Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:39:33 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Merffler options?
In-Reply-To: <009945B0C74341EAA0502E7C39F8D0AD@mike2d93581d7f>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
The Midas lifetime warranty is a bit of a "come on" A nice part of the
Vanagon exhaust is that it is a bolt on affair and you can often replace
only the one or two bad parts. FWIW the dealer mufflers are lifetime
warranty and a few years ago they listed for around $200. They now list at
~$500 and in the last few months I got two of them for free. One was for my
van. Once you fight an exhaust system apart the use of good hardware will
make the job easier in the future.
Yes, a Syncro front pipe will work fine on a non-Syncro.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Mike
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 9:02 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Merffler options?
I have a Snap-On heater box 13/14mm S-wrench; it's my favorite tool!
I haven't tried the candlewax trick yet, but I will soon.
I hate exhaust work; IMHO, it IS best left to Midas or somesuch place. The
lifetime warrantee on the muffler alone is a very attractive feature.
I do have an oxy-acetylene torch, and that's the only way to go, if you have
to remove/ repair/ re-install rusty exhaust components, amongst other
things.
BTW, can I install a 2.1 syncro 1-3 front pipe on my non-syncro 2.1?
Mike B.
----- Original Message -----
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 8:06 PM
Subject: Re: Merffler options?
They are not all that difficult to change.
I usually lower the rear of the engine some though, that really helps with
access, but it's not absolutely necessary.
All you have to undo is the 3 bolts to the cat, and the support bracket on
the right side of the engine.
what I commonly find is the nuts and bolts are really rusted, and half the
time I heat the nuts with a torch to be able to get them off.
If the engine isn't lowered, then you might need a 'heater box wrench'
which
is a 13 mm hex box wrench, built in a curve, so it can reach around
corners.
And rare is the intact and complete support bracket ( support bracket
system
I could say ). Most I see are broken, missing pieces, or have been hack
welded to get them to work a little bit more. It's about 5 parts all
together. I have most of those parts.
parts wise , you need the muffler, gaskets at both ends, and tail pipe.
I often undo the cat and muffler with tail pipe as one piece..........so I
can see the upstream end of the cat material inside it.
With that part off the car, the bolts between cat and muffler are easier
to
deal with.
I don't know how I'd work on this stuff without a torch really, most of it
is so rusted and stuck.
here's trick to remember if flame heat is available........get the bolt or
nut pretty hot, and melt candle wax into the threads. It'll get sucked
right into the threads, and sometimes that makes them be able to unscrew
like they should.
here's a great upgrade to a 1.9 waterboxer. Put on a rear engine mount
aluminum casting part, from a 2.1 waterboxer engine.
That system uses a great 'cradle' arrangement to hold the muffler. You
just
use the right side of the double cradle system to support your 1.9 wbxr
muffler. There's some welding and minor modification I think, but this
would make a 10 times better muffler support than is stock on 83 to 85
Vanagons.
I don't think I have any extra of those brackets right now though .....
but it's a vastly superior way to support the muffler, compared to what
the
1.9 has. If I find I have an extra one, I might build up 'the perfect'
1.9
muffler support thing using 2.1 parts, and offer it for sale.
or you could put on an entire 2.1 exhaust system too, but that would be
expensive and make a lot bigger project out of it.
The ones I get are decent European made, good quality aftermarket
mufflers.
if you want a price quote, let me know.
And see if your right side muffler support bracket system looks ok. Many
are
broken or hack welded .
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rocket J Squirrel" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 4:22 PM
Subject: Merffler options?
> I've not actually been under there to look, what with the broken ankle
and
> all*, but my son reports that the old merffler on my 1.9l 84 auto
> transmission is starting to get a certain "lacy" look to it. I think
that
> I can shortly expect more exhaust to come out of places that it isn't
> supposed to come out of than that where it is meant to come out.
>
> Is replacing the thing an E-Z thing.? I hope it does not usually involve
> advanced welding skills, giant pit in the floor to stand it, a
background
> in metallurgica, and a pipe-bending engine.
>
> For replacement merfflers, are there lots of choices?
>
> =================
>
> * Physical therapist is a devotee of the marquis de Sade
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> Bend, OR
> KG6RCR