[ItsBigNate]

Hey everybody,

I was told I've got an exhaust leak at the muffler Gasket. I've got the new Gasket and will be hopefully installing it tomorrow.

My question is, does anybody have any tips or things I should know before I start taking bits off? Do I need to torque anything or is it a "tight's tight enough" deal?

It's part 18140 right between the headers and the muffler, which in the parts diagram looks super simple to do but I know from experience that it's rarely that simple.

Thanks in advance for helping out a newbie.

 

[jdrocks]

before you disassemble the exhaust system to replace 18140, tighten the 92173 clamp. you can see the slotted end of the inlet on the schematic, so tightening the clamp pulls the gasket tighter against the header outlet. if the gasket is bad, then my bet would be that the exhaust has been apart previously, and the gasket was not installed correctly.

the gasket itself is fragile, and can be easily damaged. if you have a problem with reassembly, wrap the gasket in a layer of tinfoil before you ruin it.

 

[ItsBigNate]

Wait, tighten the clamp before disassembling? I thought I would need to loosen that clamp to disassemble the exhaust?

A layer of tin foil, around the entire thing or just around the outer edge? Brand new to this, want to learn but don't want to break stuff.

 

[jdrocks]

tighten the clamp to see if that adjustment stops the supposed exhaust leak. same as you would do with a clamp on a leaking radiator hose. if the exhaust is leaking at the gasket, you would be able to feel it against your hand if you stuck it in there at startup before the assembly gets hot enough to burn the heck outta ya. there may be other visual telltales in that area too, like streaking. leaks at that gasket are a rarity, it's not a wear part.

if you do take the exhaust apart, try the new gasket as is. if it won't go, stop, use the tinfoil to ease the installation before you booger the gasket into an unusable condition. with the gasket in hand, you can better see how my tinfoil suggestion is used.

the r and r of the 2-piece exhaust is a fussy little job, but not technical in any way. use the service manual, check the tube for vids. if you can't turn a wrench, let someone else do the work.

 

[ItsBigNate]

I see what you're saying now. For some reason it seemed like you meant, tighten it to get it off 😂

I'll check if I can feel for leaks elsewhere before I start taking things apart anyway. I'm no stranger to working on vehicles but I'm always a little hesitant with a new job that I haven't tackled before.

At least the gasket is cheap if I do destroy it, not that I want to mangle and remove the old one AND destroy the new one putting it in. It'll be a loud trip to the workshop.