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All About Exhaust Systems

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Comments

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Cats can take a certain amount of excessive fuel-burning--what it can't take is RAW fuel. Cats can ever tolerate lots of oil burning.

    I'm quite puzzled by this problem. I would have suspected a bad ECM module except he passed the smog test.

    Very often these types of difficult problems lack a critical detail that has not been reported (or perhaps observed) by mechanic or owner, and once that detail is known, we all slap our foreheads and say OF COURSE! :P
  • srs_49srs_49 Member Posts: 1,394
    Me too, puzzled that is.

    I mean, if the engine was really running that rich, and the front O2 sensor was working correctly, wouldn't the ECU try to lean things out to try and keep the air/fuel ratio at the stochiometric point (what's that 14:1?)? Then if it couldn't do that, throw a code?
  • mg45mg45 Member Posts: 8
    How do they do the smog test? The car was inspected before i drove it off the lot on April 6th 2009 and it apparently passed. Unless the dealer forced the pass, because after all they did sell it to me with a bad tranny. I'm getting it inspected at the end of march and I'm thinking it will pass if they just do the inspection by scanning for codes, which i don't have. I am really hoping it fails, then they have to find out and tell me whats wrong with it.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    I am really hoping it fails, then they have to find out and tell me whats wrong with it.

    You should get an "A" for creativity as I've never heard of that one before... ;)
  • mg45mg45 Member Posts: 8
    My 2007 camry failed when i brought it to the dealer for inspection and they called me saying what needed to be done to get it to pass. it cost 200 bucks, something with emissions, but it then passed. I don't know if the same goes for the saturn, but i did buy it from that same dealer.

    I just was looking under the hood, searching for any fuel and or vacuum leaks when i noticed this weird noise coming from the manifold when i rev it. Heres the video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoBqgFVNhEQ
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Personally, I don't like that sound, or the whining. That would bug me until I either concluded it wasn't a problem, or found what the problem was.

    Try popping the accessory belt off, and then start the vehicle and run it briefly to see if the whining stops (then proving it's external to the engine), or continues to whine. I don't know the saturn specifically, but look on the tensioner pulley assembly for either a wrench or pry bar attachment point. Take the tension off the belt, slide the belt off, then slowly release the tensioner to it's rest position. Take note of how the belt routes, so you can put it back the same way.

    If the whining stops with the belt off, turn the engine off, and with your hand slowly turn/wiggle each accessory to see if you can feel which bearing is a problem.
  • mg45mg45 Member Posts: 8
    Ok, i figured out the noise was coming from the pcv valve. It just the little ball in the valve bouncing around. As for the gas mileage issue i think i made have cracked the code.

    As I listed I recently replaced the fuel filter. I bought one from auto zone for 35 bucks. The fuel regulator for the 98-02 s- series is located in the fuel filter. The 35 buck one is JUST the filter, no regulator. Basically the cars running with no fuel regulator. The previous owner must have done the same thing and put in a filter with no regulator, which is why I've been getting the bad gas mileage since i bought the car. That would also explain the black soot on the exhaust pipe.

    I have no idea how the car is running practically perfect with no regulator, but the map sensor must be making up for it enough not to throw a code. I'm gonna order the OEM 92 dollar regulator/filter from RockAuto.com and see what happens.
  • tjh1990tjh1990 Member Posts: 4
    hi can u help please i want to buy a after market back box not expensive 1 but i just wondered how to fit and how easy is it?
  • tjh1990tjh1990 Member Posts: 4
    hi i am wanting to buy a after market back box how and how easy is it to fit?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    How difficult it is depends a lot on the type of car and type of system. Usually the vendor can give you some idea of labor involved. Often the hardest part is getting under the car if you don't have a lift. Then there's the problem of whether your present exhaust system is all rusted up or not. Sometimes a muffler shop will install it for you for not too much money. If you're just buying the back muffler and not pipes, this is usually pretty easy to fit.
  • tjh1990tjh1990 Member Posts: 4
    thats what i want how do i fit the muffler
  • tjh1990tjh1990 Member Posts: 4
    i want to fit a muffler how do i do this and what difference will it make
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    A low restriction muffler will give you a higher maximum rev point usually accompanied by a louder sounding exhaust at the expense of loss of low end torque. Depending on what vehicle you're talking about you could have one installed for under $100.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It'll just make more noise basically. There's no power inside a muffler itself. If you put on an entire cat-back system, maybe, depending on the car, you'd get a few more HP. Is it worth the money?? Probably not, unless you like the louder exhaust note.

    But anyway, fitting just a rear muffler to most modern cars is usually just a matter of undoing some clamps and hangers. But you'd best check to see that yours isn't welded up, especially if it's an older car. Muffler shops often weld in replacement mufflers.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    Actually if you want to remove restriction, knocking the honeycomb out of the cat works better than any low restriction muffler. Course you'd have to get dummy o2 sensors and live in a nonemissions state.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You'd probably get the most horsepower from no mufflers at all, presuming back pressure was sufficient in the exhaust header tubes. But that would be quite noisy :P

    Getting any real HP boost is generally expensive.
  • turtlesdove3turtlesdove3 Member Posts: 2
    is this illegal though?
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    edited June 2010
    is this illegal though?

    Yes it is. Does that stop someone who can't afford a new cat or looking to cheaply increase performance? Nope not in a state that doesn't have emissions testing.
  • kartruckkartruck Member Posts: 1
    New poster here with more of a statement than a question and looking for feedback.....
    I run a fleet of 127 GMC and Chevy 3500 cutaway box trucks. The 2 issues that have cropped up consistently over the past few years are fuel pumps (inadequate design) and exhaust manifolds that crack before 100,000 miles. I researched every manifold repair I had done and noticed a pattern of prior O2 sensor failure of some sort in nearly every instance. Out of the 9 documented cases, 4 of the trucks also had to have new catalytic converters. My theory is this: Faulty O2 sensors or deteriorating cat converters are the culprits. I believe it's a domino effect starting with the sensor which in turn destroyed my converters and subsequently cracked the manifolds.

    Thoughts?
  • srs_49srs_49 Member Posts: 1,394
    IMO, I do not think a bad cat would damage an exhaust manifold.

    One way to kill a cat is to have a overly rich fuel mixture , or misfire, which leads to high amounts of unburnt fuel in the exhaust, which in turn "burns" in the cat, overheating and destroying it.

    So, maybe the crack in the manifold occurred first. This may have led the O2 sensor to think the engine was running too lean, so it caused the ECU to richen then air-fuel ratio, which results in high amounts of unburnt fuel in the exhaust stream.

    Just a theory.
  • bjpayton04bjpayton04 Member Posts: 1
    I am having problems with my car. I have been to 2 different Nissan Dealerships, dished out over a 1000 dollars and my car is still doing the same thing. When I crank my car(Nissan Altima 2007 4 cylinder) up it sounds like a loud truck. If I push the accelerator too hard or fast the rpm goes up to like 5 but im only going like 30 mph. If I drive more than 40 or 50 miles in distance the cars RPM goes up to like 5 and I am only going like 40. If I push the car too hard the speedometer needle will bottom out to 0 and if I have to come to a complete stop, like a red light or stop sign and try to accelerate it will only go like 5 mph with the accelerator pushed all the way to the floor and then after a while it will go back to normal. Idling is a huge factor because the car stalls when it idles. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!!! I am so tired of paying people money and they have no clue what they are doing. What could be causing this problem? They said it could be my exhaust do you think so or is it a sensor?
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    Sounds like a bad throttle position sensor.
  • aggiedogaggiedog Member Posts: 238
    I have an issue that hopefully someone has seen with a solution. My vehicle (Lexus rx350) was rear ended. Prior to the collision, I had no issues with this vehicle at all, exhaust or otherwise. After all repairs including a new exhaust system (catalytic converter all the way to the muffler), I'm now experiencing an exhaust smell in the car typically when passing at higher speeds (45+ mph). They've (Lexus dealer) checked for leaks, they've done something called a "smoke test" but they can't find any leaks at all. I'm not a mechanic so I just read about the exhaust manifold this morning. Could the problem be coming from the manifold (which has not been replaced) or some where else? The smell starts up front and comes in from the floor on the passenger side. That's if the windows are up. if the windows are down, it also comes in thru the front windows too. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
  • newtruckernewtrucker Member Posts: 1
    My truck had holes in the exhaust leading into and exiting the muffler. I cut it out and can't use regular pipe because of the bends in the pipe from the exsiting exhaust. Should i use flex tubing to fill in the space????
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    edited August 2011
    The local O'reilly's has bendable pipes hopefully in your diameter. If not any local muffler shop could weld a piece in there for you for less than $20.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I'm wondering if your back hatch seal is leaking. I bet it is.
  • aggiedogaggiedog Member Posts: 238
    edited August 2011
    I wondered that too initially. I used a high pressure washer around the entire rear end and no water got in. I know air is different but there were no leaks at all for water. Also the smell originates from the passenger side floor area. it also comes in from the front windows if they are down.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yes air pressure is different. What happens is that an auction pressure differential occurs in the car, and thus exhaust is sucked into the car as air moves around the cracks/openings.

    It's also possible that some other seam can allow gases to be sucked in, that's true.

    One possible but not conclusive test would be to button up the truck tightly so that there are no vents, no windows, nothing open, then drive and see if you smell something. If not, then crack a window--if suddenly the odor gets strong, then yes, there is some seal or seam that is not right.

    As for a leak in the exhaust system itself---the smoke test is a bit wussy---I mean, one way might be to stuff a rag in the tailpipe (well,hold it over the tail pipe tightly), while the truck is on a rack, and have another person test/listen for a slight exhaust leak===in a pipe or even in the exhaust manifold gasket.

    You only need the tiniest of leaks to create this odor because when accelerating, there's a lot of force in the exhaust pipe.

    In any event, this is a safety issue that has to be addressed.
  • slizzardslizzard Member Posts: 1
    hey yall i love cars but i don't really know much about them. i found what looks like a y pipe in my shed when i moved into my new house. its about 3-4 feet long and y's into two pipes and then at the end y's again into 4 exhaust tips. it it almost all black except at the tips there is a yellow stripe and then silver tip. it doesn't have any markings on it to tell me what it is or who made it. can someone tell me what kind of exhaust this is? or maybe someone was building their own exhaust? help i'd like to sell if i can!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Maybe if you could post a picture---put it on photobucket or some such hosting service and then use the "IMG" button below to insert the URL for it.
  • scott229scott229 Member Posts: 1
    For a custom exhaust system, I need 3 bolt flanged collector with the bolt ring diameter 2.5 inches and the pipe i.d. 2 inches, plus or minus 1/4". It seems there must be cars that use about that size, but in looking at catalogs for replacement parts, I'm not finding any that give the actual dimensions. Does anyone know what car would use this size of collector? Generic ones that I've found don't come with a pipe i.d. of less than 2.5" which would mean their bolt ring diameter would be about 2.75". Here is a link to one of them for reference.

    http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance-Products/555/30002/10002/-1?parentProduct- Id=751310

    Any help will be appreciated.
  • f350kingranchf350kingranch Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2009 F-350 Super Duty (King Ranch) Diesel. There is an engine exhaust cleaner with this vehicle. The exhaust cleaner activates every 300 kms (185 miles). When the exhaust cleaner is activated you are suppose to continuously drive at 80 kms or faster (50 miles/hour) until the exhaust cleaner has completed it's cycle. The problem that I have is when you can't continuously drive 80 kms or faster until the cycle has completed. This happens when I am driving in the city. In this instance blue smoke will bellow out of the exhaust pipe. Not a good thing to see. Nobody likes to see an excessive amount of blue smoke bellowing out of the exhaust pipe. Is this normal? The Ford technician tells me that you have to drive it on the highway and there won't be any blue smoke. I find this odd and believe that there is something else wrong with the vehicle. Any advice
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Here's a discussion from a Ford Truck board: http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1062777-exhaust-cleaning-mode.html

    Hope this helps.
  • camo70camo70 Member Posts: 1

    C
    Could help me identify this muffler? looks like Mitsubishi

  • BgbllbffrBgbllbffr Member Posts: 1
    Has ane

    Has anyone had any experience with these totalflow mini mufflers?
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    I haven't, but you can't beat mother nature. I bet their sound control capabilities will similarly 'mini'.
  • ateslijojukateslijojuk Member Posts: 4
    Bgbllbffr said:

    Has ane

    Has anyone had any experience with these totalflow mini mufflers? (1)

    I used it before my friend
  • rickdonrickdon Member Posts: 123
    Based on the reviews I saw online, those mini mufflers are designed to tame your exhaust and eliminate the drone. But for that price, I wouldn’t expect it to last for several years.

    My car has a Magnaflow and I love how it sounds. It has a nice deepish tone and no drone at all. I got this muffler from 4wheelonline.
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