Avensis exhaust pipe - replace/ repair?

Hermy

Yesterday the car became nosier than usual and when I checked underneath this morning the exhaust pipe seems to be coming apart in the middle so I'm wondering can I just cut off the two pins/ bolts marked in the pic and replace them or will the whole back end need replacing.

Hermy

Well that was a bit more straightforward then I'd thought. I clamped it back together with a vise grips and the pins dropped out. I replaced them with some nuts and bolts I had to hand but it's still a bit noisy so I'm wondering is there a gasket or some paste I can use to seal it up?

Hermy

Just been onto my local motor factor and there's a €2 gasket available for it so that's me back in business.

Avns1s

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but with the flanges as corroded as they are, you'll find that when you tighten them, there will be play at the top and bottom of that joint caused by the corrosion on one hand and the fact that the section where the bolts go through is weakened and bends a bit as you tighten your new bolts. This play will allow the new gasket to fail in a short time.

I hope you can prove me wrong but this is my experience of this particular joint.

Hermy

I kinda thought that myself when I tighten the new bolts. Money's tight at the mo' so if it gets me by for now that'll do. In the meantime what's the cost of a replacement?

Hermy

Local exhaust shop can fabricate the damaged part so I should be sorted one way or the other.

enumbers

If it can be dropped down a little both sections could be welded together as the rest of the steel looks good. Would cost an hours labour here. Would only work if enough room to weld it together

CJhaughey

enumbers wrote: »

If it can be dropped down a little both sections could be welded together as the rest of the steel looks good. Would cost an hours labour here. Would only work if enough room to weld it together

Thats not a fixed joint, it has to move there is a kind of swivel ball inside the two pipe flanges that allows movement, if you just weld it it will crack somewhere else.

Avns1s

CJhaughey wrote: »

Thats not a fixed joint, it has to move there is a kind of swivel ball inside the two pipe flanges that allows movement, if you just weld it it will crack somewhere else.

That joint is two flat flanges with a crush gasket between the two. There shouldn't ordinarily be any movement in it.

I would agree though that welding it is not the ideal repair.

enumbers

No a ideal repair would be to replace both sections but welding would in my opinion be the most cost effective solution in this situation