Exhaust flange separated from pipe - How to fix?

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efan10
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 12:14 pm

Exhaust flange separated from pipe - How to fix?

Post by efan10 »

Hi all, I have a 2004 vibe base model that has been making a lot of noise lately along with some rattling. I prepared myself for a search for leaks but the problem turned out to be quite obvious. The pipe between the catalytic converter and muffler is no longer continuous at the flanged interface between the two components. The pipe has completely separated from the flange on the catalytic converter side. I attached a coupe of pictures to give context, one from the rear of the vehicle (break not shown) and the other showing the separation. Now a couple of questions:
1. Is the only way to fix that to weld the flange back onto the pipe or do I have other options? If the former, what would you expect a shop to charge to do that as I am not welder?
2. Other than presumed reduced performance, are there any risks to driving my car in its current state until I get that fixed?
Attachments
SeperatedPipe.jpg
SeperatedPipe.jpg (103.34 KiB) Viewed 1931 times
BrokenExhaust-fromRear.jpg
BrokenExhaust-fromRear.jpg (117.37 KiB) Viewed 1931 times
jayoldschool
Posts: 294
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2014 6:04 pm

Re: Exhaust flange separated from pipe - How to fix?

Post by jayoldschool »

You can cut up a metal coat hanger to hold it in place. Take it to a shop, they'll just weld it back in place. It will be fast and inexpensive.
jolt
Posts: 945
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 2:07 am
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota

Re: Exhaust flange separated from pipe - How to fix?

Post by jolt »

Keep in mind that even though the surface of the pipe and flange are rusty, they are a low grade stainless steel. The surface rust needs to be removed from both before welding and for safety, the pipe should be removed from it's location as it is very close to the gas tank. Because of this the shop would probably want to remove the pipe before welding for both a strong weld and safe welding condition. Not every shop has proper welding equipment for stainless steel and/or would risk it's safety. If the pipe gets removed, it would then be more labor to repair the flange then to replace the pipe but replacing the pipe has way more expense because of the added parts. This is one of those things that can vary widely in price depending on how the shop goes about repairing this. Ask the shop how and what they are going to do and how long they will warranty the repair then compare prices.
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