Questions and Answers
Muffler And Pipe Problem
Q. Mr. Ciulla, I have a 1996 Honda Civic LX Sedan, 1.6 liter, fuel injected, manual transmission, A/C and C/C and 92,000 miles with exhaust problems. In October 2000, the pipe connecting the engine to the muffler broke and the repair shop replaced it. The cause was never fully determined but we believed a seam had corroded.
While driving from Florida to New Jersey, the same thing has happened again only a year and a half later. The break is flush between the pipe and the muffler. The left mounting bracket for the muffler is almost completely rusted through, but I do not know if the break was there before or after the muffler started dragging. The muffler and tail pipe currently reside in my front seat because I had to pull the second bracket off to safely continue driving.
I bought the car used at 55,000 miles from a dealership with the car being previously owned and driven in New York. While I live in Kentucky, I spend most of the year in school in Daytona Beach, Florida, less than five miles from the beaches.
I am wondering if the salty air is causing corrosion problems or if you have any other knowledge about this type of problem. The car is driven mostly on the interstates and is well maintained with regular oil changes, recommended servicing, etc.
This is the only unscheduled maintenance I have had to deal with. If the environment is a factor in this, what can I do to prevent reoccurrence and are there other things I should be inspecting/performing regularly, especially in the undercarriage area? I appreciate any help or advice you can offer.
A. A lot would depend on whether these are aftermarket or OEM exhaust systems. Quite often the best place to get the exhaust system replaced is at the dealer. Aftermarket exhaust systems just don't cut it for Japanese cars.
As far as what you can do to prevent this from happening, there is not much you can do. Exhaust systems rot from the inside out. By driving it on the interstate you are getting the exhaust hot enough to dry out the water and acids that are a by-product of combustion. These by-products are what eats the inside of the exhaust.
Yeah, the salt air is probably having an effect on the exhaust, as well as the rest of the car. But I seriously doubt it's enough to cause any premature failures in the exhaust.
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