Well guys, it seems I have another exhaust problem. After successfully having my Y-Pipe replaced, my passenger (right) side muffler is having some issues. First, at idle, it sounds like it's rubbing against the heat shield directly above. Second, whenever I go over just about any bump, the muffler sounds like it's coming into contact with the body below the trunk & making a "thumping" sound.

Visually, the muffler & exhaust tip appear to be in line with the drivers side. Not hanging too low or too high. I quickly checked the rubber hangers & they also appear to be in good shape. The muffler is sitting in there as it should (well, at least is seems that way lol.) My plan is to get underneath the car this weekend & dig into it further. Do you guys have any suggestions on what to look for?

 

The rubber hangers look OK, but they're old. Replace them. Probably not much money at all, so if that's not the problem, it's no big loss. And while replacing them, you'll be hands-on for analysis with your exhaust more than you are now, which is good too.

 

Thank you Rochester. I was leaning towards replacing the hangers too, maybe they lose their shape/ rigidity over time? If this doesn't work, I may have to pull the trigger on a Fast Intentions exhaust!

 

My Top Speed exhaust was contacting the rear subframe bolt and rattling for a period of time. There is a section of the bolt that is unthreaded, I cut it off about 1/4 inch up and it stopped.

 

The best way to find an exhaust clunk, is to get under the car, grab the exhaust and do your best to shake / push / pull on it.
It should move around a little, BUT is shouldn't hit anything. If it does hit something, then figure out next steps.

As Rochester mentioned, check the hangers to see if they are stretched or broken.
Generally they do last a very long time, so I am not sure if replacing them would make any difference.

 

Thanks Sonic. The last time I noticed the vibration coming from the rear, I pulled down on the extension pipe from the muffler to the mid-pipe. Doing this made the vibration stop (until I drove the car again). This problem seems to come & go. Over the weekend, I was convinced it somehow fixed itself. I didn't hear any rattling or clunking... But sure enough, on my way to work this morning, I could hear that "thunk" again which I'm assuming is the passenger side muffler coming into contact with something.

I'm going to replace the hangers sometime this week & see if that remedies the problem. I'll keep you guys posted!

 

Update: I finally got around to replacing the hangers this afternoon & unfortunately it did not make any difference. For whatever reason, the passenger side section seems to have a lot more give up & down than the driver's side. I double checked the clamp & hanger on the mid-pipe too and all appears normal. I'm not sure what else I can do. If you guys have any other suggestions, I'm open to anything! If not, I'm going to bring the car to my mechanic & see if he can fix the issue. It's driving me crazy! I'll keep you posted.

 

Have you checked the heat shield itself? They don't normally come loose, but it's worth checking since it's driving you nuts lol
Have you gotten under the car and wiggled your exhaust around seeing what it could be hitting on? It shouldn't be too hard to find what it's coming into contact with. I wouldn't personally take it to a mechanic. They're going to charge you an inspection fee regardless if they find anything or not. I'd just find someone you know that is good with cars and see if they can find anything if you get desperate lol

 

Hey Boomer... Yes, I checked the heat shield & it is not loose. When I was under the car replacing the hanger, I pushed/ pulled on the exhaust & after an inch or so of travel the muffler was hitting the body underneath the trunk area. I did the same thing on the driver's side & it seemed to have a "limit of vertical travel" to the point where I could not push up any further and would not contact anything (if that makes sense lol). This one really has me stumped! I've also noticed that it get's worse once the car is warmed up. I'll be sitting at a light & eventually the muffler will begin to rub on something & make the rear bumper vibrate/ rattle. I may just take the muffler off completely and try reinstalling it before I head to my mechanic.

 

It was worth a shot, didn't cost much to rule out. And now you've got new hangers.

Are you sure it's your exhaust? A bad shock can make a scraping sound. A thumping sound could be suspension, too. IDK, Nitro. Good luck.

 

Hmmm, that does sound like an odd situation. Especially since you replaced the hangers and that side still seems loose... Maybe when you take the muffler/axleback off, see how easily your hangers move. Not sure if it's possible but maybe since the one side is original it's more "set in place" and the new ones just move more freely? Or maybe the new hangers are a softer rubber and flex more? Just seeing if I can strike any cords and stumble upon something lol

 

I'm about 99.9% sure! I say this because whenever I hear the vibration/ rattle coming from the back, I hop out of the car & press down on the exhaust tip with my foot. It will go away momentarily and then return within a few minutes of driving. After noticing the amount of the play on the muffler portion of the exhaust, I'm fairly certain this is it.

 

I really appreciate the feedback man! I'm hoping that I'll stumble upon something too once it gets taken off. My mind keeps coming back to the amount of play the passenger side has compared to the drivers side. It's just very difficult to pinpoint because nothing seems out of place or damaged.

 

Well, since we're at it, the battery decided to die on me yesterday. I was able to get a jump from a friend & make it back home. Once I got back, I decided to run to Advance Auto & pick up a new battery to avoid any more headaches lol. Well, needless to say yesterday was a complete disaster! All of the searches/ vehicle info I could find online lead to me believe that I needed a Group 35 battery (the label on the original battery is obstructed by the plastic shroud, not to mention it's facing backwards). I pick up a new battery only to find out it's the wrong size. Turns out the car takes a Group 24. I head back & exchange batteries. All is well until I go to put the new one in... I didn't realize that the posts on the oem battery are on the opposite side and thus the cables will not reach to the new one! I've never seen anything quite like this. Does it take some sort of "special" Group 24 battery?! It's my mistake for not making sure I got the correct one. I didn't even think of looking at the location of the posts, I thought they'd be all the same! This will be my 3rd trip back to AA, hopefully this time I get it right!

 

Why didn't you just tell Advance Auto what car you had and let them select the battery?