Exhaust repair advice
 

All,

This is try 2, and I hope it's not a duplicate post...

Have a 1999 Civic EX. Hole in exhaust pipe betweent he two mufflers. At least I think it's 2 mufflers. There's the converter, a pipe, a muffler-looking-thing, a longer pipe (that has the hole), and a muffler at the rear of the car.

Questions:

1) Can just this pipe be replaced?
2) Is any special equipment required?
3) Are there any stainless systems out there that are essentially replacements for the OEM stuff? I'm looking for something very quiet, and not a "performace", throaty system.

Trying to decide about doing this myself or just taking it to a muffler shop...

Thanks!

RE: Exhaust repair advice
 

the piece would be replaceable from a dealer, or go to a meffler shop and have them weld in a new piece where the whole is.

RE: Exhaust repair advice
 

i pretty sure you can go into a parts store and get that.
may need to be ordered. have to give the time (i usually get such things in 2 or 3 days).
there probably is not a connection after the resenator (the first muffler).
lots of poeple doing there own would remove that and put in a straight pipe.
there is a post on here about that (recent post).
i do all my own muffler work.
may be hard - have to hacksaw from under neath.
cannot find the connectors like in the past.
many have gotten out of selling them.
pep boys still has a very good collection - autozone is next.

RE: Exhaust repair advice
 

ef4life - thanks for the advice - i may just have someone like a muffler shop do the work, and at least i now have enough knowledge to ask them to replace just the pipe and not replace both mufflers...

fglaustin,

that's interesting information, and makes me wonder if i should just do it myself, with the big exception of the connectors... i'd use a grinder to take the pipe off, so that's not a worry, but i wouldn't be able to weld a pipe in, and if you cannot buy connectors... what are the pluses/minuses of removing the resonator and putting in a straight pipe? louder? changes in engine smoothness/gas mileage?

sgl

RE: Exhaust repair advice
 

well, really the cost - but since yours does not need to be replaced, then there is no savings.
recent post here someone said that they could not tell it being louder - performance, yes but (i doubt that would be noticeable).
pep boys has the biggest, then autozone. are any of them around you?

but, if you cut after the resonator, the pipe may be (should be) a perfect fit.
the auto parts store should show the id or od at that connection (pipe end). it should be designed for the pipe you buy to go over the pipe (that is cut) after the resonator (call it res). figure the diameter of the pipe at where you would cut on the back side of the res, and then see what the exhaust pipe diameter is. pretty sure that the pipes are 1/16" (been a while now) in thickness, so 2 makes 1/8". so, just to let you know, (for example) 2 3/4" ID is the same as 2 7/8" OD. Are you following me on that ????
It may get confusing because sometimes they are listing ID and someone is figuring what they need in OD. But you can easily translate from the ID to OD and vice-versa? ARE you still following me ??

May not be able to get the grinder in there - but i dont know unless it is tried. I never tried since i do not own a grinder. just had to do hacksaw. if using a hacksaw, may have to put a jack behind it to hold the pipe up , or otherwise it will pinch the hacksaw. dont know if the grinder will be effected by that or not.

i think the charges at muffler shops are high, in fact very high.

fred

RE: Exhaust repair advice
 

can you get a picture of the hole?


if its in a straight pipe part that is at least 4-6inches long then i would just cut the pipe and put in a joining conector pipe or adaptor....

or if the hole is preaty small or smaller than a quarter i would just buy a strap/band clamp.........
they are typicaly about 4-6inches wide and wrap around the pipe and then bolt together to enwrap the pipe and they work preaty nice....


you can find those at napa autoparts..... would be preaty cheap and easy to do yourself!

RE: Exhaust repair advice
 

fglaustin - i checked out the local parts stores - they don't stock exhaust stuff anymore...

addition2bass - that's a good idea; i han't thought of it. unfortunately, the hole was rather large, and, naturally, in a bend...

so, i decided that given the rainy weather all week here, and my inexperience, i'd just take it to midas. they fixed it in less time than it takes me to change my oil. of course, i paid handsomely for this, but at least it's done. the entire "pipe" from the catalytic converter to the muffler (which has that resonator thing built in as one piece) was replaced. the muffler was OK.

maybe next time i'll be brave enough to tackle this type of job...

sgl

RE: Exhaust repair advice
 

i see. i would think that autozone could get it - maybe not in stock but you would have to order - i have done that many times, and it is here in 2 days.

so, are you saying that the resonator is part of the pipe that midas put on ??

RE: Exhaust repair advice
 

yep. all one piece: regular pipe starting from cat conv, then the resonator (still all one piece), then more pipe leading to muffler. a pretty long piece of exahust...