Hi

I'm trying to separate the muffler and the endpipes. They turn quite easily but won't come out. Are there any tricks? Maybe use a hot air gun to heat up the pipe?

I also want to change the clamps from steel to stainless steel. What would you recommend to prevent rusting at the point where muffler and endpipes are put together? Maybe an aluminum spray?

Thanks,
Thomas

 

Some clamps kind of crimp the tubes together so that might be the reason it will spin but not pull out.
A torch would be more appropriate than a heat gun. That and a BFH if you can get it relatively in line with the pipe.
(BFH means large hammer. lol)

Are you trying to keep the end pipes because the muffler is bad?
If you don't need the outer pipe you can carefully cut it along it's length (or at an angle to it) and peel it back enough to free the pipe inside.

Clamps tend to rust less if you point the nuts upwards so water sheds away from them. Not sure what to put in-between the pipes due to the heat and friction during install.

 

Hi

Well, I just need to take apart the muffler and the end pipes because I need to replace the fuel pump ;-) So it's just two years ago that the whole cat back has been replaced. Should hold up another two years actually.

The clamps have rusted quite a lot already but the nuts are not too hard to loosen. The rust is more on the pipes close to and at the clamps.

The clamps that have been installed by the mechanic pointed to the front of the car. Isn't it sometimes a problem ponting them upwards because they might touch the axle when going over bumps? Well, maybe not with our cars...

 

Oh, that is relatively new. I guess what I would do is disconnect the muffler at the pipe coming from the cat and leave the two tail pipes with it.

The exhaust shouldn't be rusting that quickly imo. I suppose you could try some high temp paint on that and the clamps for now. From your description I'm not sure what would be causing it. Sometimes internal condensation can cause the inside of the exhaust to rust. Capillary action of the two tubes sucks the water inside.

Yep, you have to allow clearance for the clamps, most people install them facing down because it's more convenient. I just found that they end up rusting out faster that way and/or are harder to remove.

 

Well, I'm not quite sure, but it could be that the muffler is already 4 years old. But the pipes are newer. And with my car, as I live in Switzerland, I have two extra mufflers in the end pipes (they are also 2 years old) and one extra muffler in the pipe between the cat and the main muffler. It's so idiot... it has something to do with the import of the cars. Some needed to pass a special noise test and some not. That's why I need all these extra mufflers. Maybe that's also a reason why the system rusts faster. It's only the big muffler and the smaller ones that rust. The pipe from the cat rusts a bit where it is bent over the axle.

Why do you think disconnecting the muffler at the pipe is easier? I thought about that, even loosened the clamp but then I thought, it's even harder to get this pipe away from the muffler. And as I wanted to change the clamps and put an anti-rust-something on the pipes, I thought it's better to disconnect the end pipes first.

 

Oh, I didn't know it was that complicated. Here in America the problem can be resolved by investing in high quality components that resist rust more than the more common stuff. Some are aluminium coated or you can even get stainless steel exhaust.
Exhaust can also rust faster from road salt residue, and also from the internal condensation mentioned before. The latter could be worse due to the design of the system that you described, and/or possibly how you drive. If you make a lot of short trips it may create excess condensation that doesn't have time to heat up and burn off. That last part is more of a guess though.

Ok, I wasn't thinking in terms of restoring the exhaust but more on getting things out of the way for the fuel pump replacement. Yes, that may make things easier if the muffler is mounted in place. If you have a straight length from a connection you could even try mounting a clamp down the line to give you a flat surface to hit with a hammer. Pulling it straight out is best for avoiding rounding out the pipes. You might even want to stop by an exhaust shop to have the outer pipes slightly expanded to make reassembly easier.
On restoring what you have I might look into getting the system ceramic coated or even using higher quality exhaust paint. The former might challenge the cost of stainless steel components while the latter might be more appropriate as far as cost goes. Keep in mind that not all stainless steel is the same so pay attention if you were to invest in that.