Loud Running---L-300??

Why has my L-300 suddenly started running very loud? It seems to be
super loud on the freeway at speeds over 60. Could it be an exhaust
problem, or something? I do not think it is my tires, because I hear
the same noise while the car is at idle, only not so loud. Any help on
this problem will be appreciated. Thanks!!

 

Well what's it tied to? Engine RPM's or vehicle speed? If you hear it
while idling its related to the engine. Could be an even be an exhaust
manifold leak. Open your hood and look and or goto a shop.

 

There's a flex joint between the Y pipe and the downstream Cat. Look for a
leak there. Try plugging the exhaust pipe at idle and see if it develops any
back pressure - an idication of a leak free system. (plugging - put your
hand lightly over the outlet pipe when it is still cold)

Always helps to know the year and how many miles on the car.

 

] (Oppie)

]There's a flex joint between the Y pipe and the
] downstream Cat. Look for a leak there. Try
] plugging the exhaust pipe at idle and see if it
] develops any back pressure - an idication of a
] leak free system. (plugging - put your hand
] lightly over the outlet pipe when it is still cold)

]Always helps to know the year and how many
] miles on the car.

So if I put my hand over the exhaust, and it starts to suck it in at
idle it means my exhaust system is leak free? If it is leak free what
else could cause this problem? Thanks!

Saturn L-300 2004 30,000 miles

 

Your vehicle is way too new for any major damage to the exhaust system from
rust or wear. The exception would be if you damaged the exhaust going over a
speed bump or snagging something.

Um... the exhaust will never 'suck' your hand in (it's a positive pressure).
By lightly covering the exhaust outlet(s) with your hand, you should be able
to feel a few psi of backpressure and not hear any hissing from leaks that
may be upstream. When in doubt, jack up the car and do a visual inspection
of the pipes.

Oppie
'01 LW300, 95K miles

 

] Jan 3, 2007, 10:05am (PST+3) From:
] (Oppie)
]Your vehicle is way too new for any major
] damage to the exhaust system from rust or
] wear. The exception would be if you damaged
] the exhaust going over a speed bump or
] snagging something.

]Um... the exhaust will never 'suck' your hand in
] (it's a positive pressure). By lightly covering
] the exhaust outlet(s) with your hand, you
] should be able to feel a few psi of
] backpressure and not hear any hissing from
] leaks that may be upstream. When in doubt,
] jack up the car and do a visual inspection of
] the pipes.

OK that worked, I did not hear any hissing, and I felt some pressure at
the exhaust. The thing is that my Engine, and Catalytic Converter have
been getting extremely "Hot" lately. After only a short distance both my
Engine, and CC will get very Hot, and it takes a long time to cool down.
The temp gauge on the dash reads normal, or even below normal. Is the
high temp normal,( I did not think that 6Cyl ran Hot?), or could it in
any way be related to the loud Engine, and Exhaust noise I am hearing?
If I take it in to my dealer to get the Engine scoped do you think they
will be able to pinpoint the problem, if there is one? Thanks!!

 

By all means, take it to a professional mechanic and have it looked at. I'd
start with an independant mechanic and go to the dealer only if really
needed (long story). Something sounds amiss and should be looked into. Could
be something out of balance in the engine or something about to fail and
cost you big bucks. Better to get it checked early. Peace of mind is a
wonderful thing even if it costs a little...

My engine and exhaust get hot - hotter than the old 4-banger I used to have,
but nothing that I would consider excessive. Cats do get hot when working
normally though if the engine is missing on a cylinder or running rich, they
will get much hotter. You should get a SES (check engine) light under those
conditions which you did not mention getting.

Oppie
2001 lw300

 

]4, 2007, 8:21am (PST+3) From:
] (Oppie)

]By all means, take it to a professional
] mechanic and have it looked at. I'd start with
] an independant mechanic and go to the dealer
] only if really needed (long story). Something
] sounds amiss and should be looked into.
] Could be something out of balance in the
] engine or something about to fail and cost you
] big bucks. Better to get it checked early.
] Peace of mind is a wonderful thing even if it
] costs a little...

]My engine and exhaust get hot - hotter than
] the old 4-banger I used to have, but nothing
] that I would consider excessive. Cats do get
] hot when working normally though if the
] engine is missing on a cylinder or running rich,
] they will get much hotter. You should get a
] SES (check engine) light under those
] conditions which you did not mention getting.

That's the thing, even though I feel like there is something wrong I do
not have any warning lights, and my Temp gauge seems normal. Maybe I am
just a little paranoid because my warranty runs out in another month!
That is a great reason to get it checked out right?

What do you think about Extended Warranty's are they really worth the
money? Do you think I should get one or just take my chances?

Thanks again, for all the help!!

 

An extended warranty is like a crap shoot. I had an uncle who owned a
Cadillac dealership. His advice (to me as a family member) was to take the
money that you would pay for the extended warranty and instead put it in an
interest bearing bank account. That's not to say that you will come out
ahead all the time but the odd are that you will. Granted that at the time I
was told this was about 15 years ago and bank interest rates were a bit
higher. A 6 month CD might be better...
The extended warranty is a big money maker for the dealers. Most defects
show up within the original warranty period. After that, it's mostly
wear-out issues. If you do elect to get an extended warranty, understand
what is not covered (bumper to bumper excluding everything in-between?)

 

Can you even get one at this juncture?

Extended warranties are probably a good idea on vehicles and makes with
historically low long term reliability ratings, and Saturn certainly
falls into that category. Just be sure that it's the actual Saturn
extended warranty, and not some third-party crap.

Remember, the cost of the extended warranty is usually going to cost
less than one or two medium to big repairs. The warranty organization
pays the repair shop far less for the same repair than you would pay, so
it can be a good deal if you buy a make of car that has low reliability.
The "loser" in this case is the dealer repair department that is
receiving a lot less for the covered repair, though in reality they
might receive nothing if the vehicle owner went to an independent shop.

 

Thank you for your possibly biased and clearly over generalized opinion.
Most of these people who do have issues in here generally have already
exceeded 100K miles which trumps every factory extended warranties that
I know of. The big ticket items are, if equipped, Timing belts breaking
(which can be avoided with conservative maintenance), some SOHC heads
cracking, and CVT transmissions in general. All other issues are fairly
inexpensive if they even occur under warranty. The only other major
problems have been from blatant lack of service.

 

Possibly? The thousands of results you get from a Google Group search
of the name "Scharf" in this newsgroup would confirm it lol.

 

Holy crap I didnt notice he was back! LOL Yeah definitely biased.