eljefino
11-04-2003, 08:21 PM
How to change the muffler in an S-series: The 95 SW1 is what I did; the Sx2s with DOHC might be similar but different sized piping.
First question is where does one get a muffler. Autozone is rumored to have a $28 one of unknown quality. NAPA had two, a $37 one with limited warranty and a $62 one with lifetime. I chose the lifetime as the cheap ones seem to break in *less than two years*.
The old muffler is held in with a clamp to the midpipe and a belt-style strap that hangs from above. My old strap was still in fine shape but rumors abound of these being rotten, so watch out. The strap is held together with a nut & bolt that broke when I tried to undo them. The clamp has two nuts, one of which snapped the clamp instead of unthreading. See a trend? I needed 18 inches of breaker bar to wreak this much havoc.
The old clamp will dent the outer pipe into the inner pipe, so in all likelyhood the muffler won't just pull off. The outer pipe is part of the (old) muffler so destroy it in any way possible. I started by grinding a groove with an angle grinder but the muffler got in the way. So I sawzalled it leaving as much pipe as possible on the car. Now I had great access to finish the angle grinding job.
Once I had cut a slit in it I peeled it back like an apple peel with a pair of vise grips then the final old piece of muffler pipe came off. Clean up any muffler cement or goo on the outside of your midpipe and inspect it. Mine was still in great shape, yay stainless! The muffler was a 22 month old meineke but fortunately they didn't weld it or screw with the midpipe. If you've got just a bad inch of midpipe you can probably cut it off/back and just mount the new muffler further in. Also if you get mad you can sawzall in front of the old muffler and lose that inch of pipe.
Installing the new one is dreadfully simple-- jam it on/over the existing pipe. If you want, slather some muffler cement on the outside of the midpipe to be covered by the muffler. Install new clamp loosely over the section where there's a double layer of pipe. Install bolt in and tighten mounting strap and set muffler in final position. Tighten exhaust clamp now until it just starts to bite in to the pipes. If you used exhaust cement it needs heat to cure, so go for a drive.
Check for leaks by covering the end of the tailpipe with a rag, gloved hand, etc and restricting flow. Don't check for leaks this way if you used cement until it cures-- you might blow it out.
First question is where does one get a muffler. Autozone is rumored to have a $28 one of unknown quality. NAPA had two, a $37 one with limited warranty and a $62 one with lifetime. I chose the lifetime as the cheap ones seem to break in *less than two years*.
The old muffler is held in with a clamp to the midpipe and a belt-style strap that hangs from above. My old strap was still in fine shape but rumors abound of these being rotten, so watch out. The strap is held together with a nut & bolt that broke when I tried to undo them. The clamp has two nuts, one of which snapped the clamp instead of unthreading. See a trend? I needed 18 inches of breaker bar to wreak this much havoc.
The old clamp will dent the outer pipe into the inner pipe, so in all likelyhood the muffler won't just pull off. The outer pipe is part of the (old) muffler so destroy it in any way possible. I started by grinding a groove with an angle grinder but the muffler got in the way. So I sawzalled it leaving as much pipe as possible on the car. Now I had great access to finish the angle grinding job.
Once I had cut a slit in it I peeled it back like an apple peel with a pair of vise grips then the final old piece of muffler pipe came off. Clean up any muffler cement or goo on the outside of your midpipe and inspect it. Mine was still in great shape, yay stainless! The muffler was a 22 month old meineke but fortunately they didn't weld it or screw with the midpipe. If you've got just a bad inch of midpipe you can probably cut it off/back and just mount the new muffler further in. Also if you get mad you can sawzall in front of the old muffler and lose that inch of pipe.
Installing the new one is dreadfully simple-- jam it on/over the existing pipe. If you want, slather some muffler cement on the outside of the midpipe to be covered by the muffler. Install new clamp loosely over the section where there's a double layer of pipe. Install bolt in and tighten mounting strap and set muffler in final position. Tighten exhaust clamp now until it just starts to bite in to the pipes. If you used exhaust cement it needs heat to cure, so go for a drive.
Check for leaks by covering the end of the tailpipe with a rag, gloved hand, etc and restricting flow. Don't check for leaks this way if you used cement until it cures-- you might blow it out.