Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 00:39:39 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: '88 GL Muffler Change - a big PITB!!!
In-Reply-To: <5208F226.7030202@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
M15 is a really big bolt. Getting that 22mm wrench must have been fun! Maybe
you mean you needed a 15mm wrench. That would probably be an M10 ISO or JASO
bolts. Many of the cheap Cats and some mufflers will take the 10mm hardware.
The Vanagon muffler should have tapped holes on the tailpipe side. As for
the muffler bracket holes a tap set seems to be a must have for VW work.
Just think when a shop has a simple job go south like this. Imagine if you
had to pay $100/hour to get that muffler in there.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
JRodgers
Sent: Monday, August 12, 2013 10:33 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: '88 GL Muffler Change - a big PITB!!!
Muffle has been noisy and rattling for a while., finally broke down and
bought a new one. Ordered new muffler, gaskets and hardware. Upon opening
the package discovered the muffler was different on the tail pipe end than
the old muffler. This was the beginning of a series of problems, however
minor, in this case. The flange was threaded rather than being drilled
through to accept bolts through it with nuts on the other end. This
difference resulted in the new bolts being to long. No real problem, just a
time killer while I hunted down new, shorter bolts.
All the bolts on the cat and muffler were rusted beyond recovery, and a real
pain to get loose. Soaked them with PB Blaster for three days, giving them
all a little squirt three times a day. Third day I began to disassemble
them. With a bit of grunt and strain with the help of a breaker bar the
bolts either broke or otherwise came loose. I found the flange and pipe on
the CAT end of the muffler to have come completely loose from the muffler
and was just floating free. The only thing holding it was the fact it was
still bolted to the CAT flange. I loosened the muffler hanger straps and
slide the muffler to one side, separating the muffler and the CAT. The CAT
easily came free at that point. Next was the muffler itself.
After a discussion on The List with Dennis Haynes and others - I set about
to remove the right hand muffler hanger. What a PITA. Couldn't do it with
what I had. The exhaust cross-over pipe blocked access to the nuts and bolts
with straight wrenches. So - stop once again and go buy a couple of
universals so I could get to the nuts and bolts at an angle and still turn
them. When finally done, I removed the hangar and the muffler slid right
out.
With the muffler out, the tailpipe bolts were removed, freeing the tailpipe
to be swapped over to the new muffler. Next came separating the broken
muffler flange from the CAT. At this point I discovered that the bolts hold
the Cat to the muffler flange were much bigger than the rest. All the other
bolts were either M8X30 or M8X35. These puppies were M15X30. Why the much
larger bolt I don't understand - but the holes in both the CAT and the new
muffler matched in size. But this meant that my hardware set didn't match so
off again to the hardware store. So I wound up with three M8X30(CAT to
J-pipe), three M15X30(CAT to muffler), three M8X20(muffler to tailpipe)and
two M8X20(muffler straps)
Readied to re-install the muffler hangar and decided to check the bolt fit
in the muffler hangers. The bolts would not enter straight. Rather than try
to force them in - and maybe create a cross thread situation, I stopped once
again to hunt down a thread chaser. My straps were good and reuseable, but
the nut on the hanger to receive strap bolt is welded in place. Screw that
nut up, and it's buy a new hanger - which is not available locally and would
have to be ordered in. But, as luck would have it - the discovery of the
hanger nut problem was discovered late Saturday night and on Sunday no
suitable tool store was open - so I was forced into the traditional day of
rest on Sunday. Perhaps that was as it should be. I sure feel good this
Monday morning.
I started this project in the morning Friday last, and expected to have the
van on the road in the afternoon for a fishing trip. WRONG!! Murphy came to
visit and he's been here helping every step of the way. It's Monday morning,
and as I write, the job is not yet complete, but the cat, muffler and
tailpipe with new gaskets and hard ware are assembled, thus everything is
ready to be re-assembled to the vehicle. So here goes. Wish me well!
John