mhsprecher
Well-known member
I have had chronic problems with the connection between my exhaust manifold and the exhaust pipe on my 1930 Fordor. My car came with that problem when I bought it almost three years ago and I had tried every fix. I used a jack to make sure the connection was tight, bought a new clamp and bolts, used muffler cement on the joint and finally resorted to an inner pipe at the connection.
The last, and a new exhaust manifold, were the first fixes I did while getting my car ready to drive to the MARC meet, but it was the one that undid me. I got 30 miles from home and the exhaust pipe came undone and was dragging on the road. I lost the insert pipe in the process. I got it rigged up, returned home and parked the car in the garage. I drove my 2013 Ford to Niagara Falls.
Thinking about it, I finally came to the realization that the flange where the muffler meets the manifold was not right. Looking at the Aires stainless muffler they were raffling at NF convinced me that was the issue. The Aires muffler had a much wider flange.
When I got the car apart this week, it was obvious that this was the case. Putting the clamp on to check the fit on the almost non-existent flange on the muffler, I could see that there was no way the clamp would hold the muffler on.
I could have tried to hammer it out myself, but I have a car repair and muffler shop about a half a mile from my house, so I took my old exhaust manifold and the muffler there to show the guy what I wanted him to do. He complained and said the pipe on my muffler had to be spread too much, it was too old, it would split, yada, yada. He agreed to try and with two operations of his flaring machine, it was done. I took the muffler home, reinstalled it, using only the original type clamp.
I am an acceptable shade tree mechanic, but when you have little experience, there is a lot of trial and error. A joint of any kind is only as good as the two surfaces you are trying to mate. I just assumed that the muffler was made properly and should fit. Not the case at all.
I wish I had taken photos of the before and after, but I was too focused on fixing the problem. Given all the chatter here and products and write-ups in the catalogs about leaks at this joint, I bet others have this same issue.
The last, and a new exhaust manifold, were the first fixes I did while getting my car ready to drive to the MARC meet, but it was the one that undid me. I got 30 miles from home and the exhaust pipe came undone and was dragging on the road. I lost the insert pipe in the process. I got it rigged up, returned home and parked the car in the garage. I drove my 2013 Ford to Niagara Falls.
Thinking about it, I finally came to the realization that the flange where the muffler meets the manifold was not right. Looking at the Aires stainless muffler they were raffling at NF convinced me that was the issue. The Aires muffler had a much wider flange.
When I got the car apart this week, it was obvious that this was the case. Putting the clamp on to check the fit on the almost non-existent flange on the muffler, I could see that there was no way the clamp would hold the muffler on.
I could have tried to hammer it out myself, but I have a car repair and muffler shop about a half a mile from my house, so I took my old exhaust manifold and the muffler there to show the guy what I wanted him to do. He complained and said the pipe on my muffler had to be spread too much, it was too old, it would split, yada, yada. He agreed to try and with two operations of his flaring machine, it was done. I took the muffler home, reinstalled it, using only the original type clamp.
I am an acceptable shade tree mechanic, but when you have little experience, there is a lot of trial and error. A joint of any kind is only as good as the two surfaces you are trying to mate. I just assumed that the muffler was made properly and should fit. Not the case at all.
I wish I had taken photos of the before and after, but I was too focused on fixing the problem. Given all the chatter here and products and write-ups in the catalogs about leaks at this joint, I bet others have this same issue.
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