IdiotSavant Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Hey guys, I was hoping to get your feedback and insight on a recent problem with my 99 Legacy GT. Yesterday, about 15 seconds from my house(thankfully), I heard what sounded like metal dragging under my car. The engine also sounded horrible. When I parked the car I noticed that part of the exhaust system fell off, near the catalytic converter. I attached a photo and am hoping for feedback and suggestions on how I should go about fixing it. As always, I really appreciate your help. Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 (edited) Boy, I bet the exhaust is very loud with the break before the cat! Hard to see by the picture exactly where the pipe broken. Is is broken flush at the entry to the cat? Is there any straight pipe to work with on both ends of the break? Shroud in the way? If so, I have some ideas! Edited August 19, 2011 by Rooster2 clarify wording Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charm Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Cambell's soup can and some duct tape. Perhaps some vice grips would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Cambell's soup can and some duct tape. Perhaps some vice grips would help. For temp service if there is enough straight pipe to work with on both ends of the break......the soup can can works in a pinch. I have used screw type hose clamps to hold the can in place, or regular horse shoe shaped exhaust clamps. That will make it quiet enough to drive to a muffler shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I'd get someone who can weld to patch it back together if they can. If it's too rusty, you'll have to just buy a new rear cat. The piece of pipe that broke off the cat is only about a foot long, and has a 3 bolt flange at the end of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdiotSavant Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 Thanks again for the suggestions gentlemen. I have a few days off this week so I will get under there and see what I'm working with. I took a clearer picture to give you guys a better idea of what might have happened. It looks like a clean break and it doesn't seem like there's much pipe to work with. If you have any other suggestions before I attempt this task I'm all ears. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Looking at the photo, it doesn't appear that you have much to work with in trying to repair the break. The break appears to be right at the cat, so you can't sleeve it with a soup can from the outside, or the inside with smaller diameter pipe. There is no straight flat length of pipe at the cat to clamp onto. Only if you have a welder, could you rejoin the muffler system. If not, all you can do is drive slowly, or get car flat bed towed, (as the motor is going to be very loud) to a muffler shop to get the cat replaced. I would recommend a muffler shop that does the cut/bend/weld approach to exhaust work. Otherwise, going to a regular muffler shop, they will tell you that you need a new complete exhaust system. That complete system would be from the engine, running clear back to the rear bumper, and that is expensive. I am guessing the rest of the exhaust system that you now have is still good, so don't let a shop tell you that the only way to fix the problem is a completely new exhaust system. I would do the cut/bend/weld approach, and only replace what is damaged. Also, be aware if you start the motor as is, it will most likely now have a check engine light (CEL) come on. No exhaust is going through the cat, so the O2 sensor won't be able to function properly to control the rich/lean mixture as determined by the car's computer system. So, this will trip a CEL. Once the exhaust system is repaired, the CEL light will go out. Good luck to you, and keep us posted on your repair progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 (edited) Honestly, I would just replace that rear cat. With the amount of rust that is on there it won;t be long before it breaks at the other end and you'll have to pay again to get that patched up. You can replace the cat yourself and save some $$ over paying an exhaust shop. It basically just bolts right in. Edited August 22, 2011 by Fairtax4me brain fart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 That's the rear cat, not the front cat. There's a flange and bolt connection between the broken piece of pipe and the front cat. If you could use a coat hanger or something to tie the cat up to the body, you could drive it to an exhaust shop. The rest of the cat really isn't too rusty, most of the ones around here have replacement split flanges bolted on for both sides of the springloaded joint just behind that cat because the factory flanges rusted off. That one still looks in reasonable condition. I'd get a muffler shop to weld the cat back on. Take a look inside the cat to see if you smashed the ceramic honeycomb inside by letting it bounce off the road. If it's smashed, get a new cat, spring bolts, and gaskets. If it's not cracked, have a shop weld it back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 It is the rear. Don't know what I was thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I was unaware that Subies have two cats?? I always thought the 02 sensor is in the one and only front cat..........what follows after the cat is a resonator or maybe two resonators with no 02 sensors?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank B Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Sounds like a good excuse to buy a cheap welder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Same exact break happened to me. But I was 2 hours from home... THAT was a long ride home. Anyway, I just welded it back on. Did it without dropping the exhaust, but it's pretty difficult. There isn't much room to weld under there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Got back to my '95 wagon yesterday evening. After sounding fine in the morning drive to the commuter lot, the evening start revealed that my wagon now sounded like an Indy car. After the short drive home (two miles) I got it on the ramps to see where the hole was and saw something similar to above, only my break was just to the rear of the second cat. http://imageshack.com/a/img823/2503/cux5.jpg Used a modification of the soup can method above and jammed a can into the long pipe (still has the bolt flange) and then secured it to the short stub of pipe sticking off the cat and secured it with a hose clamp until I can deal with it more. The majority of the rumble is gone and most exhaust gas is getting sent to the rear, which is good. Even though there is some surface rust on the cat and the end of the long resonator pipe, it is totally solid. I may see about having a new bolt flange welded on the cat pipe stub. Or the comment above about an excuse to buy a cheap welder...maybe the Harbor Freight $100 special. Any thoughts on rookie welding for this? I suppose I need to check out a price with a local muffler repair shop to see what they can do with welding a new bolt flange on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 personally i wouldn't get into welding for a one-off repair. i weld exhaust a couple times a year and i absolutely hate it. it's hard to describe how tricky it can be and how long it can take. i now try everything i can to avoid welding. it's hard to get angles right, line things up, placement, etc. when you've got two pipes to weld together, you can't always properly prep, clean up rust, line up on the car - it has to be done off the car - and how you verify it's all lined up properly matters. you got some flex with the rubber hangers but often angles, flanges aren't quite lined up, etc. cheap welders also are harder to dial in, easily burn through the exhaust, then you gotta build up a weld for it, and can take hours. i'd first see if you can simple expand both ends of a piece of new pipe and reconnect the two that broke. that can be done in like a matter of minutes. cut pipe to length, expand both ends (or one, often times one end you buy can already come expanded), and slip it over each end. yours is at a bend or tricky area so i'm not sure how feasible it is there. shops routinely weld up exhaust for $35 - $75. they're $45 around here. that's well worth it for a quick and done solution. i'd get a used pipe off of this forum, online, craigslist, www.car-part.com, a local yard, etc. many places wont' sell those cat converter or exhaust pipes though so gotta find one that will. and then of course there's the people who love an excuse to buy a new toy and have an extra tool for the house, farm, tractor, building, fixing...in that case, yes definitely get a welder, it's a nice addition to have. then you can get used to slipping a nut over a rounded off bolt or a sheared off bolt, weld it and have a fresh nut to remove rusty fasteners. it's a nice tool for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Good points, Gary. Thanks. Amazingly, I found a . He found a bolt flange that was split that could be clamped to the stub pipe on the rear of the cat. I may look into that after checking with a muffler shop about cost to weld it up. I'm sure that it would take some fiddling to weld a piece on myself, especially with the limited adjustability of a cheap welder. I think I'll look to that only if the muffler shop estimate is too much for me. (Although a welder would be nice for putting nuts on the frequent broken bolt/stripped item!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 those slip over flanges are sweet if you can find the right size. they can add up quickly in parts costs but you get to avoid a shop and do it on your own time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmithmmx Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 What is the condition of the flange on the front cat? I had the same issue and replaced the rear cat with an eBay cat for $100 without issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 What is the condition of the flange on the front cat? I had the same issue and replaced the rear cat with an eBay cat for $100 without issue? I didn't give it a super close inspection (I assume you are referring to the front flange of the rear cat...), but it looked OK as gave it a quick glance. I was doing this in the dark at 10 pm the other night so I didn't spend any extra time inspecting. I found a rear cat on ebay for $100...is that the one you got? That is a pretty good price considering it also includes the gasket ($11 and $4 at Advance Auto) and new bolts/springs/hardware. I did get a referral to a guy near me that does exhaust work on the side out of his home garage. I talked to him last night and after my description of the problem he thought welding on a new bolt flange might be $60-80. I'm going to visit on Sunday when he has an opening and check him out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmithmmx Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 That looks just like mine. The hardware they are including is worth at least $25 from the dealer. Make sure the front cat and the mid pipe have good flanges. Or you will be connecting a good "rear" cat to bad piping on both ends. My two cents... Exhaust work is tough while on your back. Get the new part and have a pro install for $100 bucks. Imagine what it would cost at the dealer for the same job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efseiler Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Ugh...someone crawled underneath your car in the middle of the night and did that with a pipe-cutter. Sabotage, man...sabotage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 (edited) I found a rear cat on ebay for $100...is that the one you got? That is a pretty good price considering it also includes the gasket ($11 and $4 at Advance Auto) and new bolts/springs/hardware.. i've bought the cheap ebay cats from canada before. i've never been involved with one long enough to know they're life span after 2 years or so but they rust up quicker than the Subaru original materials...might just be surface rust and not matter for years, hard to say in rust areas. i'd buy one again. Edited April 4, 2014 by grossgary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 After thinking about it more, I decided to order the ebay cat with all the hardware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Canadian cat arrived on Friday and I installed it yesterday. Fit was very good. Gaskets worked fine and the spring bolts were good (a little longer than original, but still tightened up OK). The two bolts supplied to secure the front flange (closer to the front cat) were pretty long and I'm not sure they would have fit. Luckily the original bolts came free for me so I reused those. The bolt hanger slot on the cat was a little too small for the OEM bolt but a minute with the dremel opened it up enough. My heatshield bolts were in really rough shape so I haven't transferred that yet as it is going to take some more work to get it removed from the old cat (if at all). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmithmmx Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Not bad, you fixed that issue for 100 bucks. I did not know there was heat shields present on the old one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.