Exhaust leak in 2005 dodge neon seams to be in front how can i find it and fix it

Starting from the front, coming off the exhaust manifold should have, 1. Exhaust pipe, 2. Catalytic converter, 3. Exhaust pipe, 4. Resonator, 5. Tail pipe. Also, there should be an Oxygen sensor somewhere around the catalytic converter.

in order from the front of the car to the rear:
catalytic converter
Muffler
resonator
tail pip

Depends no design, look at both exhaust manifolds, follow them back and down and look to see if the meet somewhere under the vehicle and connect to only one pipe that leaks to muffler and tail pipe.

an un baffled exhaust noise
causes the drone

resonators explained
How Mufflers Work
that set up has no back pressure on the exhaust manifold
almost straight pipe system


I didn't have this problem when i was running my factory mufflers and resonator.

you took out the resonator

There is only one way to really fix a blown exaust and thats to replace it. It's not a bad job as long as you can get the car hi enough off the ground. You need a 14 mm wrench 13mm wrench WD40 14mm-13mm sockets and a swear jar for the kids so they make money!! Find out what part of the pipe is blowing by putting a potato over the end of the system with the car running. Perhaps you only need a small portion of the system.

Change only the muffler if it is worn out,rusted,or has holes in it.Only change the exhaust if you see holes,cuts or any other place leaking exhaust. Make a good inspection of exhaust system before you decide what to do. Hope this will help you.

if exhaust pipes are in good shape-no rust thru than just replace muffler

Sounds more like an ignition misfire. Sometimes also, an exhaust leak in the pipe above the sensor can add enough air to cause the mixture in the pipe to ignite and cause the same problem. The first "weak point" in the exhaust is the muffler which is why it blows it up. Cutting out the cat will not solve this.

If the noise sounds like your muffler, but isn't coming from the area of your muffler, then you have an exhaust leak upstream from the muffler.

From the front of your muffler, follow the tubing forward to the catalytic converter, then forward to the engine exhaust manifold.

If you start with the car sitting for a few hours to make sure it's cold, you can use your hand to feel for blowing leaks while the engine is running, but chances are you'll be able to hear it. be careful of the catalytic converter itself, as it heats up fast, so check that first.

Once you've found the leak, the fix depends on the emissions laws in your state. If you have none, and the leak is in the middle of the pipe, you can buy pipe patchers (metal preferred) through auto parts stores or catalogs/websites. If you have strict emissions laws, or the leak is at the junction of the catalytic converter and pipe, you'll need to replace the failing part.

It sounds like you could need some new piston rings. when they go bad it causes oil to get by into the combustion chamber and burn when the engine fires.