Author Topic: Exhaust question  (Read 628 times)

Offline Gunslinger

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 10084
Exhaust question
« on: March 30, 2004, 08:18:55 PM »
Hello...need some help here.  MY WIFES CAR a 2000 ford explorer (I hate fords personally) had some warrenty repairs done on it....namley they had to replace one of the CATs and the sensor.  When she got home she told me it ran better but sounded louder.  Now this is probably a general exhaust question but is this the proper way to install a new pipe (has 2 CATS that go has muffler w/ two inputs)







it looks to me but instead of welding it they just cut the pipe off inerted the new one comming off of the cat and than clamped it.  I can HEAR/FEEL a leak coming from it and i'm no REAL mechanic

Offline Sandman

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 17620
Exhaust question
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2004, 08:31:57 PM »
It doesn't look like a particularly good job.

I've seen them clamped or welded. If she revs it, can you hear it leaking at the pipe?
sand

Offline capt. apathy

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 4240
      • http://www.moviewavs.com/cgi-bin/moviewavs.cgi?Bandits=danger.wav
Exhaust question
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2004, 08:38:10 PM »
looks like exactly what they did.  it also apears that when they split  the stub they split it farther than the pipe went in.  (the leak is right at the split, right?  a pro shop shouldn't have to split it, thats the kind of thing people without tools resort to)

they did a really half-prettythanged job of it.  if they'd used an expander and cleaned up the inside of the female side, then a clamp would have been fine.  instead they heated, split it, and beat the hell out of it.

I'd say take it back and make them fix it but from the looks of it they'd probably just beat it up some more.

your options are either weld up the mess they made (making future repairs slightly harder but no big deal for a shop), or cut off the beat up area and replace it with a pre-fab splice piece (it looks like, once you get out of the beat-up area, that the pipes are the same size. you can pick up couplers at most parts stores that have ID's to match the OD's, clean it up slide them on and re, clamp it)

btw- when working on exaust, save yourself some future trouble and anything that clamps or bolts on should be librally smeared with never-seize. (but keep it out of anywhere you want to weld)

edit, I just noticed you said this is warenty work. make them fix it until it's right and give you a loaner while they dick around
« Last Edit: March 30, 2004, 08:40:55 PM by capt. apathy »

Offline Gunslinger

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 10084
Exhaust question
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2004, 09:00:45 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Sandman_SBM
It doesn't look like a particularly good job.

I've seen them clamped or welded. If she revs it, can you hear it leaking at the pipe?


yes can hear/feel and leak... worst part is it took them 3 1/2 weeks to get this part here.  (i guess they have to order american emissions parts from japan or somthing) if they F'ed this one up its gonna be that much longer

on another note the leak does sound kinda kewl and i might consider headers for it in the future....even if it is the wifeacks car

Offline capt. apathy

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 4240
      • http://www.moviewavs.com/cgi-bin/moviewavs.cgi?Bandits=danger.wav
Exhaust question
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2004, 09:08:33 PM »
all of that heating and beating stresses the hell out of the metal, and that split is likely to develope a crack at the end and run, causing the part to fail sooner (and likely after there is no warenty).

I'd make them fix it.  but there is no reason you can't continue to drive it while they wait for the new part to arive.

also the cat is stainless so if they weld it with regular wire it will likely crack soon.  make sure they use a stainless wire if you go with the weld-up route.

Offline Sandman

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 17620
Exhaust question
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2004, 09:09:18 PM »
Who did the repair?


Just curious... I'm also in desert... a bit north of ya I bet... Ridgecrest.
sand

Offline Gunslinger

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 10084
Exhaust question
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2004, 09:40:43 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Sandman_SBM
Who did the repair?


Just curious... I'm also in desert... a bit north of ya I bet... Ridgecrest.


Edwards AFB actually.  The dealership that did the repair was:
Antelope Valley Ford
1155 Automall Drive
Lancaster, CA

I'm gonna contact the service manager tomorrow...if he doesnt tell me what I want to hear I'm calling the reginal manager...after that its the better business beuro and then a law suit

Offline Sandman

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 17620
Exhaust question
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2004, 09:41:47 PM »
A marine at an Air Force base?

That's got to be a pretty good gig. :)
sand

Offline Raubvogel

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3882
Exhaust question
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2004, 09:53:20 PM »
That's a pretty ****ty job. Hard to believe that a dealership did it. If they don't want to fix it right you might want to run it by another dealership. Welding is definitely the way to go with exhausts. How many miles were on the old cat? Seems odd that it went bad on a 4 or 5 year old car.

Offline Lizking

  • Parolee
  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2502
Exhaust question
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2004, 10:53:29 PM »
That was fine back in the day of asbestos gaskets. Today, it is not passable.  Don't let them weld it, they will have to replace the cat, most likely.

Offline Gunslinger

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 10084
Exhaust question
« Reply #10 on: March 31, 2004, 12:14:52 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Raubvogel
That's a pretty ****ty job. Hard to believe that a dealership did it. If they don't want to fix it right you might want to run it by another dealership. Welding is definitely the way to go with exhausts. How many miles were on the old cat? Seems odd that it went bad on a 4 or 5 year old car.


the explorer has 62,000 miles on it...I MAY BE WRONG...but I was told by the auto skills center here that the reason its a warrenty repair is because California is an Emissions state.

Either way that's still way short for a CAT to go out.

Quote
Originally posted by Sandman_SBM
A marine at an Air Force base?

That's got to be a pretty good gig. :)


No longer active duty Marines...but once a Marine, allways a Marine.  That line didnt mean much till I got out and realized how true it is.

Offline capt. apathy

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 4240
      • http://www.moviewavs.com/cgi-bin/moviewavs.cgi?Bandits=danger.wav
Exhaust question
« Reply #11 on: March 31, 2004, 12:17:14 AM »
that won't pass a cali (or oregon deq) emission test with a leak like that.

Offline Sandman

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 17620
Exhaust question
« Reply #12 on: March 31, 2004, 12:22:21 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Gunslinger

No longer active duty Marines...but once a Marine, allways a Marine.  That line didnt mean much till I got out and realized how true it is.


Roger that... you still working with radar? FWIW, I work here. In the fourteen years I've been there, they have not ever seemed to stop hiring radar techs.
sand

Offline mora

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2351
Exhaust question
« Reply #13 on: March 31, 2004, 12:23:27 AM »
Yep, thats a lousy job. Just get it back and demand them to do it properly. That surely won't pass the emission test because it will suck extra air into the pipe.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2004, 01:02:33 AM by mora »

Offline MrCoffee

  • Silver Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 934
Exhaust question
« Reply #14 on: March 31, 2004, 12:28:50 AM »
Cant weld stainless steel to regular steal or whatever cheap soft steal/iron they use to make mufflers. Can you? Dont think so.