Can you drive with an Exhaust Manifold Leak?

Can you drive with an Exhaust Manifold Leak? Welcome to Mercie J Auto Care, where compassion and craftsmanship come together. I'm Rick Smith, Master Certified Technician. Well the answer to that question is yes and no. A lot of it depends on the severity of the leak. Sometimes you'll have a very minor exhaust leak and it'll sound almost like a ticking noise, particularly when the engine's cold, then it goes away once it's warmed up. That's not going to cause any engine damage, there's really no problem with driving that. If you have a major exhaust leak, you have a couple of potential issues. One is if that exhaust is getting into the cabin through the ventilation system, now you have a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning because you are now not putting your exhaust all the way out behind the back bumper, you're actually putting it inside the car. So in that case, it needs to get fixed. The other thing is, if it's bad enough and that hot exhaust is is right next to something like a wiring harness or a hose or something, you could possibly do some damage. In both of those cases, the exhaust leak has to be fairly severe. So if your exhaust leak is minor, typically you can drive it around, it's just annoying. But if it is much bigger than that, it it's probably something you want to take a look at addressing. So I hope this has been informational to you and until next time, safe travels to you and blessings.