My Front Exhaust pipe on my 2000 Max is leaking in the flexible area. How should I best fix this? Replace the whole pipe with a new one starting at $950 + Gaskets + Tax? Cut out the flex and get a new flex welded in? Or instead of welding it, use two muffler clamps? Has anyone had to replace this yet, if so - What did you do? What about cheaper parts available North of the border - Any ideas?

Also, does this flex pipe failure indicate any other problems?

 

i would look at replacing with an aftermarket y pipe such as budget which is in canada. lssexhaust.com or you could have a local exhaust shop reweld a new flex section. i would not just going the clamp route as the chance it will releak would pretty high. with the aftermarket it will flow better, more power, cheaper than oem and is lighter.

 

I got the same problem.. I bought used one from org member. try to take old on off, no luck, that thing is rusted in there for good. I might give it to the shop to do it, so I don't go crazy cutting stuff off.
Does the leak affect Hp for this car? Cause I feel lose of power..

 

I have a lot of experience with rusted parts (my previous car was a Honda Prelude that I kept on the road well past its prime). My trick for getting rusted parts off is simple. Just heat up the part with a propane torch (the hotter the better) and then spray WD40 on it to cool it down. Let the smoke clear and the remainder of the WD40 to evaporate. Be very careful of over spray, WD40 is flammable. Then heat it up again. Perform this three times and you can remove any rusted in nut or bolt. This especially works well on exhaust pipes, steel brake lines and bleeder screws on the old cast iron calipers. Btw: keep a fire extinguisher on hand just in case...

As for the HP loss, my leak is very small, and I have not experienced any. I would suspect that you should experience an increase in HP since the exhaust would be less restrictive. The only active components in the exhaust are the O2 Sensors and since the exhaust in not under a vacuum, the leak will not draw in fresh air, but only expel hot gases, therefore not effecting the O2 sensor lean/rich mixture. Hence, I think your exhaust leak has nothing to do with the “loss of power” you're experiencing. Maybe check your MAF.

 

Thanks for your quick response. I'll definitely consider lssexhaust.com. How do they stock up to Stillen parts?

I just called lssexhaust.com and they are out of stock (and will be for a while) Does anyone know were I can get the "front exhaust tube assembly" for a 2k CA-SPEC North of the border? Cheap?