General *RUMBLE* hole in my exhaust

[MrDT]

well, i have a hole in my exhaust. sound like a right boy racer in the car, but don't feel like one, seems to be a distinct loss of power.

popped it down the local exhaust place during lunch, and took a look underneath. the hole is down at the front, either the downpipe or the flexipipe between that and the cat.

now, he wants £65 for the part cash and carry, or £90 fitted. looking on ebay you can get the flexipipe for less than £20, clamp on. does this mean i should just get the part myself, and fit it, or should i pay the guy?

i'm not 100% if it's the flexi or the downpipe that has the hole in it, seemed to be blowing right at the seam. he was looking in some book, and reckons the part number i need is "30 11 45", is this a standard fiat part number? can anyone figure out what that number refers to i.e. the flexi, the downpipe, or both?

i need to get the car up again to take a proper look at her underside to be honest. see where the problem really lies and if it's something that i might fix with ebay and a jack.

does anyone know the diamaters of the pipe either side of the flexi on an r-reg mk1 60sx?

thanks!

 

[teulk]

The down pipe and flexi pipe are all one piece, i would say do it yourself mate. I replaced mine and its not a big job. Three bolts secure it to the manifold and two bolts to the cat. Check this site out as it shows a break down of exhaust parts

http://www.leisureshack.co.uk/osb/showitem.cfm/Category/Exhausts_9

 

[MrDT]

Ah, it's a onepiece, my worst fears confirmed I guess there's the option of grinding it to split in two and weld a shoddy bit of flexi in there, but in all honesty, i'd rather not

Very handy link though , thanks a lot mate

On that site the downpipe (inc flexi) is £80.55 alone, add the nuts bolts and gaskets and you're up to a whopping £85.83

Suddenly, £90 fitted doesn't seem so bad. Also, the heatshield that runs the length of the car has come loose on the passenger side and clatters. Exhaust guy said he'd bolt that down for me gratis while it's up on the ramp (or whatever you call them big **** off forklift type things).

I think I'll be living off beans on toast until payday. Stupid car! (But I love her :bang

 

[teulk]

You will probably find that a local motor shop will sell it alot cheaper, check them out first.

 

[Steven]

My Mk1 has been blowing from the downpipe for weeks now. Just turn the stereo up until pay day.

 

[MrDT]

Yeah, the guy at the garage said £65 cash and carry, but £25 extra means a pro fitting job, warranty, and no 'car landing on my headitis'

I reckon it's worth it to be honest, especially since he said he'd sort out the rattling heatshield at the same time free of charge.

Going to a local garage (not exhaust specialist) tomorrow for a quote on fixing the zorst, and a full service, also think she'll be needing a new cambelt soon as she's very nearly hit 80k and i'd rather pay now than pay a lot more later! He's a friend of a firend kind of thing, and is generally quite cheap anyway, and I reckon lots of jobs at once will help ease the labour costs... at least, i hope!

I'll report back when I get the chance (no internet access at home sucks )

Thing is, the car doesn't sound horrible, and people spend money to get noisy systems, it's just that there's a definate lack of power... plus i doubt mr polieceman would look favourably upon my environment destroying emissions!

 

[MrDT]

My Mk1 has been blowing from the downpipe for weeks now. Just turn the stereo up until pay day.

haha, that's what i've been doing

amazing the noise those little 12" fli traps can make

 

[PEZ1]

I had exactly the same problem with mine!! I have been told this is a common fault.
I managed to pick up a new front pipe from an exaust supplier in Sheffield called SDL and had this fitted along with my new rocket launchers!!
Cost me £27 quid including vat, BARGAIN! (Im in the trade so get it slightly cheaper but not by much).
Why not buy it seperatly and have ure man fit it for u

 

[MrDT]

I had exactly the same problem with mine!! I have been told this is a common fault.
I managed to pick up a new front pipe from an exaust supplier in Sheffield called SDL and had this fitted along with my new rocket launchers!!
Cost me £27 quid including vat, BARGAIN! (Im in the trade so get it slightly cheaper but not by much).
Why not buy it seperatly and have ure man fit it for u

i think the place i went to is the only exhaust supplier/fitter in the area

i have a feeling the quote tomorrow will be higher as it's an alround garage, not a specialist. i live up in North Wales, I don't think we have that many suppliers in the area.

was £27 brand new? that is quite a massive saving!

 

[PEZ1]

Yeah that was brand new (i was surprised myself)!!
Thats without any fitting costs as i was ucky enough 2 have it fitted for free

 

[MrDT]

well, looks like she's going to the local garage.

new downpipe fitted : £65
full service : £100
cambelt change : £60

they'll sort out the rattling heatshield and any other little bit at the same time

not bad really, was expecting £100+ for the cambelt alone. £225 to have her in tip top condition seems more than reasonable. my mate was charged £160 for a new wheel on his beemer recently, so i'm glad i drive a punto!

 

[beau]

do your service your self, its really easy, save like £70 that way

 

[Steven]

For once I agree with Beau, invest in a Haynes manual and service it yourself. It's basic stuff and easy to follow with a manual.

 

[MrDT]

I'm glad I wussed out and took it to the garage.

While it was up on the ramp it was blatantly obvious that something was wrong. One of the radius arm's is completely ****ed. The rear wheel just kinda waggles

The guys at the garage are amazed that I haven't had a very nasty accident yet

Apparently, it's not the kind of thing that just goes... it takes time. The garage I bought the car from MOT'd it themselves before I bought the car. That was about six months ago. Looks like they just pushed through an unsafe MOT as they would have to foot the repair bills before I bought it!

How ****ing shady is that? Sell someone an unsafe vehicle instead of fixing her up to a safe standard first!?

I'm not too happy about it, but at least the garage doing the repairs are looking into everything, and hopefully she'll be safe to drive soon!

So, anyone else experienced this problem? What worries me is that although the wheel seemed to be all waggly and wobbly on the ramp, the car has felt fine while driving (though my girlfriend complains that corners feel like i'm on 2 wheels!)

 

[Steven]

Well I'm glad they spotted that. As we have found out on this forum, dodgy workmanship can lead to very nasty accidents.

I replaced my downpipe myself. I bought a downpipe from the local motor factors for £26.50 and a set of ramps to get the front of the car up for £19.99.