Just changed my B-Pipe because it was rusted through but now I have an exhaust leak at the flange between the B-Pipe and the Muffller. The Muffler is only one year old and not leaking. I cleaned both sides of the existing exhaust pipes well and installed new gaskets. But no matter how much I torque the bolts I still get a leak between the flanges. I'm going to get a new metal O-ring type gasket and try again. It appears that you cannot install that gasket incorrectly but I may have managed. Anyone have any experience with this, any suggestions?

 

i JUST replaced that gasket last weekend. it was a breeze. try using some high temp sealant on it. i used that on my y pipe header mounts with no problemns.

anyway i dont think its that big of a deal to have a leak that far back, not unless its a huge leak.

 

I'm pretty sure any exhaust leak (no matter where it is) would cause an inspection failure in many states.

 

that is exactly where I get an obnoxious leak on my greddy sp2. I was so irritated with it one time that I cut off the flanges and used an exhaust clamp but..unfortunately that didnt do the trick and didnt hold the pipes in place as well. Anyway, I reinstalled the flanges and double decked some gaskets and if its still leaking I cant tell. Ebay sells these metal crush flange gaskets that need some modification for the bolt hole alignment but unfortunately that didnt do the trick, so I threw a paper/metal gasket in there with it and we'll see how long that lasts.

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'll think I'll remove the muffler and clean the flange with a file so that it is nice and smooth. I'll consider the high temp sealant if I still have a problem. Trouble is that a leak even that far back is noisy. I have replaced the entire exhast system in the past two years(Warpspeed Y-Pipe and Cat and Walker B-Pipe and muffler). At times this set-up has been nice and quiet but right now it's noisy and that is annoying. I have the leak at the muffler flange but I also apper to get noise from other places maybe the Y-pipe? I guess I'll do my best and if all else fails take it to Midas for their free inspection.

 

we dont have inspection in florida, so i wasnt thinking about that

 

If rust was invovled, there is a very good chance that the flanges bent; and sorry but the 'new' muffler flange may have bent too regardless of its age. You can try to heat and dolly them back close to straight, it takes some fussing around but it's possible and cheap if you have access to a torch set. Another option is replacing the flanges.
I'd unbolt it, pull the tailpipe to separate the flanges, clean them thoroughly, and run a straight edge along the flanges, if they are out they will not seal no matter what you do. if you want a cheap/quick fix muffler cement and muffler tape should seal the leak, but it won't last forever.

Hope that helps.

FYI - Any exhaust leak no matter how minor is a fail if it is under the cab or in close proximity to the cab. If it was a pickup truck it could pass, but not a passenger car.

 

Thanks for the tips guys, I got them to fit well. I removed the muffler from the hangers, lined it up properly with the B-Pipe and then tightened the bolts at the flanges. After thightening the flange bolts I returned the muffler to the hangers. I think when you bolt the flanges together while everything is on the hangers you are fighting the hangers and it's hard to get things lined up properly. You would think that just tightening the bolts is all you need to do to get a proper fit but the flages will often not line up properly. Of course if you are working with a lift its much easier.

Also aftermarket parts are often poor quality, the flanges of my old B-Pipe were nice and solid, you could not bend them out of shape even if you tried. The new parts have cheap flanges, I guess the manufacturer wants to make an extra $1.00 profit per part. Although many of us DIY'er may lack experience the fact that we often have crap aftermarket parts to work with does not make our jobs any easier.

I also learned that the next time I have any exhaust issues I'm going to get some free inspections before I start the work that way I can make certain I am replacing the correct part. Unless it's very obvious, it can be hard to locate exhaust problems by youself in your garage. Although my entire exhaust system is less than 2 years old it is still has a drone that was not there a few months ago. I'm starting to think it may be coming from my 2 year old Warpspeed Y-Pipe or the headers. If any one has had issues with those I'd like to hear from you.

 

ive heard a lot of complaints about the warpspeed pipes


anyway you probably know this, but an easy way to check for an exhaust leak is to get a bunch of balled up rags and completely seal the exhaust port on the muffler while the car is running. you should feel pressure on your hands.

if there is a leak it will hiss and you should be able to track it down.

 

most states have done away with the sniffer test, so i doubt that he'd fail a test. that is unless they still do sniff the tail', i currently have a leak myself as of the other day.. and im not sure where it is right now... i really dont care too much though, makes my car sound like it has more power than it does but. at the same time. i miss my deathly quiet car. makes me feel

 

There is still a small leak at the B-pipe. The exhaust makes a droning sound that it did not have until recently. I just cannot locate the source. I find the noise annoying and realize that I like my car to run fairly quiet.

I guess I'll take it to Midas or someplace for their free inspection, maybe they can tell me what is wrong. Anyone have any suggestions for the best place to take it. I figure they will want a lot to fix it so I'll probably do it myself.

All they do for clean air inspection around here is check your ECM for codes and they check your gas cap.

 

Had Midas took a look at my exhaust, the guys were great even though they new I probably was not going to use their services. It appears that my one year old Walker quietflow muffler was the cause of the droning noise. The guy said that sometimes the baffles inside the muffler can fail. Got a new muffler under lifetime warranty. With all new parts it fit great. Exhaust is not as quiet as I remember but the sound is improved over old muffler.