Lincoln vs Cadillac Forums

(This is the forums archive - If you want to get back to the main site simply click the banner above and you will be taken to our homepage.)

Lincoln vs Cadillac Forums is the Ultimate Online Resource for Owners and Enthusiasts of American Luxury Cars. Feel free to browse through our archive - but make sure you make it back to our main site - Lincoln vs Cadillac Forums

Cadillac XLR : Cadillac CTS : Cadillac : 2005 Cadillac STS : Cadillac Forums : 2000 Lincoln LS : Lincoln Mark VIII : Lincoln Mark VII : Car Wax
Lincoln Town Car : Lincoln Air Suspension : Lincoln Continental : Lemon Law : Do It Yourself Car Repair : Lincoln vs Cadillac Forums : Mesothelioma

Back to the Archive Main Page

Pages: 1

exhaust leak question

(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: turborich

I have a small exhaust leak that's just enough to drive me crazy. It's coming from the flex tube that comes off of the drivers side manifold. Where does this tube go to and how hard is it to get off?

Thanks.

Posted by: JC1994

I think it's a bitch to fix. but I'm not sure.

Posted by: billcu

Sounds like the EGR tube to me.

I replaced one on my green Mark once.

It wasn't as bad as I thought but, I was able to soak the fittings down with penetrating oil every week or so for a couple of months while It wasn't being driven in the winter.

Posted by: NYC LS8

Quote:

Originally Posted by billcu

Sounds like the EGR tube to me.

That be it.

Posted by: southernbrothersgarage

I've done this fix on my '93. The hardest part was paying $80 for the new tube at the dealer. Next time I'll try another fix. It leaks at the flex joint. I'll fix the next leak with some kinda hose, I'll worry about it then. I needed the car on the road and knew the factory deal would work. I was worried too that this job was gonna be hard and didn't want to do it again, now I know different. You can only feel the tube it is outta sight behind the motor. I got the repair manual on cd after making friends with a dealer mechanic, now the service writers hate to see me coming into the shop. The job got a lot easier after reading how to do it. You have to remove the windshield wiper/cowl assembly and the throttle body to gain access. When this is done the whole world opens up behind the motor. Then drop the 'H' pipe underneath. This assembly is heavy and bulky, not to mention restrictive. This was not a difficult job at all, it just looks bad from the start. While there I cleaned the throttle body, it needed it, and made sure the cats were not clogged. They smell like rotten eggs when the car is run hard and I was afraid they were clogging up.
By the by....... I found this leak when looking for a miss in the motor. I ran the codes, cleaned the sensors, changed the plugs, even though they looked new w/~90,000 miles on them. It turned out to be the wires, figures the most expensive thing. I got factory ones from a buddy at the dealer for $100 best I remember. Hope this helps.
Dave.

Posted by: turborich

Thanks guys, I will be doing this shortly. southernbrothersgarage, thanks for the good info!

Posted by: Calabrio

Is it necessary to drop the exhaust, or can everything be done topside?
I ordered the part and need to replace mine too....

Posted by: southernbrothersgarage

I knew when I wrote it I'd get a question on the exhaust. Best I can remember there is a flare fitting on the bottom that was easier to get a wrench on with the exhaust removed. It's been about a year and my memory is cloudy. I do remember it gave me more room to work and it wasn't that hard to drop the exhaust, plus I wanted to see the cats. You may be able to work it and leave the exhaust in place, it's personal preference. Like I said this job looked impossible till I read the directions and saw the pictures in the manual. The engineers made it easy to get to but they get an "F" for designing such a weak pipe.
Dave.

Posted by: billcu

I didn't remove my throttle body or exhaust. The fitting at the cat was easy to get to with open end wrenches. Be careful to hold the fitting tight at the cat when you remove the tube fitting. I've heard of people having trouble breaking the cat fitting off of the cat.

I did disconnect the hood struts and opened the hood as wide as I could without touching the corners of the hood by the windshield. I propped the hood up with a broom. You get a lot more room to work on the fitting to the EGR valve and the DPFE sensor then.

Posted by: Staffamerica74

I hated doing it i took the cowl section out with the wiper assembley. Put the front up on ramps. start out by disconnecting the egr valve from the top, then go to the bottom and take the huge nut off the cat then theres 2 hoses that connect to the tube yet. I took the whole assembley off as 1 unit and put it together otu side the car, then put it all back together, took a long time though, I had trouble because it was all frozen up and couldnt get the nut out of the cat, eventually i got the one nut out of the cat but was still connected to the tube. I took it to my work (car dealership) and they used the torch to heat it to cherry red, then used an impact set for 1000 ft pounds and tried to get it apart.... took about 20 seconds of just laying into it fully. When I got it all back together I noticed I had a huge hole in the side of the passenger side cat! Still haven't fixed it.