# Help Identifying Possible Exhaust Leak



## Thor88 (May 15, 2018)

Hello all,

I have a 93 GTR that has recently begun making a fluttering noise under load that sounds like a loud exhaust leak or something caught in a fan.

The sound is coming from the passenger side of the vehicle near the turbos and is only noticeable at higher revs.

It has no affect on performance, holds/builds boost normally, etc.

My first guess was a gasket from turbo elbow to down pipe, but the sound is still there with down pipes removed.

Vehicle is stock other than Apexi intake and Nismo down pipe.

I have searched but have been unable to find anything referencing a similar sound given that there is no affect on how the vehicle is running.

Any help narrowing down where the noise may be coming from would be greatly appreciated.


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## gabednconfused (Feb 26, 2019)

umm, well could be turbo elbow gaskets... also, in early stages, the boost leak wont show as being that visible on a gauge. 

I would take off the downpipes and heat shields, and just start checking bolts being tight. They usually back out from the turbo inlet flange first, hence the secondary locking nut retainers that are usually present.


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## MS33 (Jun 27, 2007)

I had similar, and it was the exhaust manifold to head gasket leaking, wasn't a problem but couldn't live with the noise 

So, turbo's and manifold's off...new gasket and all sorted :chuckle:


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## Red Duke (Jan 10, 2005)

Mine is doing similar, it sounds like a piece of tissue paper over a comb! Lol The car isn't down on power and pulls like a train still, I think my leak is a bit lower down. I've got all new gaskets (bar for the decat) so all will be changed eventually anyway. I had a panic as it started doing it after some spirited driving. No other problems though, but the noise is just a bit odd from such an aggressive GTR! Lol :chuckle:


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## Thor88 (May 15, 2018)

It seems like signs are pointing manifold gasket.
I went ahead and purchased a full set of manifold\turbo gaskets & studs.
At least performance is not being affected, but as stated above, the noise is ruining an otherwise fantastic exhaust note.

Thanks for the help everyone!


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## Thor88 (May 15, 2018)

MS33 said:


> I had similar, and it was the exhaust manifold to head gasket leaking, wasn't a problem but couldn't live with the noise
> 
> So, turbo's and manifold's off...new gasket and all sorted :chuckle:


When removing the turbos, do I need to remove the oil and coolant lines? Or can I just remove turbos from the manifold and leave those attached?

Thanks again for the assistance


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## REsuperG (Feb 20, 2015)

This might sound weird. This is how I test and find exhaust leaks.

Grab a water bottle cut it in half

Grab a cigar, light it up, puff it up so its smoking a good amount

Put cigar in mouth of water bottle, put bottle in exhaust, use a wet rag to seal it up

Look for smoke around exhaust flanges/gaskets


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