Explorin'VA
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- September 7, 2012
- Messages
- 329
- Reaction score
- 4
- City, State
- P-twn
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '94 xlt
I just swapped transmissions and while doing so I had to remove the entire exhaust up to the manifolds. The y-pipe to manifold bolts were seized on, so to keep things rolling I cut a section out of the y-pipe. After everything else was done I took it to a mechanic to get the pipe welded back together and he said he couldn't do it without removing the manifolds. I didn't want to pay to have that done so I ordered a new replacement y-pipe. I was able to remove the two inner y-pipe studs from the original pipe, but the two outer studs wouldn't budge. I ended up cutting them off and drilled out the hole on the passenger side, but there was not a lot of room to work on the drivers side and I broke a cobalt bit off inside the stud. So on the drivers side down pipe I'm only using one of the two bolts needed on that flange and I can hear and feel air escaping. It runs but it stumbles during idle and it looses power at high RPMs. It feels like it wants to drive, but when I hit the gas it just boggs down and I hear the air leak hissing. The aftermarket y-pipe didn't really fit right. It hit the transmission so I had to reshape it a little. This pipe just might not seal as well as the oem one. Is there any kind of gasket I can use to seal it up? I was thinking about putting a clamp on the flange to hold it tight. Just wondering what your opinions are on what to do here. Thanks!