HQuakers

I need all of your help. I am driving 250 miles tomorrow night/wednesday night and it is 9pm on tuesday night.

I was driving home tonight, and right down the street from my house, I stopped at the stop sign. I go to accelerate and the RPMs drop. I turn down my radio. I listen and my car is sooooo loud. So I thought maybe that my silencer broke, but the sound was too much like a broken exhaust.

So I stop, and open the driver's door and I hear it is coming right from under the center console area. So I look closer and sure enough, the pipe going to the muffler is rusted away where it meets the catalytic converter. Here are some pix:

Far away from the left side of the car:


Closer:


Right side:


Closeup of the underside:




Do you think this will be a quick fix or am I going to need the the cat and pipe replaced? I hope this can be patched. Such a crappy weld job. If they do have to replace it I am doing the rust-oleum treatment on the welds and pipes so it won't rust again...


HELP!!!

TLO03

i've got a leak in my exhaust got some stuff from autozone like jb weld.it works for a little while. but mine is closer to the tail end of the exhaust.

Ken1997TL

Go to Midas.. get the pipe replaced for about 100 bucks.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

ken im not sure if they can replace that... the opening looks like it is on the cat itself.. u may have to get that replaced... but that quick weld stuff won't stay on rust and it looks like it is rusted all around...

HQuakers

Yeah, that's what I figured. I might stop in there tomorrow morning and see what they think. I have a feeling that the cat will need to be replaced. Is there a problem with using just a regular ol' cat from Midas or Monroe or whatever?

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

if im spending the money for a new cat... why not get a hi flow performance cat??? but i heard that they kill o2 sensors like crazy... can anyone clarify??

Ken1997TL

What year is your TL?

If its a '96 or '97 the dealer will replace it for FREE. Even if its a '98, its worth asking, they may do it as a goodwill repair.

HQuakers

Yeah, it's a 98...O2 sensors went before, and I have a feeling the x. manifold is weakening. I hate the fact that I get screwed over for having a '98, even though I have all the same exhaust problems as the 96-97.

Oh, and this is a custom exhaust BTW, so Im not sure the dealer will fix it.

LeathaFace

do they do that stuff even if u didnt purchase tha car from an acura dealer i got mine from a used car lot tha original owner was from tennessee i think..mine is not broke but im juz wondering like would i get tha same benefits if i didnt buy it from tha stealership

LDH

hi-flow obdII cats are pretty expensive but still less then the oem cat.

Are you sure thats a cat in the picture? it looks like a resonator to me, but if its a cat that things tiny...

jerseydriver

i had almost the same exact prob. when i first got my car
you can get just that pipe from P F I (partsforimports) in pennsauken
i got it there for $80.
put it on in 1/2 hour and was good to go

not hard to do

HQuakers

^Thanks bro

Little update for everyone, if you care, heh.

I went to an exhaust shop, and got bad news. First off, LDH...you are correct (and Im a moron)...that is the rear resonator, not the cat. Ok. So the resonator is completely rusted and rotted on that one end, as you can see. The rest of the pipe is starting to rust, and right around the muffler the rust is really bad (didnt notice it until it was on the lift).

So, the exhaust cannot be spared. Oh well...was fun and sounded pretty good. The exhaust shop quoted me $510 for the stock setup and installation. I went online and did some part searching and found everything I need (resonator + pipe section, rear pipe section + muffler, hangars, gaskets, bolts) for $285.19 shipped.

I also sent out a parts request to a few thousand junk yards and parts places and someone responded saying he had a used exhaust for $150. Since the car has 155,xxx miles on it, I really dont want to dump much $$ into the car. I am waiting for a follow-up response from this guy and if it's legit, I will probably go that route.


Word of advice...if you are getting a custom exhaust, make sure they know how to weld and make as little modifications as possible...my exhaust is made up of several sections of pipe for no real reason. Also, do the Rust-Oleum treatment on the exhaust to prevent rotting.

HQuakers

Nobody has a used exhaust, so I am going to just buy a new one

I figure for $280 shipped it really isnt thaaat bad of a deal.

Question: Does the exhaust have to be welded? From what I see it is just bolted in. If it is just bolting, I am going to install it myself.

LDH

The stock exhuast starts from the headers then bolts to a down pipe, then bolts to the catylatic converter, then it bolts to the B pipe, then it bolts onto the axleback.

So assuming this is a full catback exhuast meant for the tl you can install it yourself. If this is a custom fitted exhuast you may have to pay a shop to do some minor modifications to it like cutting and welding on a new flange.

chocfullaflava

Hey Ken, could you give some details on which cars qualify for the free exhaust work you spoke of? Is it the result of a recall, etc?

Thanks!

PS. Everytime I hit a serious bump, I hear a loud rattle, which I am 80% sure it is coming from some part of the exhaust, but can't figure which - anyone have any ideas?

HQuakers

It is basically a stock axleback exhaust, so I figure I can just bolt it. Also, I got the muffler and connecting pipe for $74 shipped brand new, so I am very pleased. Now the total is going to be in the $200-215 range. The guy said he has the other parts, so maybe I will get them cheaper too

HQuakers

Ordered the B-Pipe today for $68 shipped. So now I just have to order the gaskets, hangars, and bolts. Looks like it is going to be around $200. Not too shabby..