Water leaking before Muffler

[Leo090]

Hi, I have a 1997 Chevy lumina 80k . Today i noticed large drops of water leaking from the back of my car after I turned it on. These drops are water. When I looked under my car I can see water gathering by the front of the muffler. It is not leaking out of the exhaust pipe, but from the actual muffler front.

What could it be.

I touched it and its water.

[55trucker]

Is there a small drilled hole in the front casing right at the 6 o'clock position? There usually is on the OEM muffler to drain the moisture from inside the muffler to help prevent rotting from the inside.

[Leo090]

Could a randomly warm day in a cold winter cause this? Why would it fill up with water this drive and not the last 100s? I hope its not a head gasket leak.

[jman093]

Could a randomly warm day in a cold winter cause this? Why would it fill up with water this drive and not the last 100s? I hope its not a head gasket leak.

It's normal. Water is a byproduct of combustion. It's been doing it since the vehicle was new even if you've never noticed it.

[urbex]

Yep. Brand new cars will do this, all cars do. Especially if you do city trips or short drives where it doesn't all blow out. For example, my mom lives half a mile from work, so her Jeep drips water quite a bit until she drives a longer trip to get some of it out. Completely normal.

[Leo090]

I dunno i stil feel iffy, because ive never noticed all this water , not in any season. i hope its not a sign of blown head gasket

[carkhz316]

Think about it like this: Unless your cooling system is filled with pure water, and not that green ethylene glycol stuff (or Dexcool or whatever), how is regular ol' water going to be just leaking past a blown head gasket and exiting via the exhaust without being burned?

Like others have mentioned, it's a byproduct of normal combustion. You can stop worrying

[Crazy K]

taste it. does it taste like dirty water or antifreeze?

[Leo090]

I am not sure, but it tasted really really bad

[xtremerevolution]

I am not sure, but it tasted really really bad

Taste your antifreeze then and see if its any similar, and I do mean taste as in, dip your fingertip in it and barely touch it to your tongue, not pour some in a cup over ice.

[Crazy K]

sweet = anitfreeze...

[Jssuper]

If it was a blown gasket that produced excess coolant into your combustion chamber, you would be getting white smoke out of the exhaust. The water dripping is essentially condensation. I am no scientist and cannot tell you why, but it is a normal result of warming a car up. I've noticed it more when warming my cars up or when just moving them out of the garage etc. Also I have noticed that my newer cars and trucks with a catalytic converter do it. My old Trans Am and Plymouth just blow out carbon...

Its perfectly normal... drive on!

[Hairdo12]

sweet = anitfreeze...

If its 1974... There is a bittering agent in it to prevent it from being sweet. And btw who the hell tasts care chemicals, especially after they have been in service for years?

[carkhz316]

It still has a hint of sweetness with the bitterness, but this is such a petty issue that OP is way too paranoid about, and that has been solved already.

[Leo090]

Thanks for alll the respondes. The exhaust is not white smoke, which has calmed my worries of a blown head gasket.

The water does stop leaking after a long drive.

And no I did not actually taste the liquid leaking from my car, hahahahahahah
I would never do that. Especially if visually you can tell its water not anti freeze. Thanks for the help guys.