I did a search and couldn't find anything so here's my question.

How do i find out if my exhaust is going out or needs to be replaced in
my 97 civic lx?

thanks.

 

what do you mean? is your exhaust getting louder?

jack your car up, and look at it.
you can check if your piping is cracked or bent.

 

i guess what i mean is that my car as been making a noise that sounds like the exhaust or the cat-conver.
i took it in yesterday, it's still at the shop now. but they said they can't
find out what's wrong with it. and to drive it until it gets louder.

how do i know when those (one or the other or both) need to be replaced?

or could it be my belts?