I like that exhaust leak tester idea... I wish I had used that when I
worked on cars a few years ago.



"Michael Pardee" <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote in message
news:eo2dnZ30dpCzU7zfRVn-hQ@sedona.net...
> "Mike" <MikeLikes@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:dbiUd.636$M27.20068@nnrp1.ozemail.com.au...
>> Hi All,
>> I have a 1995 Honda Civic GLi (D15) and when I start it in the morning
>> the engine is quite noisy. It produces a ticking noise and goes away
>> after 5 minuets then the car is fine. It only happens when the car is
>> cold, once it has been driven it will not do it again during the course
>> of the day. I have adjusted the tappets and it has made no difference. I
>> also notice the car lacks in power between 3k rpm and 4k rpm then it
>> comes back at 4.5k rpm. Any suggestions on this problem?
>> Regards,
>> Michael.
>
> The ticking noise might be a broken exhaust manifold stud or bad exhaust
> manifold gasket. As the engine and manifold heat up, the gap closes and
> you don't hear the exhaust leak any more. The telling clue if it is indeed
> a manifold leak is that the ticking gets louder as you open the throttle.
> It is a ticking instead of a roar because it is a tiny leak of the raw
> exhaust from one cylinder.
>
> If that fits your symptoms, my favorite way of looking for exhaust leaks
> is to connect a shop vac to blow air, run it a minute or so to blow the
> loose dust out of the hose, then duct tape the hose to the tail pipe. This
> will let you feel for the leak around the manifold gasket when the engine
> is cold.
>
> For the power problem I will hazard a guess the ignition timing may be the
> culprit - only a guess.
>
> Mike
>