Date: Tue, 9 Aug 2005 09:27:16 -0700
Reply-To: Joseph Fortino <fortino1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Joseph Fortino <fortino1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Broken Stebro Muffler Bracket / Malcolm's trip
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I'm using the steel gasket at the CAT. like the stebro more then stock and its lasted longer
then stock no lie, but then again i'm a diffrent case..
peace
Joe
-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Sent: Aug 9, 2005 2:51 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Broken Stebro Muffler Bracket / Malcolm's trip
In a message dated 08/08/2005 3:47:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
Sounds like you had a fabulous trip! Interestingly, I also suffered a
broken Stebro muffler
bracket. They'll send you a free replacement (same design, but they say a
tougher alloy)
but you have to pull the muffler and get it welded locally. (It cost me $15
for the welds
which is cheap but pulling the muffler was a major pain) I've only had to
do that once.
I've had lots of trouble with the required fiber gaskets though -- do yours
start to leak (and
then burn up) after a few weeks or months?
Tabe & Malcolm, the STEBRO muffler brackets have now been modified and new
ones are being sent out to customers who have broken ones. However, it has
been our conclusion that there is some fault with the vehicle that these
mufflers are installed on that is causing the cracking. There are a very high
number of muffler brackets that have gone for very long times and miles without
cracking. The number of cracked ones are low. We do know that stainless
steel is more brittle and suseptible to cracking especially when undue stress is
present from improper mounting of the muffler. Also, undue vibrations from
improperly running engines and or worn/broken motor and or transmission
mounts. Please verify that all of these conditions have been properly met. As for
the gasket, if the muffler to CAT mounting flanges are not tightened
properly (a few heat ~ cool cycles and tighten again and check for tightness the
first few weeks) then for sure it's gonna blow out. It is a fibre gasket and
will compress after the first few heat ~ cool cycles. If a leak develops
during that time then the fibre will burn and tightening it afterwards may stop
the leak but the gasket life has been compromised. For that gasket to remain
intact it can never have any hot exhaust gases leaking by it. I personally
have the fibre gaskets on both my '87 Westy and 90 CARAT with that
STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel Muffler and both gaskets have been there for well over a
year now. I have begun using the steel doughnut gasket between the CAT and
J-pipe and between the J-pipe and collector with no problems of pipe cracking
near the flanges to date. It may be OK to use the steel gasket in the
muffler to CAT connection also. I am beginning to believe it was unnecessary to
use the fibre gaskets in the first place. I now have a few customers using the
steel doughnut gasket between the muffler and CAT with no signs of problems
thus far.
Cheers,
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy, '90 Carat & Lionel Trains
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
_Frank Condelli & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
or http://frankcondelli.com
_STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel Mufflers_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm) a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 09 ~ 12, 2005
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