Tailpipe & water

**Kamauxx** · 09-08-2007, 08:59 AM

Or at least I think it's water...

Anyway, I hate the way the pipes look on Camaros without some sort of rear valence so I just took my tips off, and tilted the elbows coming out of the muffler up to kind of hide them behind the bumper.

After I started it up to check for rattles and whatnot I shut it down and noticed a liquid leaking from the joint I was tightened back up ( where the elbow connects to the muffler ). I'm wonder if 1) is it normal for the pipe to leak, and 2) if it is normal, does this mean the liquid will be draining back into the muffler with no where to escape?

Here you can see the liquid in a small little bubble under the joint.

**Kamauxx** · 09-08-2007, 09:16 AM

Would I be better off just removing the entire elbow from the muffler? No chance of the heat from the exhaust melting my tires is there?

**Kamauxx** · 09-08-2007, 09:42 AM

I just took one of the elbows off and the thing is coated in black liquid...I'm assuming dirty oil, or diry coolant, or dirty water...or something. Any ideas from any of you experts?

**2001NBMZ28** · 09-08-2007, 09:50 AM

Probably just condensation and coming out there because it's tilted up and the pipe isn't fully seated. Don't think it's going to flow back into the muffler - should stop dripping once warm? My Corsa has a small hole in the muffler itself at the bottom. State inspection isn't going to like the exhaust not exiting from outside the perimeter of the car.

**67CamaroRSSS** · 09-08-2007, 09:50 AM

Condensate is a normal by-product of combustion, especially when the engine is 1st fired up.

1) Your pipe is leaking water (condensation) because you have a compression fitting holding the pipe to the muffler. If this pipe was welded to the muffler you'd only see drops of water coming from the end of the pipe.

2) The water isn't rolling back into the muffler. But when you think about it the hot gasses in the exhaust system is probably only leaving water at the end of the system because it's cooler (think of the water on a beverage with ice in it).

I wouldn't worry about it. Now if you see steam coming out of the tailpipe all the time at idle that could be an indication of more problems.

**Kamauxx** · 09-08-2007, 10:46 AM

Yea, I think it was just water mixed with soot. A buddy told me I running rich so I'll get that taken care of. In the meantime, I am now tailpipe free!