New Exhaust

[ChrisMinelli]

Hello -- I have a 1952 Plymouth Cranbrook that had some nice sized holes in the exhaust and muffler.  You could smell fumes inside the car so I figured it was time to have one installed.  I couldn't get the car high enough to do it myself, so I took it to a shop that advertised experience with vintage cars.  I picked up the car today and it sounds and runs awful.  It's louder -- much louder -- than when I dropped off the car. 

I have looked over the system and it appears everything is in order.  The majority of the noise is coming from the engine compartment.  Is there something I can check for?  I cannot see a gasket between the manifold and the exhaust pipe (which is new).  If there SHOULD be one there, would that make the noise? 

Also, the car runs awful now.  I was going to do a tune up this winter but I need to move it up because the thing hardly idles and when slowing for a stop sign it stalls out.  My thought is the new exhaust may have changed the compression or something in the engine and now it just needs adjusting.  I may be wrong.  Any advice or thoughts?

[Dodgeb4ya]

You need to take it back and ask them...

Hey guy's.....What do ya think is causing it to be louder after you folks just replaced my complete exhaust system?

Maybe their deaf?

That from years of working on loud cars.

[JerseyHarold]

Just a WAG but maybe the manifold heat riser valve got damaged somehow causing excessive back pressure?

[Dan Hiebert]

That shop needs a return visit.  There is obviously something wrong with their installation of the new exhaust system.  Something in the system is too restrictive, but that is still the shop's doing.  While it would be nice to figure it out on your own so you can tell them what the deal is, the onus is still on the shop.  Any reputable shop should have made sure what they fixed is indeed fixed, and better than when it went in.  They should also be able to ascertain if they broke something else while in the process.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Could be....

...Header pipe to manifold connection...header pipe was not made right and does not extend up into the exhaust manifold the proper 3/8" using a welded H-duty thick  header flange. Meaning the header pipe gasket will blow out and leak

..... exhaust header pipe stressed downward and cracked the rear section of exhaust manifold.

.....pipe or muffler separated

.....idiot exhaust specialists?

[Plymouthy Adams]

experts and specialist are only words in a dictionary these days....my condolences for the headache....but TAKE IT BACK

[Dodgeb4ya]

Specialists today mean not!

[capt den]

they may have pulled a muffler that was so old that it rusted inside and is clogged. then it blew the engine pipe gasket or something else to make it noisy and of course it will not run properly. it needs to go back and you deserve an explanation as to how they could consider that a finished job. didn,t you notice this when you picked it up and paid for it?    capt den

[Frank Elder]

I agree take it back.

[ChrisMinelli]

Update — I took the car back and they are “looking” into it.  It’s been a couple of days and I’m getting more and more irritated as time goes by.  I suspect that their level of “specialty” is not going to assist them in fixing it if they broke it in the first place.  

[Dodgeb4ya]

Not a good sign it's taking this long?

[Plymouthy Adams]

I have always said I could screw something up a lot cheaper than paying someone to screw it up for me....

[Sniper]

12 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

I have always said I could screw something up a lot cheaper than paying someone to screw it up for me....

 

Best quote of the month right there

 

[ChrisMinelli]

No doubt.  I am willing to fix almost anything on the car but was not keen to do a lot of impact wrenching under the car when all I have is four Jack stands.  I am starting to reconsider “convenience / safety” with “proper work / not ruining my car.”

[Young Ed]

58 minutes ago, ChrisMinelli said:

No doubt.  I am willing to fix almost anything on the car but was not keen to do a lot of impact wrenching under the car when all I have is four Jack stands.  I am starting to reconsider “convenience / safety” with “proper work / not ruining my car.”

I would think an impact is safer vs jerking with a ratchet or breaker bar. 

[Sam Buchanan]

13 hours ago, ChrisMinelli said:

Update — I took the car back and they are “looking” into it.  It’s been a couple of days and I’m getting more and more irritated as time goes by.  I suspect that their level of “specialty” is not going to assist them in fixing it if they broke it in the first place.  

 

They're probably trying to find a replacement manifold.................   ?

[keithb7]

I can't imagine this would end well. I'd lose my temper on these guys. Simple nuts and bolts here. There is nothing technical about removing a rusted piece of tube from the flange at the exhaust manifold, then routes back to a muffler then out the back of the car.  "Looking into it?"... Over a few days? Come on. Really? The shop needs to own up to the screw up. Come clean. Fix it and move on. I'm trying to imagine what they could have possibly screwed up.  Broke off a bolt at the pipe to exhaust manifold flange? Tried to weld it to get it out. Cracked the exhaust manifold?  Yet how would this scenario make the engine run terrible? Makes me wonder what they may have done to the engine. The Exhaust side is under the carb. Maybe bumped the Air/Mixture screw. Dislocated choke linkage?

 

I am starting sense incompetence....Not a good feeling.  There's not much here as shown in the pics.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2020 by keithb7

[desoto1939]

The flange were the exhaust pipe goes into the exhaust manifold seems to have a gap or space might not be on correctly also what is the little nit with a tube extending on a 45 degree angle under the exhaust manifold used for and what should be and should not be connected to this thing In your top picture the heat risot weight is inthe upright position and inthe bottom picture the weight is in the total down position why the difference  Did they mess with the spring onthe heat riser???????

Did they take the two halves apart onthe manifold and did they use the correct gasket between each top and bottom?  Did they plane the surhace of the intake and exhust manifolds to insure they are not warped?

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

 

[keithb7]

@desoto1939 These photos are just examples. They are not photos of the original poster's car's exhaust system.

[desoto1939]

OK thanks for the update I thought this was his engine on his car.

 

Rich Hartung

[ChrisMinelli]

The mechanic is not returning my calls or answering his phone.... I try to think of the best in people so maybe he's been out sick or something.  (Very possible in this part of Illinois).  I'll drive by today and see what is going on.

[Dodgeb4ya]

I would have been there 4 or 5 days ago.

Maybe they all have coviditis.

[Adam H P15 D30]

Did you have them replace the muffler and tailpipe or did they do something with the manifold?  Have you looked at the manifold to determine where the leak is now?  Is it something they messed with?

I would go pick up your car and determine where the leak is for yourself.  If it's a workmanship issue on their part, did you pay with a credit card?  If so, dispute the charge, that usually gets their attention.

If it is not related to their work, then you have the car at home and you can fix it.

P.S.  Take pictures of the problem when you find it so we can help here.

[Los_Control]

Get the car home, obviously at this point they do not know the issue and trying to learn as they go.

Can we get a list of possible reasons why this might occur with exhaust work?

 Would need to be a restriction of flow, or a intake of air to change vacuum/fuel mixture.

 

Get the car home, lets find out what is really wrong with it. Very possible a intake gasket failed while they were working on the exhaust ... nothing to do with what work they did.

With these old cars, anything can fail at any given time. Just get the car home in your loving arms, then figure out what failed and why.

Honestly replacing the tail pipe & muffler, just not a lot to go wrong. If you have a issue with the heat riser or intake/exhaust leaking, Is it really the mechanics fault?

 

If it is a intake issue, do you really want a exhaust shop to fix it? Just get the car home, then figure out who the next person to work on it will be.

[Sniper]

the OP said nothing about just replacing the muffler and tailpipe.  The implication I read was the entire exhaust, muffler included, got replaced.  Why the shop would need to surface the manifolds or have messed with any of the other suggestions offered is beyond me.  They shouldn't have just to put in new pipe and a muffler.  But who knows what they did.