kamlung

iTrader: (8)

I had an occasional clunk from the rear whenever i would go slow over uneven pavement... I also noticed that if i was stopped downhill, i would have a loud vibration... i was going to spend a few hundred dollars to change my shocks but when i looked underneath the car, i noticed that the y-pipe after the 3rd cat was resting on the crossbar... after further investigation, the exhaust hangers were stretched... the correct way to fix this is to replace the rubber exhaust hangers (insulators)... you can also remove the crossbar altogether, but i like having it there in case the hangers snap and your exhaust doesn't end up scraping on the ground... i cheaped out and went the ghetto fab way...

here is where the exhaust rests on the cross bar...



driver side hanger



passenger side hanger was sagging more



so the fix will cost you $.0000002



i hate salt roads!!! ugh look at that rust...



don't over tighten the zip tie... you should allow the exhaust to still move and give... this is only to firm up the saggy hanger... i used my jack underneath the exhaust to help lift the weight whilst i pulled the tie tight

then as another precautionary measure, i spaced down the crossbar with a plastic washer...



repeat for both sides



now there is ~1 fingertip gap

joebor1776

Wow, that is great--glad you figured it out. Thanks for posting this write-up. I went out and tried moving my pipes around, but it's pretty far away from that cross-member--I wasn't able to make it rattle. Were you able to reproduce the rattle just by shaking the pipe around with your hand?

kamlung

iTrader: (8)

you can try pushing up on the exhaust from the hanger... you will see if it is rubbing or not... it may not rattle but it will definitely scrape... this is always a good starting point to check because i read many threads where people chase a weird noise, spend hundreds on shocks and don't even check the obvious...

also try to diagnose with the cheapest option first...

sakataj

iTrader: (182)

no its not... the zip ties will break very quickly from the shock/vibration

Kam, i have a bag full of exhaust hangers, not factory but if you want them just pay me shipping and stop these bobo "fixes" that will be back to the same after hitting a bump (except the drivetrain tunnel one is fine)

kamlung

iTrader: (8)

Hey Brian - you ARE alive.... thanks for the offer... if someone else wants free hangers, contact Brian (FYI - Lexus wants $20 per insulator)

i think you're underestimating the strength of zip ties... maybe the picture is deceiving but these are heavy duty ones rated to ~200 lbs of tensile strength... i had to actually use tin snips to cut the end since that cutter i have in the picture didn't even make a dent in the plastic... if i hit a bump that creates over 400 lbs of shock, i'll have bigger things to worry about than the exhaust...

i'll stick with my 'free' ghettofied fix for now and change the insulator when i have to replace the exhaust... my last car went to the junk yard before the zip tie broke...

sakataj

iTrader: (182)

im alive just not around much

we have heavy duty ones also so i do understand how strong they are but mark my words they will break

joebor1776

Well, I gave this a try, just to rule it out as the source of my rattle problem. It turned out not to be my issue, unfortunately, still have the rattle. But at least it was super easy and cheap to do, so I'm glad I was able to rule it out. I just did the zip ties, didn't mess with adding the washers. I used two heavy zip ties per mount, and jacked up the exhaust just a bit as you suggested, before tightening them.

My issue is probably my rear struts and/or mounts. I just have to find the time to do the work (already have the parts).

Thanks again for posting the steps.

kamlung

iTrader: (8)

good luck on the struts... hope it resolves your rat chase..