# hole in the exhaust pipe & rattling heat shields - ne1 else?



## ProV1 (Jul 6, 2006)

i found a small hole on the exhaust pipe before the cat converter.. it's kinda loud and annoying (not that bad inside the car and windows up), and also the heat shields rattle pretty good when i give it some gas. 

it seems like this is rather a common problem in these cars. can i just patch up the hole, or am i better off paying up $$ at a muffler shop to replace the pipe?


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## EvilPotato (Sep 6, 2005)

just remove the heatshields, that's what i did when i had the rattling problem. as for the hole.. you could try to use one of those exhaust pipe patches, it's like thick aluminum foil with adhesive on the other side, claims to be effective at 300F. I saw one at Kragen Auto parts for 3.99 for a 10ft roll or something.


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## Mattster2k5 (Jan 22, 2006)

Exhaust pipe patches are a temporary fix, I would recommend you replace the pipe later on.


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## ProV1 (Jul 6, 2006)

went to a local muffler shop, and they quoted f##king $230 to replace the dam# pipe. they want to replace the entire pipe from the manifold to the cat with a new one that's 1 piece ($190). no thanks.. 

i guess i gotta get a pipe sealer or soemthing


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## ProV1 (Jul 6, 2006)

well just got back from autozone, bought a $1.99 exhaust bandage wrap kit. i'll wait til the car cools down and put it on.. we'll see


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## ProV1 (Jul 6, 2006)

i want to rip out the old heatshield as well, but the bolts are so rusted i can't really turn them. can i just take my little plier and cut that sucka away??????


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## EvilPotato (Sep 6, 2005)

i used a dremel to grind the screw heads off  how's the patch holding?


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## ProV1 (Jul 6, 2006)

EvilPotato said:


> i used a dremel to grind the screw heads off  how's the patch holding?


hey there potato, the patch is holding up real good (for now). i doubt if it'll last though. when i was putting it on, i realized the hole is a lot bigger than i thought, it's actually a crack. :balls: 

the noise has gone down so much though, i can actually hear the engine now lol. the rattling has gone down too.

i need to save up to replace the whole thing from the manifold to the cat. it seems like there is a 1 piece flex pipe that looks real nice.


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## ProV1 (Jul 6, 2006)

btw, does a cracked pipe between teh manifold & the cat converter affect gas mileage and/or performance? won't the second o2 sensor in the cat converter sense somethng funny? considering how much gas is escaping before reaching the cat. converter, i'm surprised CEL is not on.


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## 98Midnight (Apr 23, 2004)

Lucky you. Now you have a good reason to upgrade your exhaust.


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