more like a tractor or chebby than an Olds Had that problem on my 1983 Ninety Eight when the cat got plugged from contaminated gas and it blew the O ring seal on the exhaust manifold. Easy fix when the car's on a hoist and you have the right tools.
Happy Victoria Weekend to ya!! Enjoy the nice weather.

BTW, I had an 82 with T tops. It was ok at low speeds but sucked at highway. You notice that too? Takes up a ton of trunk space for those storage bags and the tops.

 

Thanks Allan. I love the t-tops and haven't gone on a long enough trip that I actually needed the trunk. Overall the car is a slug but it is still a lot of fun to cruise in and my kids think it's cool

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!

Wayne

 

if you can feel where the exhaust is leaking from w/ your fingers, you can temp fix it w/ some exhaust putty.

it comes in a can a little bigger than a can of shoe polish and is kind of like a loose paste kind of gray in color.

locate the leaks, let the motor cool to almost "cold", dampen the area w/ a sponge or rag, apply w/ your finger shoving/working it into the opening and clean off excess w/ damp sponge. let sit for about 24 hrs.

it's not permanent but it helps for a while and will hold longer if not really pushing it.

if (when) it happens again clean out area w/ a razor or thin putty knife and reapply.

you should be able to hear some positive results.

 

I thought you had the 307 in your car. Don't tell me it's the rocket 260??? I had one of those. Great gas mileage but absolutely no power or upper end torque. 0-60 in 22 seconds!

 

Thanks Mike for the shoe polish idea. That's a new one for me.

Allan - Yeah I have the original 307 still in it. Low end torque is good (not great) but like I said it is fun to drive.

Wayne

 

Yeah I'm having the same problems with the headers on my Alero. The paper gaskets keep blowing out of number 6 all the time. Right now, sometimes I hear it, most of the time I don't.

The fix for my car is to use stock gaskets and trim them down so they don't look ugly. Gaskets are burried in my basement and I don't have the time/engery to dig them out

 

be sure and follow the instruction come with the exhaust putty.

I've been using it on my manifold for about 2 yrs waiting to get new gaskets and exhaust taken care of. it usually holds for a few trips,then blows out. One time I had plans on using the car but it sounded terrible so I got the spots all cleaned up,put the putty in and use a hair dryer to speed up the cure and it held. At first I fanned the area and as it hardened i just rested the dryer in a good spot for about 20 minutes on a medium heat about a foot or so away.

I'll be using Fel-Pro manifold gaskets, they have steel on the manifold side and a fiber for the head side.