loose exhaust
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 161
Likes: 14
From: Rockwall Texas
loose exhaust
I have a 97 C5 with a Borla Stinger catback. I was cleaning it the other day and noticed the passenger side tail pipe to be loose. I could pull it all the way up to the body without pulling hard. It wouldnt go down at all, but moved up freely. Yesterday I lifted it up and found that the separation is at the flange where the cat back system attaches to the rest of the exhaust. There is a football shaped end on the cat back (back to front of the car), then a football shaped metal gasket, then another flange. All three of these are attached to each other by two 15mm bolts that bite into the last flange with no nut on the ends. The front part of the system goes about a 1/2 inch inside of the last flange, but freely pulls out with a little muscle. when I look at the drivers side, It doesnt look like there are any spot welds or anything that could be broken, but there is no movement or play whatsoever in the other side.. The last flange has to be attached to the front part of the system somehow, and that attachment must be broken. anyone know if I am missing somthing? is there some sort of pressure fitting that I just didnt figure out?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,375
Likes: 328
From: CA.
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15
I believe that flange is a press fit sonic welded type thing-- no visible welds----The most important thing is if there is an exhaust leak--- If you have any leak even a small one in the exh---the fuel trmis from left to right wil not be close-- the leak side 02 will not heat up as much as the other side and the ECM will think that that side is lean----so it will add fuel in closed loop and then transfer that % to PE or WOT as well---so the L/R fueling will be all messed up---
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,237
Likes: 9
From: Springhill FL
I ended up breaking loose one of my flanges with the stingers as well. I was constantly adjusting the tips at the muffler band clamp as one always wanted to hang low. Eventually the flange started leaking. A quick weld later it was good as new 
