Exhaust Problems

My car has a strong vibration during acceleration and every time I go around a right curve going over 45mph it vibrates and it feels like there’s something hitting against my feet. It’s really odd and hard to describe. But just when I’m making a right curve. Everyone I have talked to says it’s a problem with the exhaust because the car is very loud and is missing part of the exhaust pipe. It also doesn’t have the heat shield on it anymore. Is it actually coming from the exhaust or could it be something else??? I’m completely unsure because it’s only when I’m going to the right and because there’s something actually hitting against my feet from underneath the car but I have no idea what it is.

The first thing to do is fix the exhaust before you pass out while driving from the fumes. You also could have a suspension problem and a forum like this is not going to help so have it looked at by a mechanic.

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There are no fumes from the exhaust. I was just asking if anyone thought the problem could be from the exhaust. Not really looking for negative comments, thanks though.

Just because you don’t smell anything doesn’t mean anything . Have you not seen the news articles about the police officers passing out from CO2 while driving their patrol cars ?

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Apparently not. If you don’t have any actual help to offer please don’t comment. I just want to know what the problem is that I am asking about.

I just gave you advice that could possibly save your life. If that is not actual help then that’s too bad.

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Here is some help - listen to everyone that is telling you this. They have seen the car, we have not, their opinion is likely better than ours - although @VOLVO_V70 's advice is good and may save your life. As for the problem you describe, I’d say “everyone” is correct. The rattle you hear is likely the exhaust hitting the floor of the car.

If you came here looking for validation for not properly maintaining your car, you are in the wrong place!

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I’ve only had this car for a couple months so it’s not my fault that the car is not properly maintained. “everyone” includes my family members… not people who actually know anything about cars. I thought people on this forum actually knew things about cars since it is a “community car talk” page… Why are you all being so rude about something you obviously don’t know anything about.

This is a great forum, with many retired top quality mechanics and engineers. You are getting the best advice possible. If you choose to take that as rude, that is your problem.

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Could something as simple as a broken hanger or broken flex pipe. But more information would be helpful, when you say “part of the exhaust pipe is missing” which part are you refering to? Is it missing a piece before or after the muffler or catalytic converter? If you’re starting at the rear bumper of the car, how far towards the front of the car do you have to go before you encounter a section of missing exhaust pipe? If the missing section is before the muffler, then @VOLVO_V70 's advice is very important, and should not be dismissed, since carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless.

Without further information, my recommendation is to get the car to a mechanic.

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It sounds like a lot of people who just want to put others down for things that aren’t their fault. I don’t get any advice out of this… All’s I see is people who don’t know what their talking about and they probably shouldn’t comment unless they have some sort of actual response to the original post. I’m not asking what I should do about my exhaust… I obviously know that needs to be fixed… I’m also not asking for validation for not “properly maintaining my car” as I said earlier I’ve only had this car for a couple months and I have had to fix a lot of things on it because the person who sold it to me lied about a lot of things. Which is not my fault. There’s no actual advice coming from any of you other than the obvious things that I already know… Things I didn’t even ask about. Which is no help at all to me.

It is before the muffler. there’s probably about 3 inches of missing pipe right before the muffler. Which I know needs to be fixed. When I took the car to the mechanic for him to fix the ball joint and control arm the exhaust pipe caught on the tow truck when it was coming off and was just hanging so the mechanic took it upon himself to just cut the hanging area off. I know that needs to be fixed. It is also missing the heat shield. My question is not if the part of the exhaust that’s missing should be fixed or not… I know that needs to be fixed… My question is… could the thing I’m feeling underneath my feet or floor of the car be from the exhaust hitting or could it be something else since its only when I go around right curves.

Just saw your most recent post, so I erased my previous comments.

YES a loose exhaust will move around and bang around when you make a turn. It may also bang when you accelerate because the engine will turn a bit and flex the exhaust.

Okay… does anything else come to mind that could possibly be the problem?

Buy a set of car ramps and get under there and look for anything broken and hitting the subframe. If this is impossible, any shops will be able to diagnose the problem in no time.A broken exhaust flex pipe is what comes to mind.

This is what the flex pipe does:
A flex pipe is flexible piece of pipe that allows the exhaust system some flexibility. Flex pipes are an essential part of any front wheel drive vehicle and on most all wheel drive vehicles. On front wheel cars, since the motor is mounted transversely, when you accelerate the motor rocks and the flex pipe protects your exhaust system from breakage. Without that extra flex the rocking motion would crack the exhaust system causing a loud leak.

I’m inclined to think that the exhaust pipe is not the cause of the vibration you are feeling. I am going to jump on the bandwagon and recommend that you do fix the exhaust as soon as possible for your own safety. That is not a criticism, just a recommendation.

I’m inclined to think the issue is with one of your outer CV joints. First look to see if the rubber boot that covers it has been torn. You didn’t mention the year of your vehicle but the rubber boots only last from 4 to 10 years depending on climate.

Even if your boots look good, the axles may have been replaced with re-manufactured axles and many of those should not have been re-manufactured because they were too worn out to begin with. A mechanic can test for excessive play in the CV joint to determine if the CV joint is safe to continue to use. BTW, if it breaks, it won’t cause you to lose control or anything, you just won’t be able to drive the vehicle so it is only unsafe depending on your location when it breaks. I.e. railroad tracks would not be a safe place to have this happen.

Edit: If there is any concern about CO in the car, you could always get one of those home CO monitors and put it in the car. You should have one in your home for safety reasons so after you get the exhaust fixed, you can use it in your home. They last about 10 years now on their internal battery.

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These cars have very weak suspension parts according to many Mitsubishi forums.The sway bar links do not last very long. Maybe this is what he is earing…a knocking.

You know nothing about cars and you said no one in your family does. You didn’t have anyone like a mechanic check it out prior to purchase. You don’t know anything about buying cars because you took the sellers word for it’s condition.
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Then you got defensive and hostile and started berating the well intended efforts to help you.

The answers did not start out being negative to you but maybe if you think about it you might figure out why they are trending that way.

I drove a school bus for 15 years and all the drivers knew that nothing that happened was ever a middle schoolers fault, but before I retired I saw that attitude move to the high school as the kids moved up. Apparently the process has not stopped.

One would think that, when multiple forum members stress the importance of replacing that missing piece of exhaust pipe, the OP would take it as a logical, concerned response, rather than a challenge to a fight.

Sounds like the towing company may bear some responsibility . . . UNLESS your exhaust was so rusted out and mangled, that it would have happened no matter what

As for the mechanic, did he obtain permission to remove part of your exhaust?

If not, that’s poor communication on his part, in my opinion

I suggest bringing your car to an independent shop that specializes only in exhaust repairs and/or fabrication. NOT a chain shop. Not Midas, Meineke or the like.

Keep it simple . . . tell them you would like an estimate for getting your exhaust back to a safe and proper condition. Also tell them you would like a proper repair, not a mickey mouse band aid job which will only last a few weeks.

Fumes getting into the cabin can make you drowsy and impair your driving skills . . . whether you hear/smell them or not