M56x broken muffler pipe

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ibc
Posts: 195
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:17 pm
Car: Infiniti M56x

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My driver's side muffler pipe broke while on a trip. It seems the weld broke in the flange. Grr. Dealership wanted CDN $940 just for the part. Crazy! And the ONLY one available was far away in Vancouver. USA price was $540.

Strange that a fancy stainless steel muffler would have a non-stainless pipe & flange that rusts. Engineers didn't think this 100% through.

But... Coat hanger to the rescue. Then I'm just gonna re-weld it.

https://imgur.com/gallery/RKtw9MC


EdBwoy
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How did you catch it? The nice squeak sound of the metal rubbing, or did your exhaust suddenly start sounding throaty?

It seems the other side isn't too far behind, living in rust area. Have you considered a full stainless steel replacement? Either way, your fix looks functional enough.

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ibc
Posts: 195
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:17 pm
Car: Infiniti M56x

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Exhaust pipe dislodged itself 2 inches out of place. Yup, throaty is a good word. Much louder than usual, most annoying for my sweetie. Not good news when you're 700 miles from home, dogs & suitcases loaded, coffee cups filled, and need 300+ more miles to go. Good that we always carry tools.

I must say, this M56 is a pleasure to drive. Yet I fear I'm gonna wear out my rear window motor, cuz dogs wanna stick noses outside every time we slow to below 40 mph. Much nose-art. :-)

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ibc
Posts: 195
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:17 pm
Car: Infiniti M56x

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EdBwoy wrote:
Thu Aug 01, 2019 6:12 am
Have you considered a full stainless steel replacement?
I discovered that my muffler (ie, backbox) is split wide open along the top seam. So time for new exhaust. I'd prefer a suer quiet exhaust. Does such a unicorn exist? It seems Stillen stainless steel is the preferred catback. I'll likely get that? QUESTION: Is it tricky to remove the resonators from the Y-pipe? QUESTION: Is there a Stillen installation video?

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armybrat
Posts: 548
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2015 8:43 am
Car: 2012 M56x with Tech Package (sold)
Custom 2-1/2" X-pipe exhaust with OEM sport mufflers
HPS intake hoses
Uprev tune
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

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ibc wrote:
Sun Aug 04, 2019 6:24 pm
EdBwoy wrote:
Thu Aug 01, 2019 6:12 am
Have you considered a full stainless steel replacement?
I discovered that my muffler (ie, backbox) is split wide open along the top seam. So time for new exhaust. I'd prefer a suer quiet exhaust. Does such a unicorn exist? It seems Stillen stainless steel is the preferred catback. I'll likely get that? QUESTION: Is it tricky to remove the resonators from the Y-pipe? QUESTION: Is there a Stillen installation video?
The factory muffler is made of mild steel, not stainless. There is a replacement sport muffler that is made of polished stainless steel. They are more expensive than the original ones. However, from the looks of your pipes, I believe a complete new catback exhaust is the way to go. Yes for the cost of one new replacement muffler, you can have a full custom exhaust installed, or go with the Stillen. It's designed as a DIY install. Your Y-pipe bolts will probably be rusted, so maybe spray some WD-40 or Kroil on them before trying to loosen them. You might need to inspect your Y-pipe to make sure it's in good enough shape. If it's also rusted out, you'll need to replace it as well.

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ibc
Posts: 195
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:17 pm
Car: Infiniti M56x

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Now my OTHER muffler pipe broke off, too. Grrr.

Last week, my passenger side muffler pipe broke off, right at its bolting flange, same way as the driver's side muffler did about 6 months ago. Yup, flange weld broke, same on both mufflers. Got noisy real fast, again. My sweetie balked. So I welded it back on, too, same as before. Also, this 2nd muffler is also splitting open (from rust) along its top line, just like the other one. Maybe I'm gonna need that Stillen cat-back in a few months?

Tip: Disconnect car battery when welding on the car itself.

(No, nothing bad happened. Just passing along this reminder I received.)

User avatar
armybrat
Posts: 548
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2015 8:43 am
Car: 2012 M56x with Tech Package (sold)
Custom 2-1/2" X-pipe exhaust with OEM sport mufflers
HPS intake hoses
Uprev tune
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

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ibc wrote:
Tue Jan 28, 2020 10:42 am
Now my OTHER muffler pipe broke off, too. Grrr.

Last week, my passenger side muffler pipe broke off, right at its bolting flange, same way as the driver's side muffler did about 6 months ago. Yup, flange weld broke, same on both mufflers. Got noisy real fast, again. My sweetie balked. So I welded it back on, too, same as before. Also, this 2nd muffler is also splitting open (from rust) along its top line, just like the other one. Maybe I'm gonna need that Stillen cat-back in a few months?

Tip: Disconnect car battery when welding on the car itself.

(No, nothing bad happened. Just passing along this reminder I received.)
Yeah sounds like the whole cat-back system needs to be replaced. Need to check the secondary cats and flex connectors as well. Yes disconnect battery when welding, and I like to clamp the ground cable as close to the work as possible.


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