Exhaust hanger

[xfeejayx]

Hey guys.
I just replaced rear struts with Monroe Quick Struts (Thanks Mike! (tips and tricks coming soon)) to solve a rear end rattle...didn't do the trick. Oh well, needed new struts anyway.

Figured out yesterday that the rattle and thumping was coming from the exhaust pipe and muffler moving aroudn and knocking into stuff. The louder thumping was coming from the mufler hitting the heat shield above it.
How you ask? because the bolt/pin that the rearward exhaust hanger hangs on somehow got knocked upward, even though the muffler shielding it from below, and the frame of the car is keeping the muffler itself from coming up and hitting the pin. I have no clue how it got bent up. Any ideas?

Anyway, I managed to yank the pin back down, but it's not solving the whole problem. It seems the rubber exhaust hanger is not really strong and lets the muffler move around at will. I can move it over quite a bit with just one finger. Is the rubber exhaust hanger a wear part? Anybody have exhaust "rattling" that was solved by just getting new rubber?

Thanks

[Mike Gerber]

You're welcome. Sorry it didn't solve your problem. How does the car ride now? In my 98 it was like a night and day difference after installing the Quick Struts, compared to the worn out OEM Toyota struts and springs with 100,000 miles on them.

I would think the rubber hanger would get brittle with age and be less flexible, therefore causing less movement;but you never know. Is this a Toyota OEM hanger? I have seen rubber hangers at most auto parts stores in my area. They aren't really expensive so if an aftermarket one looks the same, I would just try it. If it's easy enough to remove, you can bring it in to the parts store with you and compare the flexibility of the old and new part.

Another thing I have done with problems like this is to get some rubber pads with adhesive backing and stick them on the places where the muffler makes contact. You would have to clean the area thoroughly to get the adhesive to stick. Just another option to consider.

Mike

[xfeejayx]

The skin on the hanger is harder, but you can feel the inside is softer and squishier. The exhaust heat might have something to do with it?

The quick struts made a huge difference, the old struts had about 70k on them. The car sits at least 2 inches higher now, almost 3. There was a sticker on the new strut that said ride height might be higher than normal for a while "till the springs settle". Not sure I beleive that, but I like it, itll keep me from botoming out on all the insane driveways back at the good ol' U of I. I might just end up changing the fronts too, the ride is just so much better.

[simplexveritas]

Originally Posted by xfeejayx

The skin on the hanger is harder, but you can feel the inside is softer and squishier. The exhaust heat might have something to do with it?

The quick struts made a huge difference, the old struts had about 70k on them. The car sits at least 2 inches higher now, almost 3. There was a sticker on the new strut that said ride height might be higher than normal for a while "till the springs settle". Not sure I beleive that, but I like it, itll keep me from botoming out on all the insane driveways back at the good ol' U of I. I might just end up changing the fronts too, the ride is just so much better.

quick struts for the win