The exhaust on my '86 BMW 323i is leaking between the headers and front
muffler. So while driving slowly and standing still some of the exhaust
fumes are drawn into the car. This is very unpleasant, especially since
the car doesn't have a cat and is using a lot of oil. I've tried sealing
the leak with a paste, however it only lasted a few weeks and now it's
leaking again. Here's a picture so you can see what I mean:

http://members.roadfly.org/ulf/IMG_0974.JPG

Another problem is that the fuel tank is leaking. If I fill it up to max
(55 liters) and park the car it's down to about 38 liters after a while.
Of course, now I only fill it to half tank, but I'd like to fix it
assuming it's easy.

Thanks,

Ulf

(.cc)

"Ulf" <camaroz28 (AT) my-deja (DOT) com> wrote
That's one of the most-rusted header/muffler joint's I've seen. The
near joint is missing it's compression seal and clamp. You'll need
to take it apart and install a new one - they're inexpensive but the
job is going to be hard - best to torch off the bolts on the other
one and install new ones there, too.

It's probably hard - it's under the back seat. It might be the hose
joining the two together, which is easier.

Floyd

You are losing 3 or 4 GALLONS of fuel? And it's in a puddle underneath your
car? A carelessy discarded cigarette butt would create a major terrorist
incident! :-O

Sheesh, sounds like you need a new fuel tank or fuel hoses/unions.

It's a bomb waiting to go BANG ... Thank fsck you don't live near me :-)

Al.

fbloogyudsr wrote:
Thanks, but that sounded like too much work so I've tried sealing it
with two component cement instead. Exhaust gases, or maybe it's only
burned oil, is still entering the car though. Could the engine block be
hot enough for oil to form fumes, or will that only happen to oil
dripping on the headers/exhaust system? I know there's an oil leak at
the front of the engine, but it's not that close to the exhaust.

Hmm, filling half tank is easier, and cheaper... :-)

"Ulf" <camaroz28 (AT) my-deja (DOT) com> wrote
Check the hood seal - if it's leaking you can get engine compartment
air into the vent inlet ducts. The rubber is likely to be non-pliable on
a car of your's age.

Floyd

"Ulf" <camaroz28 (AT) my-deja (DOT) com> wrote

I seriously doubt you will find a glue that will not burn off. Oil leaks can
be blown back on thne motor to a point that allows it to drip onto the
exhaust system. If this is happening, the only sloution is to fix the leak.

Your exhaust problem can be deadly though. I would encourage you to keep a
window open all of the time, or better, get the damn thing fixed.

Or get a snorkel, like the guy in this story from June 2004 "Rock and
Ice" magazine (excerpt appended).

---- cut here ----

-"Rock and Ice", June 2004

For better or worse, my climbing partner for Peru last summer was
Jim Earl. He had an obsession with junker cars, had completed probably
more first ascents than any active Montana climber, and professed a
special love for Jesus. About 10 years ago he drove a 1976 Datsun 710
station wagon whose tail end always dragged. It was dented, paint-peeling
yellow, and adorned with a sequined crucifix that glittered in the sun and
seemed a bit too large for the rearview mirror. The crucifix came with the
junker, giving the car its name, and Jim deemed suggestions to remove the
crucifix as blasphemous. But Jesus had problems. Exhaust leaks caused
carbon-monoxide poisioning. Jim's girlfriend threw trantrums upon any
suggestion that she ride in Jesus. Even Jim couldn't last long - but he's
a practical man, so he drove the 500 miles to his summer guiding job with
a snorkel in his mouth, attached to vinyl tubing leading to a funnel
duct-taped to the roof. He sputtered along the interstate, oblivious
to the bewildered family vacationers in minivans alongside him.

Incredibly, that summer Jim stumbled upon someone with the identical
car - make, year, color, everything. Engine didn't work, body was fine: $25.
Jim had both carrs on a friend's lawn, a complex array of pulley systems
rigged from trees, and was swapping engines. He'd no mechanical background
and no guidance, but "How hard can it be?" Jim asked. Swap the engine, swap
the plates, ditch the leftover nuts and bolts, re-hang the crucifix,
and Jesus hath risen.

fbloogyudsr wrote:
Thanks for the tip. It looks ok, but just to be sure I ordered a new one.

Jeff Strickland wrote:
You were right. It didn't last many miles... :-( I'll look at it
tomorrow and see if I can figure out something else. Removing the
exhaust system seems like a lot of work.

I open the sunroof a little, it helps with the smell too.

"Ulf" <camaroz28 (AT) my-deja (DOT) com> wrote

There are exhaust clamps that you can put on. Visualize a clamp that is
round like the pipe, but long - maybe 6 inches or so. On each end is a hose
clamp-like thingy. This would solve your immediate problem of noise and
exhaust fumes, it would not cure any oil dripping onto the exhaust system
though.