Exhaust Raddle
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 5,145
Likes: 2
From: Antigonish Nova Scotia
Exhaust Raddle
Vette is a 96 LT1 CE with 86k. Out for a cruise yesterday and coming home had to travel 7 miles of really bad road construction. When I was backing into driveway heard a rattle coming from under vette. Put it on hoist this morning and with a Mechinic stethescope it sounds like the rattle is coming from the pipe between the cat and 1st hanger on drivers side. Could a piece in the cat let go and get stuck in the pipe or could it be something else all together. If it is the cat I believe that I will have to drop the whole exhaust system to replace. I have a buddy with a hoist and all the tools. Is this a job that a rookie can do or should I take it to a muffler shop. I have a FSM. Roughly how long will it take and is there any advice if I try it myself. And lastly will it hurt to drive it for another 4-6 weeks approx 500 miles. It will be put away for the winter and I could work on it. Thanks.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 589
Likes: 1
From: PA
You said you were driving through road construction. Did the underneath scrape on something? Pretty ironic the cat broke inside while driving through the road construction. But, strange things happen.
When I got my 85 I had an exhaust rattle. I looked at all the sheilds on the exhaust and the factory exhaust manifolds. Bent some here and there that I thought were touching the pipe and rattling at times. I finally found the shield on the exhaust pipe before the rear Y pipe that was the problem. I've bent it with a long bar twice. I still get a little bit of a rattle every now and then. Been too lazy to give it that finale tweak. So, maybe you have the same condition with a shield.
As long as your car runs the same as before the exhaust rattle, you can drive it until you park it for the winter.
When I got my 85 I had an exhaust rattle. I looked at all the sheilds on the exhaust and the factory exhaust manifolds. Bent some here and there that I thought were touching the pipe and rattling at times. I finally found the shield on the exhaust pipe before the rear Y pipe that was the problem. I've bent it with a long bar twice. I still get a little bit of a rattle every now and then. Been too lazy to give it that finale tweak. So, maybe you have the same condition with a shield.
As long as your car runs the same as before the exhaust rattle, you can drive it until you park it for the winter.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 5,145
Likes: 2
From: Antigonish Nova Scotia
Changed out the cat today and the rattle is gone. Not sure what let go inside, just happy that it was just the cat. Took it for a little run and now it's put away for a 5 month sleep.
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Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 5,145
Likes: 2
From: Antigonish Nova Scotia
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 14,664
Likes: 749
From: NEwhere Ohio
Remove exhaust, remove cats, take a long hard rod and break out all the crap inside. Next, you need to shake that crap out!
Weld in a straight pipe, and it *looks* like its still there.
If you are worried about the environment, keep in mind the cats are only there to react out NOx and CO gases that would have only been created if:
a. your EGR system is not working properly
b. your O2 sensors arent working properly
Rock on!
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,226
Likes: 9
From: Irvine Ca
I'm not sure about your year...but mine......the Exhaust is a pipe within a pipe.
After a while the inside gets a little loose. This is why you think the Cat let a piece go.
My Muffler man [shamless plug] Fantasy Muffler in Buena Park Ca[/shameless plug] He took a punch and punched about 6 holes about 10" apart all down the pipe. Then He MIG welded the holes shut again.
The MIG Welds grabbed the inside pipe at the same and secured it. So you know the holes from the punch were pretty large.
He keeps telling me that I've gotten my monies worth out of that 25 year old exhaust....I believe him. We'll be changing it out soon.....and he knows it....
Anyway, if you hit yours with a rubber mallet, you'll be able to trace it down to just "some" noise right in the middle of a tube.....if that is what you hear....this is what is wrong with yours.
After a while the inside gets a little loose. This is why you think the Cat let a piece go.
My Muffler man [shamless plug] Fantasy Muffler in Buena Park Ca[/shameless plug] He took a punch and punched about 6 holes about 10" apart all down the pipe. Then He MIG welded the holes shut again.
The MIG Welds grabbed the inside pipe at the same and secured it. So you know the holes from the punch were pretty large.
He keeps telling me that I've gotten my monies worth out of that 25 year old exhaust....I believe him. We'll be changing it out soon.....and he knows it....
Anyway, if you hit yours with a rubber mallet, you'll be able to trace it down to just "some" noise right in the middle of a tube.....if that is what you hear....this is what is wrong with yours.
