cracks in exhaust housing

[blktalon3]

My exhaust housing is cracked up pretty bad. Could this effect the way my exhaust sounds? My exhaust is making weird sounds and I don't know if its from the cracks or if my muffler is burnt out or what. What does a muffler sound like when it burns out any ways? Does it just get louder or change the sound of the exhaust?
Thanks

 

[Bluefire16]

What sort of werid noises? Is it a hissing type sound? If you could try and best describe what it sounds like that would help.

 

[blktalon3]

Its kind of hard to explain. It sound like an exhaust leak, but one that's coming out the end of the muffler. And I can't find any exhaust leaks on the exhaust. That's why I thought it might be the housing or the muffler itself.

 

[chico904]

Start the car, have a friend block the muffler with something and check for leaks. And for your question of whata muffler sounds like if it is burnt out, I'm guessing you mean the packing inside. In my case, driving one night, I felt some backpressure, then looked in my rearview mirror to see black material shooting out. I pulled over, and pulled the rest of what was left inside my muffler out, and the response was a much deeper sounding, and slightly louder exhaust.