MY exhaust is in the street

[adiaw83]

I'm away at school and my mom had to drive my car for a couple days even though exhaust was barely hanging on. The other day when I went home to the neighboorhood to vote she told me to look at the car because something happened to the muffler and my exhaust was in two pieces. It looked like rust ate through it right at the middle where the front part and the rear parts connect. I had no time to reall do anything and probably wont but I'm not sure if I should take this to an MB person or a welder becuase I really cannot spend any more serious money on my car. any help greatly appreciated.

[psfred]

You really need to replace both mufflers if the pipe rusted through, MB makes tough exhausts. By the time the pipes rust through, the mugglers are gone too.

You can take your chances on a muffler shop being able to weld a pipe in. This will work so long as there is enough pipe left to repair it -- if it's paper thin, it won't be possible to weld it at all.

A new set of mufflers won't be cheap, though -- I just dropped $450 on the TE last month. Sure does sound better, though!

Peter

[apache]

Just out of curiosity, do most people buy MB or equivilent brand mufflers for their old diesels, or will the one size fits all mufflers from any shop work just as well? Just for planning purposes, I have noticed that MB specific mufflers are quite spendy. I'm trying to imagine what a $10 glass pack would sound like on a 240 or 300.

[Lycoming-8]

Hard to believe that these Benz diesels can actually loose a muffler to rust. The '68 had it's original system still in place in 1990 when I stopped driving it. The '83 appears to still have it's in place today as well. Experience here in NE Okla is that the fuel protects the inside and there is not much salt used to go after the exterior. Thankful for local conditions.

[Old300D]

A straight pipe would be ok on a turbo engine. I've got just a resonator, and the engine is still louder than the exhaust.

[whunter]

Originally Posted by adiaw83

I'm away at school and my mom had to drive my car for a couple days even though exhaust was barely hanging on. The other day when I went home to the neighboorhood to vote she told me to look at the car because something happened to the muffler and my exhaust was in two pieces. It looked like rust ate through it right at the middle where the front part and the rear parts connect. I had no time to reall do anything and probably wont but I'm not sure if I should take this to an MB person or a welder becuase I really cannot spend any more serious money on my car. any help greatly appreciated.

may be able to save it.

[adiaw83]

I'll try and get under there and get a better look this weekend. The car is in the street right now though. Is there any way to get it up into the driveway. Its just a couple yards away.

[Lycoming-8]

Just wire any loose items up to the mount brackets and then run it into the drive. Shouldn't be a real big problem.

[ned2683]

Originally Posted by Old300D

A straight pipe would be ok on a turbo engine. I've got just a resonator, and the engine is still louder than the exhaust.

doing the same thing, i agree. i don't have the resonator either.

[BobK]

My policy is to replace with factory parts if possible. They lasted 20 years, I expect the replacements will have a long life. The cats are one place where I'll give in and go aftermarket. MB is just too high for them. If the SL ever needs an exhaust, I may look into a stainless steel system. I'm getting older and have found I like my cars a bit quieter than when I was a kid. Of course the soft clatter under the hood is a different matter. That's just a sweet mechanical music.

[morgantruce]

I discovered a small hole in the rear muffler of my otherwise sound exhaust system. I took a length of 6" wide aluminum flashing---2" longer than the circumference of the muffler and wrapped it around the hole (which I covered with a wad of fiberglass insulation) and then zip screwed it together: no leaks and it's quiet. I think the trick was to get the patch drawn super tight before screwing. I did that with several temporary lengths of nylon cord.

If this "repair" lasts more than a year or two, you can be sure I'll be back here to brag about it----but I expect that the interaction of hot steel and paper thin aluminum will end in failure long before that.


Being a long time owner of many ancient Subarus---in a jurisdiction with not-to-stringent safety inspections--- I am a bit more tolerant of exhaust leaks than most people. I think of the Mercedes diesel as an extremely quiet car compared to ANY of my Subarus!

[Pete Burton]

Like any other car, exhaust repair is frequently a tradeoff between time and money. Whichever resource is in shortest supply dictates how to fix it. Still, I hate to replace exhaust until I've got my money's worth. Recently, my exhaust separated where the 2 mufflers join into the pipe toward the resonator. I bought a 2-1/4" to 2" reducer (I think) which the OD fit PERFECTLY inside the short, rusted out end of the mufflers. Worked wonderfully.

[phidauex]

At this point, more money will just mean more durability. With a turbo you could just run a straight pipe and be OK, anything over a cheap straight pipe will just be to increase durability or 'stock-ness'. You might research a cheap repair, and then expect to do a more serious replacement later, or go with a better system now. Don't worry too much about it, like people have said, with a turbo, the engine is louder than the exhaust anyway, so having a good muffler isn't critical.

peace,
sam

[rdanz]

You can get a complete new exhaust at Autozone "Bosel" that comes with a lifetime warranty with free replacement for around $200 you can't beat that.

[Pete Burton]

You can get a complete new exhaust at Autozone "Bosel" that comes with a lifetime warranty with free replacement for around $200 you can't beat that.

really? A complete system?