Muffler bolt on options.

[supertremendous]

So i got a 92 explorer xlt. And im looking for a better sounding muffler that will bolt right in place of the OE replacement one the previous owner had installed.

 

[natenkiki2004]

I'm curious about this as well. I'll have to replace my muffler and it would be neat to have something with better than average sound and better than average flow but without breaking the bank. Subscribing.

 

[2stroke]

The thing about "better" is its really up to you to decide. I actually like the stock sound, but had to replace mine out of necessity. I have a simple setup. I took the exhaust out from the cats back. I then just put a thrush glasspack on with a 90 degree pipe that points at the ground. Its not too loud. It more or less sounds like a straight pipe. The glass pack just quiets it down a bit. One thing I considered was just bolting a tractor muffler on. You can get them at lots of places. You can get all kinds of muffler replacements like flowmaster and dynomax. If you want it to sound like a V8, give up now. I don't see whats so wrong with the sound of a V6. Heck, I like the sound of an I6 better than a V8. Mufflers like a flowmaster will give you more of that hollow sound at idle. A glasspack gives you more of a low rumble.

Flowmaster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul5oMpZN0ks


thrush glasspack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnXsPVS6i0g


Also to note is where the exhaust ends. Mine sounds deeper has a throatier rev because mine points at the ground, and also resonates under the body. An exhaust that exits the side sounds different from on that stops under the truck, and that sounds different than one that goes out the back.

 

[Anime]

"Better" sounding is definitely relative when it comes to mufflers.

Going to a more performance-oriented, better-flowing muffler usually also results in at least a little bit of drone, which means you should probably like the sound that the muffler makes when it gets loud enough to hear the exhaust note.

My personal suggestion is for the Dynomax Super Turbo muffler.

The Part Number 17747 muffler has a 2.25 inch offset inlet and center outlet, that should fit in place of most other aftermarket mufflers, since they seem to use a pretty similar size and the same inlet/outlet configuration. The Dynomax has a very low and throaty sound on the OHV V6, which suits it well. There are some videos on YouTube to get a basic idea of what it sounds like on an Explorer. You won't hear the deep, low tones on computer speakers or even headphones, since the videos were taken with camera or video recorder microphones, but it's close enough.

You can also get a slightly shorter muffler, with an extension pipe to bridge the space between the front pipe and the muffler inlet. It's easy to do this on 91-92 Explorers because the exhaust hanges are on the rear pipe, not the muffler. You can throw on your choice of Flowmasters, Maganaflows, etc. etc. Generally as long as the inlet and outlet are both 2.25" and the offset inlet/center outlet configuration, you just need a straight pipe to bridge the space and some clamps.

Something to keep in mind though, is that even the "stock" replacement mufflers for 91-92 Explorers can be pretty good. Many of them use an "S" shaped flow path just like the Dynomax Super Turbo or Thrush Turbo mufflers, so the increase in performance with a slightly better flowing muffler can be pretty minimal, especially given the low-RPM nature of the OHV V6.

 

[SuperKirby]

When I bought my 93 it had a cherry bomb welded up. It sounded terrible, at least in my opinion. I bought a Dynomax Super Turbo kit from Summit for 129.99 shipped for everything from the cat back plus lifetime warranty. still has a little rumble and pretty cheap for what I got. I would recommend it.

 

[supertremendous]

i wish i could order from summit. canadian so shipping the thing is usually more than its worth (if they will ship it at all). and our prices are so inflated here and or selection is extremely limited.

 

[murkinstock]

I have a Thrush Turbo, test pipe (no cat), and an exhaust leak. Lol I needed to replace my whole exhaust because it was all falling apart. I like the way mine sounds for the most part. It sounds like a v8 at idle but once you get on the gas at all it just sounds like a slightly louder Explorer.
I would like to make the pipe exit out the side and put a Flowmaster Super 44 on mine. I think it would sound amazing. I reccomend the Thrush Turbo if you can get it. It's cheap and gives an alright sound.

 

[murkinstock]

Oh yeah. I also DO NOT condone the use of no catalytic converter. It was just the cheapest option for me and we do not have emissions testing where I live. With that said, I hope you find a muffler you like!

 

[natenkiki2004]

Oh yeah. I also DO NOT condone the use of no catalytic converter. It was just the cheapest option for me and we do not have emissions testing where I live. With that said, I hope you find a muffler you like!

You don't have emissions testing? I used to live in Oregon (near Portland) and had a bugger of a time getting a 1992 Suburban past DEQ after it sat for a while. You're not checked when you go in to get plates?

 

[Anime]

I have a Thrush Turbo, test pipe (no cat), and an exhaust leak. Lol I needed to replace my whole exhaust because it was all falling apart. I like the way mine sounds for the most part. It sounds like a v8 at idle but once you get on the gas at all it just sounds like a slightly louder Explorer.
I would like to make the pipe exit out the side and put a Flowmaster Super 44 on mine. I think it would sound amazing. I reccomend the Thrush Turbo if you can get it. It's cheap and gives an alright sound.

Oh yeah. I also DO NOT condone the use of no catalytic converter. It was just the cheapest option for me and we do not have emissions testing where I live. With that said, I hope you find a muffler you like!

Not using a catalytic converter is not going to be cheap in the long run.

Even if you don't have emissions testing, it's against federal law in all 50 states to remove a catalytic conveter and drive a vehicle on the highway without one. The fine is tens of thousands of dollars PLUS years in prison, even for a first offense.

People think that just because there isn't emissions testing in their city or state, or because cops don't crawl on the ground looking under every vehicle, that they will never be found out. Well, all a law enforcement officer needs to see is that little puff of smoke coming out of the exhaust, or smell the nasty putrid odor of the exhaust, to pull you over and either inspect the vehicle for a converter on the spot, or write you a fix-it ticket that tells you to report to a certain place at a certain time for a vehicle inspection. If they really want to, they can just have the vehicle towed and impounded on the suspicion that it doesn't have a working converter, and have it inspected without giving you the chance to fix it or put on a working converter prior to the test.

There are also medical costs involved, too. Not having a catalytic converter exposes you, your passengers, other drivers, and everyone else that breathes the air around your vehicle and the airspace it has driven through, to deadly, toxic gases. You CAN be sued if these people get sick and/or die, and you can bet it will in the millions of dollars. You CAN get sick yourself, especially from constant, daily exposure to the exhaust gases. The vehicle is not airtight, they do get into the vehicle even though most of the exhaust goes out the tailpipe.

It is WAY cheaper in the long run to just get a catalytic converter, either a $200-300 bolt on replacement, or a $50-100 single 3-way bolted up instead of a test pipe.

 

[murkinstock]

I've never heard of a mandatory inspection in Salem, until now, because I got in a wreck and now I have to get my vehicle inspected to make sure it's legally safe to drive (Because it was "economically totaled." Damn old people forgetting how to drive!)

Anime, I planned on getting one soon anyway when I had the money to redo it more proper. Thanks for the info though! I knew you could get in trouble if they found out. I just didn't know it could be that much trouble!

I'll be getting a new cat through RockAuto or something as soon as I get my settlement!

 

[natenkiki2004]

Anime, what about people who never removed theirs but it has since just worn out and no longer serves its function? Cats have been around a long time, I'm sure there's plenty of hollow ones now.

Can you provide some links for passenger health without a converter? I'm rather curious since I've not heard about that. It's my understanding that it's purely an emissions device, a way to convert noxious atmospheric gases into something less detrimental to the environment at the cost of reduced flow in the engine.

I'm all for helping out the environment but at the same time, money rules. If that wasn't a problem, I probably wouldn't have ended up with the Explorer. There's plenty of work to be done on mine and the money spent on cats could go elsewhere.

 

[murkinstock]

I'm all for helping out the environment but at the same time, money rules. If that wasn't a problem, I probably wouldn't have ended up with the Explorer. There's plenty of work to be done on mine and the money spent on cats could go elsewhere.

That's exactly how I feel about it! Now I'm planning on getting a second Explorer for parts so I'll probably take the cat off it instead of getting a new one. Hopefully it's not like my cat was!

 

[Anime]

A "worn out" converter won't be hollow. Hollow converters are those that have been modified with the internals deliberately removed. A "worn out" converter would generally affect engine performance and exhaust flow to such a degree that it would require complete ignorance on the part of the driver - or a willingness to drive despite the horrible, horrible rotten egg smell permeating the entire vehicle.

It is true that converter performance can degrade over time, especially the older designs, but for the most part, converters last the life of a vehicle if the other emissions systems are kept in good shape, and there is never a lean/rich fuel condition or anything leaked into the exhaust stream to affect the materials inside the converter.

It is 100% legal to replace a catalytic converter that isn't working properly, and it is also 100% legal to replace the converter in an older vehicle with a newer, better one.


I'm not sure what you're asking for in terms of links to passenger health. The chemistry of internal combustion engines and their exhaust is well understood - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhaust_gas. Unconverted exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide - a deadly, poisonous gas. Yes, it is detrimental to the environment, but it's even more detrimental to the human body.

Modern conveters also don't reduce exhaust flow that much, if at all. In fact, vehicles like the Explorer were designed with the catalytic converter as part of the system, so removing the converter actually has a negative effect on exhaust flow and fuel economy. Vehicles that generate 800+ HP might see a restriction from a converter, but the 160+ HP engine in the Explorer, and those in even the newest vehicles, don't see any real peformance hit from a properly working catalytic converter, however old.

Money rules, alright. The money not spent on a catalytic converter can be used instead to help pay the $25,000 per day penalty (up to $200,000) along with selling the Explorer and everything else you own!

There's just no reason to do this. It's based on an old practice from the days of muscle cars, when converters were new, regulations were lax, and ignorance was widespread.
These days, vehicles drive better with the converter and emissions in place, and for a small price, you can have better performance, better mileage, and better health - and avoid a fine of a magnitude that can ruin your life.

 

[natenkiki2004]

I agree with what you're saying Anime, aside from a few points;

"Life of the vehicle", that always gets me. Many things are claimed to be that way these days because we're in a throw-away society. There's transmissions without fill tubes or drain plugs because they're "lubricated for life". Do the engineers really think their cars will not be on the road 30 or so years down the line? Do they just figure enough of the other stuff will fail on it by then that it won't matter? At what point does the cat fail to work? If it wears down, slowly failing over time, how can you notice it?

Aside from that, I think we all know car exhaust will kill, my comment was on car exhaust with/without a cat converter. How could removing one be so much more hazardous to passengers in the vehicle? The exhaust will kill you either way.

I see your point about the flow being engineered in, at least into the computer. It's one of the reasons why I haven't messed with the intake despite all the neat looking mods on here.



If it were a perfect world, we would all have our Explorers fixed up and performing better than they did when they came out of the factory. I'm not advocating cutting the cats out, I'm just saying that sometimes you need to pick and choose what's more important to get done inside your budget.

 

[shucker1]

Catalytic Converter: Websters Dictionary.

"In automobiles, a component of emission control systems used to reduce the discharge of noxious and polluting gases from the internal-combustion engine. The catalytic converter consists of an insulated chamber that contains a honeycomb structure or pellets coated with a catalyst, through which the exhaust gases are passed. Hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in the exhaust are converted to water vapour and carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides are reduced to nitrogen and oxygen."

I agree completely with Amime.

We need to keep them in there.

Google pictures of smog in China.

Do you want to breath that stuff?

Yes I work in the oil field and make my living off of fossil fuels and No I not a tree hugger, but we all need to help out.

 

[Anime]

"Life of the vehicle", that always gets me. Many things are claimed to be that way these days because we're in a throw-away society. There's transmissions without fill tubes or drain plugs because they're "lubricated for life". Do the engineers really think their cars will not be on the road 30 or so years down the line? Do they just figure enough of the other stuff will fail on it by then that it won't matter? At what point does the cat fail to work? If it wears down, slowly failing over time, how can you notice it?

Most modern catalytic converters are made from stainless steel, and so those kind really will last "the life of the vehicle", in the literal sense - if the vehicle is maintained and the internals of the converter are never damaged by a lean/rich condition, overheating, collision, etc. the converter will last for millions of miles of driving.

The converter on the first-gen Explorers, and a few others, have some stainless steel, but apparently have only a mild steel or aluminized shell or housing, so the outside can rust, and it can probably rust from the inside out, over a period of time. A lot of first gens still have the original converter assembly and it's working fine, so it's more a factor of environment, those that are driven in snow and winter climates will probably see the converter rust sooner than those that life in climates that don't see any snow. The rest of the exhaust is similar - Ford used mild steel on vehicles in the 90's (and still does on many to this day), so the muffler and pipes eventually rust away and need to be replaced, too.

Aside from that, I think we all know car exhaust will kill, my comment was on car exhaust with/without a cat converter. How could removing one be so much more hazardous to passengers in the vehicle? The exhaust will kill you either way.

You need to look at that link in my post above on exhaust gas chemistry.

Unconverted exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide - a deadly gas.

Converted exhaust gas turns the carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide- the same CO2 that is in the air around us.

There is a big difference between the two.

Converted exhaust gas still isn't "clean air", but it is actually breathable - that's what people who live in major metropolitan areas breathe every day. You could actually live on it if you had to, though it's obviously not as good as fresh air.

Breathing in unconverted exhaust gas will get you sick at the very least, and is fatal with continued or prolonged exposure. Breathing direct exhaust fumes without a converter is close to the same thing as breathing in air through hundreds or thousands of unfiltered, burning cigarettes. Both are a good way to get lung cancer or other respiratory diseases.

If it were a perfect world, we would all have our Explorers fixed up and performing better than they did when they came out of the factory. I'm not advocating cutting the cats out, I'm just saying that sometimes you need to pick and choose what's more important to get done inside your budget.

I'm not suggesting that you need to run out and buy a new converter if you have the factory converter still on and it's working ok. Quite the opposite, the factory converter is usually still fine after 25+ years even if it's rusty on the outside. Usually replacing the exhaust from the converter back with a higher flow muffler and/or mandrel bent pipes gives a bigger improvement than replacing the converter would, at least for the money.

I'm saying completely removing the converter is A) illegal and B) hazardous to your health and that of every other human being that is around it when the engine is running - to the point that deliberately removing a converter and driving a vehicle without one is pretty close to deliberate indifference to human health and well-being.

 

[NinetyThree_Dd]

I live less than a mile from an interstate ramp and getting to work and across town involves a lot of putting my pedal to the metal. I was seriously considering cutting out my cats and running a straight pipe into a 40-series flowmaster. But this has me convinced that's not a good idea.

I swiss-cheesed my air box, bought a drop-in K&N filter, hand-cleaned my mass air flow sensor and Seafoamed my engine. It kinda "WOKE UP" my S'ploder, but after a couple weeks, it's back to being the dog it usually is. I clean & recharge my filter every six weeks or so, but I've just accepted that my Ford is what it is.

I'm still toying with the idea of a performance muffler, but only for economical reasons. I'm not concerned with sound. I have neighbors on all sides of my home with Harleys, Ricers and Monster Trucks... and I really don't wanna add to the noise.

 

[Anime]

Flowmaster makes a cat-back kit for the Explorer with their mild 50-series SUV muffler, that will give you better exhaust flow with only a mild uptick in noise, really it will only have a sports-car like sound, not the noise of a muscle car with open pipes.

Dynomax's cat-back kit is a easier to find and lower priced option that also offers better flow, and also gives a mild exhaust note. The flow improvement is pretty big on the 93-94 Explorer since the stock muffler and many of the aftermarket replacements are pretty restrictive.

You can also just stick a 2 inch in / 2 inch out muffler on there, including a Dynomax Super Turbo, and get an improvement, but the design of the 93-94 Exhaust system makes it a little tricky to do correctly without some welding or custom hanger fabrication, so the cat-back systems make for a much easier DIY bolt-on exhaust.