Tailpipes rubbing on axle, anyone else had this?

281pony · May 9, 2010

my tailpipes will not stay even/set as i adjust them on my notch. one side will keep slipping down at the back and hang 1+ " off the bumper. the passenger side will stay adjusted properly.

its just one of those small things that annoys the hell out of me. i've tried to adjust them probably 10x now with no luck. always ends the same.. so i am thinking of just dumping the mufflers, but i don't know how this will look on a notch.

anyone else had this happen? how do you cure tailpipes from moving around? i have all the rubber hangers intact and i do not go lightly on the bolt torque.

94GTCoupe · May 9, 2010

your using clamps on tailpipes?
my old flows would do that on the passanger side.
i clamped them in and put a couple tack welds on them to keep them from vibrating loose.

281pony · May 9, 2010

its a magnaflow ss catback.

the initial tailpipe clamps onto the muffler, then there is a slip joint over the axle where the pipes meet. so in total yea, it uses 1 clamp to hold the pipe to the muffler. i set my initial angle there, the adjust them at the slip joint accordingly.

i've tried adjusting them from the flow tubes that meet the h-pipe clear back, i cant get them to stay. nothing that welding will help, unless i welded it to a fixed position.

Haus · May 9, 2010

Maybe you need new rubber insulators. maybe they are stretched. causing the hanger in the insulator to turn and rattle the pipes

had that problem with my Mac cat back and replaced the insulators and its all straight now and stays that way

281pony · May 9, 2010

all the rubber hangers have like 3k miles tops on them. they aren't sagging or anything.

the drivers side just keeps getting moved cause it hits my axle tube. i guess i either deal with it or dump it. i think they are 3" diameter pipes, maybe i need to get 2.5" stuff.

Maverick93 · May 9, 2010

Can you move or wiggle the pipes by hand and see what joint is not holding properly? I had the same problem, and it turns out that one pipe was not seated all the way into the joint, which caused it to continuously vibrate out of position...Pain in the A$$!!! Lol

281pony · May 10, 2010

Maverick93 said:
Can you move or wiggle the pipes by hand and see what joint is not holding properly? I had the same problem, and it turns out that one pipe was not seated all the way into the joint, which caused it to continuously vibrate out of position...Pain in the A$$!!! Lol

i have tried that as well. my passenger side that stays in place acts totally different with my "testing".

i can push on the tip at the bumper, and it will move down and rebound back up against the bumper.

the drivers side, i will push it and its really mushy feeling. once i let go it lightly rebounds back. it keeps moving the pipe that runs over the axle, which causes it to angle down at the bumper. i can jack it up, and twist it back by hand. it is tight at the muffler (exhaust clamp), it just rotates during driving somewhere everytime.

i even tried to match both sides hanging down from the bumper, the passenger side will not sit below the bumper it's just an uphill struggle.

281pony · May 26, 2010

bumping this back.

i tried to adjust these again. i have started adjustments at the flow tubes pre-muffler, they are angled for optimum fitment on each side. then i have adjusted the mufflers so they are perfectly horizontal and fully engaged in the rubber hangers. for the tailpipes i went for optimum clearance around my axle tubes. it always ends up adjusting to the same relative area.

when driving, i always get a light "thump" from my drivers side where the tailpipe continues to have adjustment issues. it's only noticeable/occuring in 1st and 2nd gear take offs/shifting. i can also make this affect worse by hitting the gas hard or downshifting above 3k rpm's while rolling at times. it just seems these move with torque.

has anyone had this? i know all my mounts are good, it just seems as though the pipes run too long and axle tube contact is unavoidable. i'd really hate to take my tails off a notch.

cenok is family · May 26, 2010

you can do what i do...if you like a loud exhaust, dump the exhaust after the muffers and and install the tails as dummy's for looks. that way you get that aggressive sound and the good looks of having tail pipes.

281pony · May 26, 2010

cenok is family said:
you can do what i do...if you like a loud exhaust, dump the exhaust after the muffers and and install the tails as dummy's for looks. that way you get that aggressive sound and the good looks of having tail pipes.

no offense, but if i have tails without exhaust exiting, that is ghetto lol.

i am leaning towards taking some material out of the drivers side tailpipe where it slips over the muffler collar. if i took like 1/2" or so out of it, i could add clearance over the axle tube. then i can compensate for overall length with the tip.

this is one of those things that pisses me off everytime i drive the car. it had been almost 2 weeks since i moved it and this pissed me off immidiately

NIKwoaC · May 26, 2010

I don't know if this will help you at all, but I use a couple of those heavy black zip ties under my car to keep the tail pipes where I want them. The rubber hangers just don't do a very good job of keeping them in place, and the zip ties were a quick, easy solution to *help* the rubber hangers do their job. Keep in mind the zip ties aren't actually going around the tubing, just around the metal hanger rods, and attaching to part of the chassis.

I know it's kind of jank, but it gets the job done and no one will know unless they crawl under my car.

281pony · May 26, 2010

that is actually something i tried. i couldn't get them to hold the tension while driving. it sends alot of movement through the tailpipe when it hits my axle tube. it's just under certain throttle applications and clutch engagements it does it.

i think i'm just gonna have to shorten the tailpipe itself. maybe it ran just a hair long from magnaflow?

NikwoaC said:
I don't know if this will help you at all, but I use a couple of those heavy black zip ties under my car to keep the tail pipes where I want them. The rubber hangers just don't do a very good job of keeping them in place, and the zip ties were a quick, easy solution to *help* the rubber hangers do their job. Keep in mind the zip ties aren't actually going around the tubing, just around the metal hanger rods, and attaching to part of the chassis.

I know it's kind of jank, but it gets the job done and no one will know unless they crawl under my car.

Darkwriter77 · May 26, 2010

The problem might be further up in the exhaust system than your cat-back.

What kind of mid-pipe are you running? (What brand of X-pipe or H-pipe?) Problem could simply be the design of your mid-pipe. The UPR cat'ed X-pipe that I have was made an inch or two too long, so every time I have it bolted up for smog inspection, my tailpipes stick out past the bumper an extra inch or so and the tails will either rub or thump on the axle tubes. Fortunately, that POS only stays on there for a couple of days out of the year, max; the rest of the time, I'm running a Jeg's off-road X-pipe that fits WAY better and keeps my tailpipes in proper alignment so they're away from the axle and they don't stick way the hell out past the bumper.

Short of swapping out your mid-pipe for another brand, the only thing I can suggest would be to trim off an inch from your flow tubes where they go into the front of your mufflers to allow for more axle clearance.

Chrome_Rust · May 26, 2010

Just FN weld it. Don't see what the big deal is, a couple small tacks in the right places will stop all the problems you are having. Wherever there is a clamp, that is a place where a leak will occur. everything on my car is welded where it joins together, except where the flowtubes and the H-pipe meet. And I have no leaks, none. no problem with my tails moving around either. So bite the bullet, and weld your freaking pipes, no amount of cursing, clamps, zipties, or holding your tounge in the right place will make them stay.

281pony · May 26, 2010

it's not that simple. they are moving because they are hitting the axle tube. right now i have a weak spot, what happens if i weld them and theres nothing to give?

i'd rather do it right and shorten it. i've never had to weld exhaust before for anything like this. my passenger side doesn't do this either. tells me something with this drivers side ain't right. i installed it all, so i know its not the install...

i'll climb under the bitch tomorrow maybe and see what i can figure out.

Chrome_Rust said:
Just FN weld it. Don't see what the big deal is, a couple small tacks in the right places will stop all the problems you are having. Wherever there is a clamp, that is a place where a leak will occur. everything on my car is welded where it joins together, except where the flowtubes and the H-pipe meet. And I have no leaks, none. no problem with my tails moving around either. So bite the bullet, and weld your freaking pipes, no amount of cursing, clamps, zipties, or holding your tounge in the right place will make them stay.

Haus · May 26, 2010

anyway you can take a pic of it?

is it hitting on the pipe before it goes over the axle or the part of the pipe after it goes over the axle?

281pony · May 26, 2010

it is hitting the front of the axle- radiator side.

Haus said:
anyway you can take a pic of it?

is it hitting on the pipe before it goes over the axle or the part of the pipe after it goes over the axle?

Haus · May 27, 2010

What kind of suspension are you running in the back? You mentioned certain conditions its doing it.

maybe the driver side suspension is not up to par any more and when you give it gas and the rear suspension loads causing the driver side to travel down too far and hit the axle?

just an idea

281pony · Jun 18, 2010

i had this car up on a lift at 2 shops finally today. had the rear suspension inspected, and all other suspected problematic parts.

verdict came back that the tailpipes are just too tight. on the passenger side it slaps against the frame, and the face of the axle tube. the passenger side bumps my upper control arm nearly, rubs worse on the axle tube and rests almost on the gas tank constantly. all of these "thump" noises i hear, must be coming from them hitting all over the place.

my bushings are solid, however it appears one side is wearing they said at les schwab. so i guess i gotta dump her and i'll make up for that with a torque arm in there. i'm buying all new bushings for the LCA's and the fronts are heim's, but they are not lubricated at all.

so i'm just gonna overhaul the LCA's, new spring isolators, ect. it's not worth the headache or the $250 dollar custom tailpipe cost to me right now.

Tailpipes rubbing on axle, anyone else had this?

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