I noticed that sometimes I smell exhaust fumes inside the car and I realised that my muffler had a leak. I tested it by havin' the engine runnin' and I blocked the tail pipe with a flat piece of board. I noticed that I was hearing a hissin' from the front under the car, close to the eigine.

Just today I drove though some flood waters (I didn't really have a choice). Would this cause any problems to my engine?

 

How deep was the water?

 

I'm not exactly sure because my windows were up and I didn't stick my head out to see how high it was reachin' the car. I think it was touching the underneath of the car because I could hear the water right underneath my feet!

 

get a buddy, have him cover your pipe again and figure out where the sound is coming from, i had a sound coming form under my car same area, and i had to almost lay down next to thecar with my friend driving by slow to figure out where the sound was coming from.

hahha no i didnt get my head run over but i found out what it was.

 

You may not even need to cover the tip to find the leak. Listen around underneath, you should be able to feel the leak. I wouldn't worry about the water too much if your car's out of it and still running. If it was parked in a puddle over the tires or something ,then I would freak, but it's probably okay. If it's dry now and there's no water running out of the engine compartment, it's probably fine. Change the oil for peace of mind.
Update: I forgot, take a flashlight and look for soot around the area you suspect the exhaust leak, it could lead you right to it.

 

Well I wasn't parked or anything like that. Thank GOD. I just drove through it but i realised that the car was actin' funny and I got a bit concerned about it.
I have a pretty good idea where it's leakin' but I have to really confirm that. I'll post a pic to show where it's comin' from.

 

The part circled in black is what's leakin'. When I got the car from Japan, the muffler was making a sorta rattling sound so I took it to a muffler shop and they took out, what I think was the heat shield from the muffler barrel because it was rusting and that was causing the rattling sound. Anyways, they also replaced that part in black because the guy said it had something to do with heat and since Trinidad is a warm climate, we didn't need that. They replaced it with that one you see there. However, the one that came with it had a sorta honey comb kinda thing inside. This one doesn't have the honey comb thing inside.

 

Can't be real sure, but it looks to me like they took out your catalytic converter (it would have a honeycomb thing inside) and replaced it with a resonator or muffler or something. The factory exhaust should be stainless steel (though not the best stainless steel) and what you got there appears to be mild steel, so it could be that whatever that thing is they replaced your cat with is rusting out.
This thing is up front by the engine and not toward the rear, right?

 

Yeah I think you're right. It is the cat that they replaced. I usually hit the "replacement cat" while reversing. It usually happens when I come off the road to park in specific places. Stupid roads and pavements were constructed so stupid here. It's for that same reason why I kinda hesitate to get my Tein S Tech Springs and Tokico HP Struts!

 

I would be surprised if it was a cat at all, looks to me like they took an oval muffler, turned it sideways and welded it in where the cat was. If emissions laws in trini are lax, and you don't legally need a cat, maybe they can weld in a piece of tubing or a smaller round muffler (glasspack or something) that won't stick down so far. Did you notice the exhaust being louder after they did this and before it started leaking?

Edit: Dude, let me just say, that if you are legally required to have a catalytic converter by your country's emissions laws, I'm ethically obliged to advise you to have it reinstalled if it has in fact been removed. Here in the usa, if you get caught without a cat, you can be fined, and the muffler shop can be fined and yada yada...

 

Well I'm just callin' it a cat but it's not. It's like what you said, "looks to me like they took an oval muffler, turned it sideways and welded it in where the cat was"

I'me sure what they took off was a cat indeed because the car is a direct import from Japan.

I don't need a cat here in Trinidad, it isn't legally required. The car does sound a bit louder since that part got replace. I also installed a replacement k&n air filter and also notice a sound difference. My gf always sez that the car sounds loud. But anyway, that replacement part was put on about a year ago so it's kinda cloudy to really think about it.

When I go to the shop to get it changed, I'll ask them if they could put in one that doesn't jut down like that. I was really concerned with it like that when I first saw it and I always thought that I would hit speed bumps with it. But I never really hit it on any speed bumps, only those friggin pavements so I tried to stop goin' into places where I think it would hit (: