300SE (w126) exhaust hitting the cross member

[tinypanzer]

So, I guess this is not unheard of.... Every post I've seen about it says "replace the motor mounts, etc."

Well, I did my motor mounts and my trans mount, and now the problem is worse, not better. Yes, they were good quality mounts, bought them from our sponsor.....

Before I did the mounts, the exhaust was sitting on the idler arm. Now that's fixed, but the bottom exhaust pipe that comes from cylinders 1-3 is sitting so close to the cross member that the slightest torque makes it touch. At a stoplight, unless I put it in neutral, the pipe chatters against the cross member cause it's just close enough to touch some of the time, but not always.

Part of me sez "fuggit", stick a 4' pry bar under there and put a small dent in the bottom of the pipe to improve clearance, but that would be a very crude thing to do, indeed.


Has anyone else had this issue? I think it quite bizarre, and very unusual for a German car.


-tp