A friend contacts us today about their vehicle because they are having problems with their exhaust system. It seems that the tail pipe has rusted so bad that it finally broke free from the muffler. They need to get it repaired and are wondering if it is something that they can do themselves or if they need to take it into a shop.
As you can imagine when a pipe is rusting this bad you will normally experience a louder exhaust system for some time before the brake actually happens. Unfortunately when rust occurs on your exhaust it will happen from both the inside and the outside of the pipe. Road salt and rain will rust the outside and moisture and gasses from the combustion of gasoline will rust the inside. There really isn’t much that can be done to prevent this and it is just something that you are going to have to prepare for.
If you are out on the road and a pipe brakes free it is important to pull over immediately and inspect the problem. As you can see the break is well under the passenger area of the vehicle so exhaust can now enter the vehicle and could cause serious health problems.
If you find yourself in the same situation the best thing to do is to secure or remove the rusted pipe. Make sure that the rest of the exhaust is in stable enough condition to continue traveling and then open the windows in your vehicle all the way while you drive and you should not have a problem with the exhaust gasses. If you feel a bitter sore feeling in your throat or you feel light headed you should stop immediately and have the vehicle towed to your home or repair shop. Also you do not want to drive a vehicle in this condition in slow city traffic. Maintaining a good speed over 35mph and not stopping for prolonged periods at red lights will mean the gasses will pass behind the vehicle. Be careful and if you are in any doubt then call a tow truck.
Repairing A Broken Exhaust System
Now that you have your vehicle in a safe location where you or someone else can work on it you have to consider your options for the repair. In this case the rusted tail pipe broke at the back of the muffler. However the muffler is behind the rear axle. This means that the tail pipe from the muffler to the rear bumper will need to be replaced. You will probably also need to replace the muffler because if the tail pipe rusted through then the muffler is probably not far behind it.
If your vehicle has a resonator this is an intermediate type muffler that sits between the catalytic converter and the muffler to dampen engine noise. If this part is in good condition you might want to just replace the muffler and the tail pipe. If the entire system needs replacing the catalytic converter normally lasts much longer because it is made out of stainless steel.
In an emergency situation if you are near an auto parts store you might be able to purchase a small 6 inch piece of pipe or an adapter and reconnect the tail pipe to the muffler temporarily so you can transport it home. Use a muffler clamp to hold the connection in place and you might need some muffler repair tape to seal the connection. However this type of patch will be very short lived. It can not be relied on. As we first noted exhaust parts of this age are rusting not only from the outside but also the inside. New parts will be required or you will be welding and clamping good metal on to rust and it will cost you a lot and not last very long.
Purchasing Exhaust System Parts
There are a variety of online resources for purchasing exhaust parts. There is everything from the online stores of your national suppliers where they can deliver or prepare the order for pickup and then there are specialty online stores if you are looking for performance parts. Where ever you buy from always look for a coupon before buying especially if your order is over $100.
Ordering online has its advantages because it will get shipped to your door. You don’t have to worry about inventory since it comes from the warehouse and normally you will get your parts in under a week.
When you order your parts you will have 3 options. The first is the best for home mechanics and that is the OEM setup with Bolt Together Flanges. With this type of system you remove the old and bolt up the new and everything fits pretty much perfectly. The Second type of system is a Generic Replacement System with no flanges. These systems normally cost a few dollars less but they require much more work. Unfortunately you may need to weld these parts together because some states require completely sealed systems. If you have a mig welder this is an ok option. In previous years all you would do is put a muffler clamp on the pipe and crush the union of the pipe to muffler and it would give a fairly good fit and not leak much but they can leak and that is when you may need to weld them. Finally you have custom exhaust parts and these parts do require professional installing. Pipes will need to be bent unlike the previous two types and you will need to weld up parts. It is not cheap or easy but custom exhausts can give you much better flow and performance but at a higher cost and the need of a pipe bender.
Once you have your parts you can do the install as is necessary. I strongly suggest the OEM Flange option for most people if it is available for your vehicle however you will need to make the correct choice for your vehicle.
Final Note
Trying to patch a rusted exhaust system is kinda like trying to shovel dirt by hand on a leaking dam in a storm. Sure you might get some of the dirt on the bank of the dam but its not going to hold. If your system broke because of rust then you need to accept that most of the system is rusted beyond saving.
This is not to say you can’t patch it for a couple days or a week or so until you get parts or find a place you can trust to do the work for you but you don’t want to be welding a new muffler to a rusted pipe because it just will not last.
If you are not familiar with this type of work or if you have problems during the install you might want to ask a shop to inspect your work.