Rear exhaust pipe broken @ resonator/chamber

The rear exhaust pipe on my '05 LGT has completely severed at the resonator (or what is listed as the 'chamber' in the FSM). Is this repairable via shoving the two sides back together and welding, or does the whole rear exhaust pipe need to be replaced? From what I can tell, the rear exhaust pipe is a long, single part that includes the resonator, so there's no way to buy the resonator separately.

 

 

Here are some pics:

https://i.imgur.com/mwBW8tQ.jpg

 

 

https://i.imgur.com/AjuqUd0.jpg

Grind the parts you need to weld together down a little then... hope for the best. Wishing you the best of luck from the west coast where my car has never seen road salt.

 

Might just be more cost-effective (if you plan to keep the car) to get an aftermarket or OEM catback. Forum users here might have an OEM catback for you to use that'll be rust-free.

Another option would be to get a different resonator or even a glasspack type cylindrical muffler that is a bit longer. A bit more length would allow you to hack out the existing resonator, clean the pipe ends up and slide the new one over and then weld it to some solid parts on the existing pipes. A good clamp might work too but I like to have these welded together.

I'll have a shop in town take a look and see what they think re: welding, as I have no experience in that department. Looks like new OEM replacement is only ~$330 shipped, so not the end of the world worst case. I've been planning on selling the car soon as I've been finding myself needing something with more clearance recently (believe it was a dirt road rock that finally did this in, though I'm sure the rust made the job easier), so it probably isn't worth fixing this via an aftermarket upgrade. Used OEM would be ideal, but I imagine finding someone willing to ship one for a reasonable price might be tough given how large this part is.

 

 

e: on the plus side, the car does sound great bypassing the rear pipe and mufflers

Edited August 10, 2020 by Casezilla

I'll have a shop in town take a look and see what they think re: welding, as I have no experience in that department. Looks like new OEM replacement is only ~$330 shipped, so not the end of the world worst case. I've been planning on selling the car soon as I've been finding myself needing something with more clearance recently (believe it was a dirt road rock that finally did this in, though I'm sure the rust made the job easier), so it probably isn't worth fixing this via an aftermarket upgrade. Used OEM would be ideal, but I imagine finding someone willing to ship one for a reasonable price might be tough given how large this part is.

 

 

e: on the plus side, the car does sound great bypassing the rear pipe and mufflers ��

 

Looking at this thread on my phone which is a much better display than my PC: your exhaust is not all rusty like I thought. I also noticed you’re in California. I’m sure there are a myriad of shops that would be comfortable working on that and you could have something done for less than the cost of an OEM catback.

I've actually been out New Mexico this past year. I believe they did salt (or something else) after snows, but it only snowed 2 or 3 days this past winter where I'm at (car probably saw more snow on out of state ski trips than at home). The previous 9 years I owned the car though it lived less than a mile from the ocean, which does result in some increased corrosion I believe.

 

 

Good to hear it doesn't look too bad.

The real issue is the Resonator is very thin metal. Your not really going to be able to heat it or add to to weld it back. Best thing is to delete it or buy a new one. I have the Resonator deleted on my 05 for this very reason as it broke at the neck.

duct tape! it fixes everything!

 

jk

The real issue is the Resonator is very thin metal. Your not really going to be able to heat it or add to to weld it back. Best thing is to delete it or buy a new one. I have the Resonator deleted on my 05 for this very reason as it broke at the neck.

 

 

What does deleting or replacing the resonator entail? Is there some bolt on solution for this, or does it require someone with welding experience to hack things up and weld them together? Since the "rear exhaust pipe" part is long and includes the resonator (the Y from the back of the mufflers all the way to before the resonator is all a single part from what I can tell), I'm assuming it's the later?

you change the entire pipe from the downpipe to the mufflers with an aftermarket one, not sure if they make one for stock size, but someone probably does, or cut and weld in a straight pipe in your existing one.

What does deleting or replacing the resonator entail? Is there some bolt on solution for this, or does it require someone with welding experience to hack things up and weld them together? Since the "rear exhaust pipe" part is long and includes the resonator (the Y from the back of the mufflers all the way to before the resonator is all a single part from what I can tell), I'm assuming it's the later?

 

 

Measure the outside diameter of the pipe before/after the resonator (they are the same I think). Then measure the needed length to give yourself a good 3-4" (or more) of pipe overlap for the joint. Find a tubular style muffler that has inner pipe diameter that matches the outer diameter of the exhaust pipe you measured earlier. These used to be called glasspack mufflers but I am from the 60's so maybe that term is old now. You could also get a standard muffler with a slight offset on one end to match best to the design of the resonator. A straight cylinder type unit will work fine though. Also get two or four good ubolt clamps to tighten it up and crimp down the muffler ends onto the old pipes.

 

 

One thing to avoid at all costs is disassembling the y-pipe to muffler fittings. Typically they are quite rusted and reassembling them and getting them sealed to be quiet is not easy.

 

 

Be aware that if you get a complete replacement pipe/resonator/y-pipe unit online they are made for both the Legacy and the Outback. They fit properly on the Legacy but since the Outback has a lower hanging rear cross member the y section of the pipe is noticeably lower by at least 1" when mounted on a Legacy. I bought/returned two diff mfr aftermarket pipes that were like this.

 

 

After trial and no good solution on my Legacy I posted a question on my local bookface Legacy forum and asked if anyone had a take-off unit willing to sell. I ended up finding one for $20 for the whole cat back and mufflers and it worked fine.

Oh, forgot to mention you will need a saw of some sort to cut off the weld bead on the old pipes. If you do not have the tools for this then I recommend you bring it to some local exhaust repair shop and they should have it fixed up in short order.

One thing to avoid at all costs is disassembling the y-pipe to muffler fittings. Typically they are quite rusted and reassembling them and getting them sealed to be quiet is not easy.

Does this still apply if I just replace the whole intermediate pipe section (Y pipe + resonator + straight pipe that goes to the cat) with OEM (hopefully used). I'd plan on buying new bolts/nuts/gaskets for the Y-pipe to muffler interface (same w/ the cat side connection), as the existing hardware there is all very rusted. Will there still be reassembly issues when using new hardware?

Does this still apply if I just replace the whole intermediate pipe section (Y pipe + resonator + straight pipe that goes to the cat) with OEM (hopefully used). I'd plan on buying new bolts/nuts/gaskets for the Y-pipe to muffler interface (same w/ the cat side connection), as the existing hardware there is all very rusted. Will there still be reassembly issues when using new hardware?

 

 

It depends a lot on the condition of the flanges on the mufflers - how much they are rusted. Mine were VERY thin probably half of the original metal thickness and it was extremely hard to get them to seal up properly again. The mating surface was just too uneven to give a good seal. If you go this route I'd recommend replacing the bolts and nuts with new stainless steel ones and also using a non-metalic style of gasket. This will sound odd but I have had best luck with MS12392 manifold gaskets and then just trim off the 2nd hole. Also, use plenty of muffler/tailpipe sealer compound when putting it back together and bolt the joint together tight. Replace the springs and shoulder bolts and the donut fitting on the front end of the pipe too. Honestly, it is easier to chop out the broken resonator and welded pipe ends and clamp in a suitable cylinder style muffler than it is to replace the cat-back midpipe and try to get it to seal up properly. My pipe/muffler flanges were super rusted but MN uses a lot of salt on the roads in the winter.

Does this still apply if I just replace the whole intermediate pipe section (Y pipe + resonator + straight pipe that goes to the cat) with OEM (hopefully used). I'd plan on buying new bolts/nuts/gaskets for the Y-pipe to muffler interface (same w/ the cat side connection), as the existing hardware there is all very rusted. Will there still be reassembly issues when using new hardware?

 

I have used whatever nut's and bolts

Edited August 15, 2020 by Max Capacity

Just use exhaust gasket material if fitment is an issue, also use a grinder and sandpaper.

 

Its a nut and bolt, if it fits in the hole, play ball!

 

Also post pictures of your muffler connection so we can better determine whats up. Rust comes in many different levels. Not all exhausts are equal, I have an 05 , and the oem exhaust and y pipe are fine. I could bolt them back up whenever after some light cleaning. I live in NY, where they salt the roads for fun apparently. Bottom 3 are y pipe and top one is one of the mufflers.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by Tehnation

I have used whatever nut's and bolts

 

Sorry had to go get a new keyboard.

 

I can type much better now.

 

That 16 y/o wireless keyboard had enough.

 

I use standard nuts and bolts and washers, or large OD washers if needed. Also red RTV on both side of the gaskets to help them seal.

Also post pictures of your muffler connection so we can better determine whats up.

The muffler connections aren't looking too hot, cat side isn't as bad.

 

 

doesn't look that bad to me. You can change the entire y/resonator pipe or just weld in something for your resonator, either way you have to unbolt it at the mufflers, can't avoid that. If you can't weld and want to do it yourself, just get a new or used one from a junkyard and bolt it in. The downpipe end uses a doughnut gasket I believe so get a new one, and grind/sand down the mufflers and get new gaskets for them as well, maybe something aftermarket and thicker, maybe some exhaust gasket sealant also, as well as some new bolts, and Bobs your uncle, done! If you have proper tools, smoothing the mating surfaces is a piece of cake. Edited August 16, 2020 by Tehnation

Those pipe flanges actually look pretty decent and should be fine if you need to reseal them with new gaskets. I'd hit the mating surfaces with a belt sander when apart to give it a better flat sealing surface.

Agree, that's just surface rust.