HMS

So I have this sound that has recently gotten worse...

It is the sound of sputtering / playing cards in bicycle spokes.
My first thought was: pinhole leak in the exhaust manifold or on that flex pipe. (I took a peek, and they looked OK to my cursory glance.)

BUT, I only get the noise when I am accelerating in gear, when the engine is under load.

I cannot get the noise to happen in Neutral or Park, no matter how high I rev the engine.

No noise when coasting in gear. Only in gear, under load.

Should I be looking at a CV joint somewhere? Some tranny issue?

Or is there a magical way that this really is an exhaust problem that for some reason is only apparent when under load?

(HHR is '08 LT, Automatic trans)

Thanks everyone!

jczboy

Will it make the noise if you power brake it? If so, get it on a rack & do so.

Lucky

My guess would be the flex joint. Under load in gear the engine rotates and would stress the flex pipe.

donbrew

The flex pipe breaks on the bottom, you have to look up to see it.

whopper

You can try having an assistant block the tail pipe with a rag while you check under the hood - it should make the leak/noise a bit easier to find.

HMS

Following up: yeah, it was that flex pipe. Small crack on the bottom just like Don said.

Midas wanted $520.
Let me rephrase that. If I had paid with a $1000 bill, I would not even have gotten a $500 bill back in change.
Utter madness.

I walked out and had a local shop do it for about $200.