wet carpets and loud exhaust

[GTIrl]

hi there, ive got a mk2 8v 3 door which seems to have many problems, one of which is ive just discovered really wet carpets in the backbehind drivers and drivers side foot wells. there doesnt seem to be anything coming from the door tho it does drop a little when its opened. is there anything else that would leak only from that side? I was wondering if it could be the windscreen wash as the reservoir is in the front and sends to the back. does anyone know? Also really loud exhaust noise coming from the front and backpopping when changing down. Ive been told that it could be the exhaust manifold gaskets but they are a pain to get to. Garage put timing belt back on wrong a few months ago and exaust was really loud then, but went back to normal once the timing was put right again.

[Gambit]

http://www.matey-matey.com/leak_prevention.shtml

[Mr Blue]

backpopping could be the manifold gasket.

with the engine running cover the backbox for a few seconds with a rag and listen out for exhaust leaks

[GTIrl]

ok thanks for help. im going to try the door membrane thing first, then the rag,tho did have it up on a ramp running and gungummed a couple of joints - made no difference, but it certainly was noisy from the front. (its a stainless magnex exhaust) But i was wondering if (seeing as the exhaust gets loud when the timing is out) if there could be anything else causing the noise apart from the manifold gasket? My car is a bit of a bucket, not like most peoples here i think! Mostly its covered in mud, but when it goes well (not very often) it goes very flippin' fast, and it all seems worth it, and then something else goes wrong ... nnnnggg!