I have a 2000 camry and the engine has become rather loud in the past few months. Although it is hard to gauge this, the volume of the noise is just as loud when the car is idling as it is when I am driving. I have noticed that the volume of noise decreases a bit, but not substantially, when I put the car in nuetral.

Here is the problem. I was told by a mechanic that the problem was a cracked gasket. Could it be an exhaust gasket? What type of cracked gasket would cause this problem?

 

If you look under the hood while someone momentarily revs the engine in park- you might be able to verify the offending gasket. In some cases, you may need to remove a heat shield to confirm if its a gasket or a cracked manifold. Good luck!

JJ

 

just take it to a muffler shop and tell them to fix it!. if they do then the leak is probably just at the manifold outlet, which they can fix inexpensively, if they don't they'll probably advise you that it's a cracked exhaust manifold gasket or a cracked manifold, (which is likely what it otherwise is)!. There, free diagnosis.

 

I do not smell any excess exhaust when the car is running, therefore, I do not think it is an exhaust gasket which is cracked. Is there another kind of crakc in the gasket which could cause this problem?