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Thread: Replacing the Muffler

  1. #1
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    Lightbulb Replacing the Muffler

    ......and it's already time for a new muffler. My Van's been sitting for a while, again, and finally got a new battery for it and reregistered. When I did drive it, I noticed it was a little louder than usual. I went to check the muffler and, yup, the arm that attaches to one of the rubber hangers is already rusted off the muffler itself leaving a nice hole right there. The Van now sounds like a ricer. O'Reilly has a Walker Sound FX that's made from aluminized steel for a decent price. I wonder if anybody has had any luck with those. The muffler I have now is welded onto the pipe it came with. I wonder if I'd be ok cutting it off or just buy a new pipe and use a clamp. I figure since I'd be able to use a clamp, it'd be easier to change the muffler if it goes bad again. I only paid around $100 for the new catalytic converter. I hope it's holding up ok too. So is it pretty common for aftermarket mufflers to only last this long?

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    Van Fan foreverly's Avatar
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    Re: Bought a new exhaust back in 2006.....

    When I lived up north that's the kind of lifetime I would expect out of an after market exhaust system.

    What did you install in 2006? Was it the Bosal cat back unit? Tim says that Toyota still offers lifetime warranty on the exhaust - most times though I think Toyota needs to install the unit to be able to take advantage of the warranty. It's pretty pricey too... I think around $200 or $300 just for the muffler.

    Mine needs a muffler as well & I think my exhaust is all original... I saw that $60 walker. It's tempting... I don't want to remove the 'silencer' on mine & do the whole cat back without the silencer.. Even with the hole the muffler its not that loud & living in Texas I think the Walker would be fine.

    But after a while living up north I ended up going heavy duty with the best stainless I could get. If you have a good muffler shop in your area you might want to have them look at it... sometimes a good exhaust shop will do you better than internet shopping.

    I don't know much about exhaust systems, but I get the feeling that they need to be able to drain water correctly or they will rust where water collects. Sometimes holes are drilled in those spots - I think my station wagon has a drain hole like that.. But I think a lot of it is angling the pipes so they just drain out the back... You might want to check with the guys that installed you exhaust.

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    Re: Bought a new exhaust back in 2006.....

    The 84s didn't have that silencer (resonator). Just the cat and the muffler. I installed the exhaust system myself. It was fairly easy after cutting the bolts on the old catalytic converter. Luckily, it's not so obnoxiously loud. Still quieter than those fart cannons on ricers.

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    Lightbulb Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    So to my surprise and delight I was able to purchase a brand new muffler and exhaust pipe unit from Toyota for $200. According to the dealership there is only one other left in USA inventory so act fast.
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    Next to my surprise is that the old muffler combo was easily unbolted from the catalytic converter. Finally a project that was going well! OR NOT... I can not figure out how to get it out of the car. I got the 2 bolts off and and all the suspension rubber parts off but no matter how I twist it, move it, push it, it gets jammed up on the rear drivetrain / random pipe / brake line. I could just cut the old out one, but I would have the same issue getting the new unit back in.

    I did search the forums and even looked through the repair manual with no luck finding anything about how to properly remove/ install the muffler unit.

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    You will likely need to jack the van from the body to increase the distance between the rear axle and the body. There are 2 jack points, one on each side (low hanging spot on the front side of each rear wheel well). If you only have one jack, jack it from the differential and put your jack stands under those jack points, then lower the diff (let it hang). As always, when jacking a vehicle, be careful and don't take chances. Tim

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    I've got to do this soon I think as well. I'm really interested in how this goes for you. What part # did you use when you got from toyota?

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    Rat, the muffler assy for yours & Lateral's van is 17405-73120. Better hurry........only one left . Tim

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    Nice score! I've contacted dealers all over the country trying to get a new cat back for my van with no luck. Hope the install goes well once you get the extra clearance sorted out.

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    Quote Originally Posted by timsrv View Post
    You will likely need to jack the van from the body to increase the distance between the rear axle and the body. There are 2 jack points, one on each side (low hanging spot on the front side of each rear wheel well). If you only have one jack, jack it from the differential and put your jack stands under those jack points, then lower the diff (let it hang). As always, when jacking a vehicle, be careful and don't take chances. Tim

    Since I already had all the bands and bolts off, I was able to jack it up on the drivers side back only and pull the old muffler right out! So easy!

    Thanks Tim!

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    I went to the dealer on Saturday and the parts guy pulled up 3 of them-
    1 for a 4YEC 2WD 86' auto and 2 for 4YEC 2WD 87'-88' auto, I was actually looking for on for my 3YEU 2WD auto Townace and/or my 4YEC 4WD 87' manual, but he said it wouldn't fit either??

    sorry I forgot to get the part numbers even though I asked when I first got there.

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    There are different mufflers for different years and trims of the van. You should see the one for my 89 cargo van. It's got 2 mufflers on a single pipe. Supposedly I got the last one of those. Here's a picture from under the van (muffler installed).


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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    So if OEM mufflers are no longer available, can any muffler shop do a custom job?
    What about catalytic converters? Are they all tailor made to fit specific vehicles and their exhaust output?
    "You came in that thing?... You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    Quote Originally Posted by trestlehed View Post
    So if OEM mufflers are no longer available, can any muffler shop do a custom job?
    What about catalytic converters? Are they all tailor made to fit specific vehicles and their exhaust output?
    Yes, and in many cases this makes more sense. At least in states other than CA (perhaps there too). Personally I just like bolt-on factory parts, but it will likely cost less to just pay a muffler shop to "fab up" a new pipe and put a standard universal muffler on. The weld shop guys are amazing (at least at the shops I've used). They can shape a pipe and knock these things out very fast. If a new cat is required they just grab a universal one for the correct diameter pipe and weld it on (most of these guys weld everything).

    My only gripe with the guy I use is "he welds everything"........and when I say everything, well I mean everything. He doesn't stock the special bungs for Toyota o2 sensors or flanges for bolting to a cat. Unless you tell him otherwise he'll take your old o2 sensor, drill a hole in the pipe, and weld the sensor right to the pipe. I like being able to remove sensors when they fail, so I started stocking my own mounting bungs. When I take him a job, I hand him those parts and he welds them on. He does nice work, he's fast, and he's cheap. As for my vans, I usually replace my own mufflers (when available from Toyota), but have him fab up stuff for my other vehicles. Tim

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    To pass CA smog, you will need a CARB approved catalytic converter now. Mostly, this means you'll pay about twice what a generic one would cost.

    Thanks to the clowns running our state, my Mazda 3 has 3 cats...

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    Went thru CA smog song and dance in october.Summit Racing has a great replacement for $100....Worked for me, passed smog with flying colors.good luck!

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    Metro areas will generally have a good muffler shop that does custom work. Here in Buffalo, NY , we have a ''Mufflerman'' that has a good reputation. My 86 2wd had the cat removed and parts bouncing around inside the muffler. They installed a new cat and stainless steel exhaust and muffler for about $450.

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    Quote Originally Posted by timsrv View Post

    My only gripe with the guy I use is "he welds everything"........and when I say everything, well I mean everything. Tim


    ....you guys are right,,, was trying to find an intermediate pipe,, nothing came up. ...anywhere!


    It was only the muffler that needed changing,,but of course it was welded on to the pipe ,, thought I had found an easy way round that.

    It turned out to be the luckiest day of my life...... I crawled under with my trusty 20,000rpm disc cutter, something I've used in my trade over ~30 years,,,never had an accident.....till today

    ......almost done the cut,, the blade catches,, hits something,, shoots at my arm,, blade breaks,, gnarles in my t-shirt sleeve,, totally jammed in the cloth,,,a shearing feel in my skin ...when I finally untangle the blade,,I pull my shirt off,,thinking th'worst,, to find that the skin was broken,,a 3'' line,, but not enough for bleed, or bleed-out. I am a lucky lucky man.... the workshop's a half hour from -anywhere-


    ....managed to carry on and get the muffler replaced after all that, but sometimes it's not worth saving the buck.

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    Yes, those things can be dangerous. Glad you're okay. I was working in a machine shop, when a guy (seasoned machinist) was revving one of those 20k rpm die grinders with a fiberglass reinforced cut-off wheel in it. Evidently it picked up a vibration and for some stupid reason he held it wide open (bench level). Well, the wheel exploded and one of the pieces went right through his coveralls and into his nut sack . He kept it together well enough to just walk out of the shop, get in his car and drive to the hospital. Didn't say a word to anybody until after he came back and the super jacked him up as to why he left........I worked there for another 5 years and he would still get teased occasionally (things like that never get old when it comes to joking around). In the end, no permanent physical damage, but I'm sure he wishes he'd taken his lumps for an unexplained absence. Tim

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    .

    ...yah, same thing I was using. If there's one thing I know, if yer feel -any- vibration,, shut down immediatly,, there's something wrong with the disc.

    In all my 30 years of using those things I've never broken a blade.
    No wonder I spent more than a week looking for alternatives before climbing under there,,,as they say in the boat trade, 'sometimes free is too much

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    Re: Replacing the Muffler - Super frustrating!

    Yeah, if I can't bolt-on I just take it to the muffler shop. Years ago I would buy pipe, clamps, mufflers and cut/fab as required. I've even shaped pipe by cutting little wedges out, bending, then welding shut (a lot of work for a sub-standard job). Nothing like having the right equipment. Every time I take a job to the muffler guy and watch him run his special benders, welders, etc, I have no doubt I did the right thing. Something that would cost me hrs of heartache can be completed in just a few minutes by somebody that does it for a living (and has the correct equipment). The other thing is price. Those guys buy everything in bulk, and quite often the end price they charge you is very comparable to the price you'd pay for just the individual components..........not to mention the multiple trips to the parts store and the busted knuckles . Tim

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