Exhaust removal on XLE with V-6

[GSS123]

I have a crack in my exhaust pipe between the flex hose and exhuast manifold. I need to remove the exhaust pipe and either weld up the crack or replace the pipe. The portion with the crack comes down from the front 3 cylinders and crosses over and connects to the exhuast pipe dropping down form the back 3 cyclinders. I call it the "Y" pipe.

So what kind of problems or tricks can you tell me about getting this out and replaced. And has anyone had success with welding the pipe back up. The dealer wants $400 for pipe, nuts, caskets and etc. Labor is another $300.

And any other options I'm open for suggestions. It just another Saturday for this old shade tree mechcanic.

[Toysrme]

Dude it's 6-8 14mm nuts. It's not gonna be a problem. The stock y-pipes suck. Get a performance one made for $250-350. You'll gain 15bhp from it. (20 if you can ditch the cat, or run a high-flow one.)

AFA the flex pipe being cracked... If you're not going to get a preformance one made, you need to get on ebay & buy a replacement flex pipe. Then have someone cut off the stock flex & weld the new one on.


$80-120usd owns $600-$900 any way you look at it.

[GSS123]

Thanks for the information. Any sources you have for the exhaust pipe would be useful?

I was worried about getting the car high enough off the ground to beable to pull the pipe down and out. I'm one of those guys who has to use jacks and wood blocks to get clearence between the car and the garage floor.

Look forward to the challenge.

[Toysrme]

You wn't have a problem, just get it jacked up. You have to flip the pipe slightly to get it out, but that's not a problem.

Also, it takes a tad bit of wiggling. The flex pipe ensures the pipe can wiggle itself free tho, so you really won't have any problems.

[GSS123]

Just an update. I had a local muffler shop weld in a replacement flex pipe. They did the replacement by cutting the old one off and welding in a new flex, without removing the the exhaust pipe from the car. $125 plus sales tax

They did have some trouble cutting through the weld on upstream side of the old flex. The room to work is very limited and the exhaust pipe has a Y connection making a very snug fit for a saws-all blade. The weld was stainless and also very thick in the Y connection area. It would have been a bitch trying to cut this without have the car up in the air several feet. I think I would have used a torch.

[marc780]

[quote=GSS123]Just an update. I had a local muffler shop weld in a replacement flex pipe. They did the replacement by cutting the old one off and welding in a new flex, without removing the the exhaust pipe from the car. $125 plus sales tax

Good deal you got there. $700 to fix an exhaust pipe, what a rip off!
Why are the dealers so often the biggest crooks?

[GSS123]

A dealer has a much different standard for repair then a muffler shop even if the work results in the same degree of customer satisfaction. The flex section is not a dealer supplied part. Toyota would require the entire "Y" to be replaced therefore a much higher parts replacement cost.

Some of our fellow forum members work at toyota dealerships and can explain this better then I can. There higher prices are not always a ripoff, but more due to the requirements or standard of service placed on them by Toyota Corporation in order to be a Toyota dealer.

What makes this forum great IMO is these same Toyota dealer mechcanic and others lend their time and methods to us shade tree mechcanics with ways to get around some of the high costs for repair.