This is my first post, so sorry if what I am about to talk about is already being discussed or if I'm breaking any rules or whatever.
I've got a 2005 Wrangler Unlimited with 132,000 miles. I've had a number of symptoms that lead me to believe that I may have an exhaust leak.
Firstly, the floor boards get really hot when driving for an extended period. I think the inner boot for the shifter needs to be replaced which may help with that issue, but I also think that the heat is in too great of an area to just be a result of a torn inner boot. I can feel it through the rubber mats, the bedrug, and even the insulation the previous owner put down because she had the same issue, so supposedly it used to be even worse.
Secondly, my gas mileage is absolutely abysmal. It's on 33s with I believe a 5.5 inch RC lift (which I will be reducing to 4.5 inch metal cloak lift) with stock 3.73 gears, but I still think the gas mileage is worse than it should be. I drive an average of about 50-100 miles a week and I have to refuel every week to week and a half. Both this and the hot floorboards lead me to think that the system is running rich due to o2 sensors detecting lean because of a leak.
Thirdly, there is a tick. While I was looking at the exhaust manifold and pre-cat area from under the jeep, I probed the bolts that connect the pre-cats to the rest of the manifold, and discovered that one of the bolts on the rear cat was loose. I obviously tightened it, then tested the other bolts and snugged them a bit. The tick is still present, but I do not remember if tightening up those bolts changed the noise in any way (like the ticking having a different pattern of being quieter or something). I like to think that it might be quieter. I have also not done a long enough trip yet to see if the floorboards will get hot again or to see of mileage is improved since I tightened the bolts only a couple days ago.
I did just try the soapy water and leaf blower-up-the-tailpipe trick and could not see any bubbling in the areas accessible for me to spray. But I don't think I can make any real conclusions since I could not spray or see the part of the manifold directly underneath the intake. My muffler is kind of shot though and has a ton of small holes (which I will eventually replace with probably a flowmaster or banks monster), so I also wonder of the air from the leaf blower was even making it to the manifold. I think it must have, since air was coming back out of the tailpipe which would indicated that the entire exhaust system was filled.
So what would the more experienced members' suggestions be with proceeding? Should I remove the intake manifold and take a better look at the exhaust manifold? I am just hesitant to remove parts with gaskets since I've had bad luck with proper sealing, but that's probably because I'm a noob. I am also aware that the ticking could be the lifters. The fan is too loud for me to be able to hear if the ticking is still present or changes with increased rpm which would help indicate lifter tick vs exhaust leak.
I've got a 2005 Wrangler Unlimited with 132,000 miles. I've had a number of symptoms that lead me to believe that I may have an exhaust leak.
Firstly, the floor boards get really hot when driving for an extended period. I think the inner boot for the shifter needs to be replaced which may help with that issue, but I also think that the heat is in too great of an area to just be a result of a torn inner boot. I can feel it through the rubber mats, the bedrug, and even the insulation the previous owner put down because she had the same issue, so supposedly it used to be even worse.
Secondly, my gas mileage is absolutely abysmal. It's on 33s with I believe a 5.5 inch RC lift (which I will be reducing to 4.5 inch metal cloak lift) with stock 3.73 gears, but I still think the gas mileage is worse than it should be. I drive an average of about 50-100 miles a week and I have to refuel every week to week and a half. Both this and the hot floorboards lead me to think that the system is running rich due to o2 sensors detecting lean because of a leak.
Thirdly, there is a tick. While I was looking at the exhaust manifold and pre-cat area from under the jeep, I probed the bolts that connect the pre-cats to the rest of the manifold, and discovered that one of the bolts on the rear cat was loose. I obviously tightened it, then tested the other bolts and snugged them a bit. The tick is still present, but I do not remember if tightening up those bolts changed the noise in any way (like the ticking having a different pattern of being quieter or something). I like to think that it might be quieter. I have also not done a long enough trip yet to see if the floorboards will get hot again or to see of mileage is improved since I tightened the bolts only a couple days ago.
I did just try the soapy water and leaf blower-up-the-tailpipe trick and could not see any bubbling in the areas accessible for me to spray. But I don't think I can make any real conclusions since I could not spray or see the part of the manifold directly underneath the intake. My muffler is kind of shot though and has a ton of small holes (which I will eventually replace with probably a flowmaster or banks monster), so I also wonder of the air from the leaf blower was even making it to the manifold. I think it must have, since air was coming back out of the tailpipe which would indicated that the entire exhaust system was filled.
So what would the more experienced members' suggestions be with proceeding? Should I remove the intake manifold and take a better look at the exhaust manifold? I am just hesitant to remove parts with gaskets since I've had bad luck with proper sealing, but that's probably because I'm a noob. I am also aware that the ticking could be the lifters. The fan is too loud for me to be able to hear if the ticking is still present or changes with increased rpm which would help indicate lifter tick vs exhaust leak.
