Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting water spraying a fan?

Hello all helpers
I have noticed that there is a funny sound coming from my car when i try adn accelerate fast. It almost sounds like spraying water into a fan while the fan is runing. If you can immagine what that sounds like. I can hear it best when i am driving next to other vehicles as well as concrete barriers. Does anyone know for sure what this is? I hear it more the more and harder i accelerate. Thank you in advance for any help that i do recieve.
Ross

Your sig says that you have a bomz air intake... From what I have heard, open air intakes on duratecs are MEGA loud... Just like on my Zetec. What I have noticed about my Zetec is that my air intake is actually louder then my car's exhaust when I really get on it. But on regular driving with the window down I actually can hear the air intake suck in air, it does sound like the engine is "sipping" air in through the intake. Pop you're hood and rev the engine from the throttle body and listen to you're air intake. Im sure this is what you are hearing... If not... Are there any CEL's on?

ya i did notice the difference in sound when i changed out the air intake. This is a different sound though. It really sounds like a faint spraying of water when a fan is runing if you can immagine that? I am going to have to go and check my codes again, I do hvae a CEL but i have had it ever since i took out the resinator. It sounds like it may be an exhaust leak? Does that sound like a posibility? Do you eve need to change out the Cat?

From your sound description, I'd agree that is sounds like an exhaust leak.

Cats will go bad. I hear typical is 60 to 100k miles. I replaced ours last summer. Wife centerlined a rock on a gravel road. It loosened the baffles. very easy to change on v-6 with manual trans.

If it is indeed an exhaust leak, where should i start. Also i hvae a bit over 100k on my car now, and im sure the cat wasnt changed before i got it, should i look into getting it changed, or possibly doing it myself at teh shop? I assume you would need a lift?

I jacked up the car and placed on jack stands. saftey first. Leaks in the system generally would show at the joints in the system. I would look for carbon buildup along the entire lenght of the system. The carbon would indicate a leak. Also check the pipe for rust and weak spots. Removing an upstream O2 sensor as noted above is a good way to check for excessive back pressure. Direct fit cats are available if that is your issue. 4 bolts and the job is done. You may want to have new bolts available in case you break them like I did. If you are not comfortable with checking your self have a quality exhuast shop check the system for you.

First off.. just start the car listen with the hood up. Move around the front of the car.. getting on the ground and stuff to see if you can roughly figure what are the sound is coming from.

You can check/replace the exhaust with a floor jack and jack stands. Just jack up the front of the car and support it with the stands. Do a visual inspection... look for a hole in the pipe, or see if the cat has been bashed in. If it is a leak, you should be able to see black carbon deposits around the leaky flange. Also check all the flanges to make sure all the studs and nuts there.

Could be a loose shield (corroded weld) on the main catalyst, some long hose clamps will fix it. Tap it lightly, the shield will jingle at you if you need to fix it . My Mystique did that, my SHO also, and my Dad's Sable...