Stupid question about exhaust

Muffler Clamps !!....

Crank the snot out of them... No trip to the mechanic with no exhaust !!



I do have a little 120 V stick welder but I really suck at it.
I would just burn holes through my exhaust pipe.
 
Lots of good ideas in this thread! Gives me some hope. If it's not expensive, think I might go for that flex pipe. I imagine that one side would be welded while the other is clamped?

And what durometer is your spare mount, and how much would you charge for it? Just curious at this point.
 
I had a shop make me a 2.25" flex fitted midpipe using a magnaflow hi-flow cat......way back in the day. Have had zero issues with exh leaks. Both ends are welded.........nothing clamped on whole exhaust, only bolted, gasketed flanges.
 
On gaskets

I gotta ring in the topic a little bit more, since I'm lost and need some answers on gaskets.

Racing Beat's cat-back exhaust system is of course at a wider inner diameter (2.375" vs OEM 2.25"), which means that OEM gaskets won't fit too well. Way back when I was installing the gaskets sent with the system, I had a hell of a time fitting them between the pipes.

These are the gaskets sent:

http://www.racingbeat.com/Protege/Cat-Back-Exhausts/56302.1.html

I replaced one of them today, and it has godawful uneven wear:

VL3o1pt.jpg


The pipes have this sort of circular indentation around the exhaust port, which I assumed would be the location for the gasket. It did not fit in there, and might as well be part of my problem. See, I assumed that the gasket would fit in the indentation, but it seems much more of the case that they sit flush with the exhaust port.

A crude illustration:

iDY06sP.png


I have no clue what sort of gasket I should buy for this. In my build thread, I just explained that I tried a traditional flange gasket that seats between the midpipe and resonator, but it was an awkward fit and is still leaking air.

Am I just dumb? I've been looking all over for what type of gaskets I should use on this system, and have found absolutely zero results. Seems like I'm the only person with this problem.
 
This looks to me like the two exhaust pipes weren't lined up square when you tightened it up.

One pipe might sag compared to the other.

This isn't the donut is it ??

 
Last edited:
This looks to me like the two exhaust pipes weren't lined up square when you tightened it up.

One pipe might sag compared to the other.

This isn't the donut is it ??
Nah, this is the resonator->muffler connection, and the gasket that was between them. The gasket never had a nice flush place to sit in or to naturally rest in.

Honestly, given the crap state of my exhaust sytem, the hangers might be the culprit. My entire system is sagging and banging around.
 
The only joint that is supposed to move is the header to mid pipe.
The others compress the gasket to make the seal... They need to be lined up perfect.
 
Another thought to mull over...

You can make your own gasket... Trace it out and cut.



If you've got healthy flanges to clamp on to, you can make a gasket, spray it down with Copper RTV and pinch off your leak.

... I have done this... It can work and it's cheap.
 
You can cover the flange with a grease pencil (or even lipstick) and press the gasket material against it to make an imprint.
 
Check it out !!
I found mine !!
I haven't used it in over 20 years but I do remember using it on an exhaust even though it's not the high heat exhaust version.



Caked both side with copper RTV, let it dry and installed it.
 
Damn dude, never even knew this stuff existed!

Once all my hangers are replaced, I'll have to try that out. Seems like the only solution to my gasket woes, after all.
 
Back