smokestang

Having had both catted and O/R pipes i can say it pretty normal to hear those sounds! I checked over and over for leaks and found none. i took the car to my exhaust shop and they found no leaks as well. i think it just the extra flow going through the pipe that youre hearing! the one time i did have an actual leak, i could only hear it if i started out in 2nd gear...and it turned out to be a pinhole on the weld on one of the hi-flow cats. the only good wat to check for leaks is to feel with your bare hands,which can only be done when the pipe is cool (as to not burn yourself) and may take a few trys. I have found that its almost impossible to feel any small leaks at the manifolds, as they are hard to get your hand into as well as the fact that with the motor running all youll feel is the air from the fan blowing. i would double check really good for any leaks...but youll probably not find much , just the normal sound associated with an O/R pipe.

East87

Well I got under the car again to tighten some of the bolts. I ended up turning the car on and doing exactly like you suggested, smokestang. Turns out I could feel extremely small puffs from each middle clamp (stupid *** 4-piece design...thanks a lot Pypes...) and another at the clamp where the "H" joins together. I figured it would be too tough for me to get at the manifold connection, so I skipped that altogether. The connection at the over-axle pipes was solid though.


I feel like I'm going to break the damn middle clamps if I tighten them anymore...but if I can't get em, those have to be welded together anyway. The H-clamp is just being annoying. I think I can get that one down.

I didn't realize the incredibly low tolerances for space and error these pipes have...I was doomed from the start haha.

smokestang

Thats the biggest problem with pypes! those clamps are practically useless at sealing the joints, especially the one that join the H-pipe. in my case i had the h welded and used double style clamps to join the two sections together and had no leaks! if were to do it all over i woulda had them all welded just for the peice of mind. the smallest of leaks will seem huge when you step on the gas, but at idle you wont notice them that much. youre best bet would be to take it to a local exhaust shop and have them weld em up tight + they can check to see if the manifolds are leaking as well!

mynameismike65

What kind of mufflers do you have? The ticking, can it be felt in the floorboards? I know When my prochamber went on I had a ticking/vibrating feeling in the floorbaords at certain rpms, it turned out to be the clamps on the prochamber touching the trans. Other then that IDK.

East87

Well son of a B...I went back and reversed the two middle clamps and then re-reversed them (woof) and...no more middle-pipe leak! They are scary tight and scary compressed. One of the bolts got bent...I know, I know, very very bad, but I flipped it, and it's doing ok. I will eventually get my *** to an exhaust shop and have them weld the middle-pipe connection together.

The farging H joint is still leaking...aaaaaand I stripped one of the 15mm nuts on that clamp (just call me muscles mcgee). I have to get underneath again and put new nuts on, and maybe I can do the same trick. Thank God I didn't use enough red loctite on the h-joint clamp or I'd be SOL...

I think I'm going to put off going to the dealership...the only leaks left are whatever may or may not be leaking from the manifold connection and that damn h-joint.

Thanks for your help fellas, I'll be back for sure...

One more question: Is going to a chain exhaust shop (Midas, Meineke, Monro, etc etc) a good idea for this kinda stuff? Do you guys take your cars to these places to get resonators welded in/pipes bent/general welds/etc? I don't know of any performance exhaust shops near me...I would go so far as to say there might not be any...

thedrod

Well first....you shouldn't be using loctite on anything exhaust related, you should be using the opposite...."anti-sieze."

Secondly, any of those shops should be competent enough to handle a simple welding job.

jahudso2

Instead of welding it, I would go to advance autoparts and get a exhaust repair glue for like 4 bucks. You can just apply this around the h-pipe where it leaks and it should seal it right up. Might be cheaper than getting it welded.

East87

I'm actually running stockers because my SLP's are WAY TOO LOUD with the o/r H. My clamps really aren't touching the trans at all though.

That sounds like a good first step. I'll definitely check that out. Thanks.

Yea I ended up using a lot of the anti-seize I bought for the O2 sensors on the middle-pipe clamps because there was some crazy thread warp going on...Pypes used about the crappiest clamps possible with this set...

East87

s*** f*** dammit s*** f***

Got a CEL tonight... P0420 catalyst system efficiency below threshold (b1).

I don't know anything about codes or how to isolate cause, I'm posting this because I'm sorta freaking out...

***************from odb-codes.com*************
What does that mean?

The catalytic converter has an oxygen sensor in front and behind it. When the vehicle is warm and running in closed loop mode, the upstream oxygen sensor waveform reading should fluctuate. The downstream O2 sensor reading should be fairly steady. Typically the P0420 code triggers the Check Engine Light if the readings of the two sensors are similar. This is indicative of (among other things) a converter that is not working as efficiently as it should be (according to specs). It is part of the vehicle emissions system.
Symptoms

You will likely not notice any drivability problems, although there may be symptoms.
Causes

A code P0420 may mean that one or more of the following has happened:

• Leaded fuel was used where unleaded was called for
• An oxygen sensor is not reading (functioning) properly
• The engine coolant temperature sensor is not working properly
• Damaged or leaking exhaust manifold / catalytic converter / exhaust pipe
• Retarded spark timing
• The oxygen sensors in front and behind the converter are reporting too similar of readings

Possible Solutions

Some suggested steps for troubleshooting a P0420 code include:

• Check for exhaust leaks at the manifold, pipes, catalytic converter. Repair as required.
• Use a scope to diagnose the oxygen sensor operation (Tip: The oxygen sensor in front of the catalytic converter normally has a fluctuating waveform. The waveform of the sensor behind the converter should be more steady).
• Inspect the downstream heated oxygen sensor (HO2), replace if necessary
• Replace the catalytic converter

********************************

Is this just a simple burp in the Brenspeed tune that shut off the rear O2's? Is this code common after switching to an o/r midpipe?

OR

Am I damaging my engine somehow from an exhaust leak? Are my sensors going? Plugs and timing? WTF?

Please help...

thewarmachine

I'm getting a code for the left side. I'm going to take the car to a muffler shop to check for leaks.

BTW..... trumpeting is a resonance sound. It sounds like this:

mmmmmmmMMMMMMMWWWWOOOOOWWW...............mmmmmMMMM WWWWOOOOOWWW...

It is a sound that comes in two pulses usually. It's not a constant sound.