Ok I'm a newbie to RX-7's but I've got an exhaust leak at the muffler and I've been pricing out new mufflers and such and don't want to spend $300+. So I called my local Meineke just to see if they were the same as exhaust shops and the guy at Meineke said he might be able to put a "universal muffler" on my rex for me.

My question is has anyone else tried this?

I looked back through the older threads and have seen different inexpensive fixes and just as many different opinions on the legitamacy of these. So, I turn to the place that got me confused in the first place......has anyone ever tried a "universal" muffler from Meineke?

One other question.....If the leak is small enough could I just patch it up with some JB Weld or something?

 

You can USE a "universal muffler" if you understand that it probably won't last a year.

Everything I have read about the Rx-7's exhaust is that it gets MUCH hotter than your standard piston engine's exhaust, and will pretty much destroy the cheap exhaust components.

If you plan on just getting this simple fix done, I would suggest going to your local Pep Boys, or similiar auto parts store, and picking up the muffler there, for (what I paid) $17.99.

If you go to Meineke, they will probably charge you $60 for the muffler....and it will be the same thing, or if you can imagine it, even LESS quality.

The one I have now, just rigged up after my exhaust manifold with mechanic's wire, is the Cherry Bomb Turbo II muffler.

I only went that route for a temporary fix to the insanely loud sound of driving with just the exhaust manifold (open header). It works..but just don't expect it to last.

 

carefull rotaries exhaust temps run a fair bit higher then boingers try and get a SS packed muffler i ghihgly suggest you take a look at racing beats it is deffinetly worht the money and you wont hav eto replace it anytime soon, as wich is most likely going to be the opposite case if you choose the "universal" muffler. yea never know though.. just

 

If the exhuast gets sooo hot, then why not use dual exhuast and cheap mufflers? Wouldn't the dual setup lower the temps for each muffler?

 

Why would a dual exhaust lower temperatures? Just because there are two exhaust streams, if you will, they both will be the same temperature, won't they?

 

it'll do but PROBABLY won't last... the only reason the rotary produce more heat is that it doesn't absurb any heat or disapate it in any manner... Piston engines absorbs heat through the pistons or a heat disperser... I heard this from anothe rotor head... it makes sense because if you remove the header and look at the exhaust port you'll see that it comes right out and at no point it tries to desipate that heat...

 

Well, if the heat comes from the engine, halving the amount of exhaust going though a single muffler would reduce the muffler temps, right?? The exhuast has X heat energy, and dividing it into two mufflers = X/2 right? Just like when you have the heat on, and you have one of the vent closed- more heat out of the ones that are open, but open all of them and the heat is less from each vent.

 

But that'd just be more flow


HOWEVER, it WOULD be MINUTELY cooler.... With dual exhaust, there's more piping, which means more steel to absorb and transfer heat away from the car, which effectively lowers exhaust temperatures... I highly doubt there'd be a noticeable change though.


On a side note, I've had a 1982 Honda Accord presilencer and a generic (Canadian Tire $29.99 Canadian Dollars special) muffler on my '79 for over a year, and it still sounds the same as the day I put it on...

A lot of people on here go by hear-say, and not personal experience. In my personal experience, I have yet to burn out the packing on my el-cheapo exhaust system.

 

Ive got a Flowmaster....Theyre pretty cheap and the one on my car has been on there about 4 or 5 years and I blow serious flamage on a daily basis and its still good as new

 

my magnaflow stainless was $90 , like $25 to install one If I had to guess

Why buy a cheap muffler?

 

'cause some of us are students, and just need something to get us by until we have more money

Dropping $150 canadian or more on a muffler, or $500 on a complete Racing Beat system just doesn't seem logical on a car that needs more important things, like wheel bearings and an engine overhaul, and I don't have the spare change to do it either, so my car gets cheaper parts in the meantime, until I have enough money to do more later.

 

cody! i just bought the pep boys special TURBO II CHERRY BOMB!!!!! hahahahhaha, i'm getting it put on monday. i'm still running my tsudo muffler at the end but the turbo II will be used as a "pre-silencer" kinda since i dont have any cats at all. i'll let you guys know how it sounds. i'm just trying to bring the noise down a bit. one thing cody, how loud is the turbo II by itself on your car?

 

Wanting my car to be a sleeper, I wouldn't put a cherry bomb anywhere *near* it... but some people like the sound of 'em, to each their own.

My vision is a Rx7 that *looks* completely stock (except for the sound system), that purrs like a kitten, and has minimal exhaust noise... a sleek, small, quiet car... that'll kick the **** out of the stupid Hondas that race around the streets here

Honda Guys - "Hey look, it's some guy who thinks his Japcrap is good.. let's show him what we've got"
My Rex - "Purrrrrrrr"
Honda Guys (after getting taken) - Wholy ****, what was that?

Jon

 

i do believe it's "HUMMMMMMMMMMM!"

 

Here's my car with the above exhaust system... I like the sound, it's kinda deep and throaty

First bit is inside the cockpit, revved to 5500rpm, second bit is outside, next to the left rear tire, revved to 6K...

You have to save it to disk to listen to it by the way, you can't stream it...

 

The Cherry Bomb Turbo II.

It actually doesn't sound too bad. Its not really LOUD, and it's not some special distinct tone.

It's reasonably free flowing, since it doesn't have several baffles (metal walls) for the exhaust to bounce off of.

Its just...imagine 2 paper towel rolls, poked full of holes. Exhaust enters one tube, fills up the inside of the muffler, and exits through the holes of the other tube, out of the muffler.

I have to say, I was surprised, and quite impressed with the sound, from a $17.99 muffler, just placed over the 3" of pipe left after the exhaust manifold. It's not welded on, so if you really pay attention, you can hear the little hum of suction through the 1/4" gap.

I only rigged up the muffler, since I had NO EXHAUST after the manifold, and it was ridiculously loud. The car would shake like a blown V8 at the intersection, which was fun in itself......but step on the gas at ANY higher RPM, and you had to fear shattering someone's windows next to you.

I didn't want to get a ticket for noise, so I rigged it up on the way to the Mazda Tech Session a few towns away.

I've spent $180 before on a cheaply matched up universal exhaust, welded together at a small exhaust shop, and the result is about the same.

As a presilencer, these $17.99 mufflers aren't bad, and at a fraction of the RB prices. Its a small oval canister, that fits perfectly after the manifold.

 

" i do believe it's "HUMMMMMMMMMMM!" "

 

I didnt say that, I said get a good muffler first time around rather than getting one to 'get you by' and then have to buy another and another, etc. Just doesnt make sense not to fix the problem the first time around and forget it rather than postphoning the inevitable by doing something half way to only fix it again later, sounds like more work and more expense to me

 

based on that logic, I guess I can run my bedroom air conditioner through twenty seperate pipes and cool every house on the block.

Seriously, check with people that have dual exhaust systems. They are more prone to rust. Why? because they don't get as hot. Also, this is why it is illegal to convert a single cat exhaust to a dual cat exhaust- since the cat works off of heat, and going to duals reduces the heat per cat.

 

get a dinomax ultraflo oval muffler with offset inlet and center outlet. i had one in my car for 2 years and never sound loud. plus it doesnt sound like a bee. they are at $99. and you can find them in muffler shops anywere

 

It's the same reason you finanve something, like your auto insurance.... so you don't have to drop everything at once... you can gradually pay it off. I know in the long run it's cheaper to just buy one good muffler, but I can't afford to right now, so I have to put a cheap one on till I can afford an upgrade

 

As long as the muffler is made out of T-304 steel, the universal muffler will do as well as anything else!

 

I have a Meinike muffeler on mine from the DSPO... It seems to have held up well, although it sounds kinda cruddy...

Besides, who cars if it lasts less than a year... Meinike has lifetime warranty, don't they?

 

If patching is your game my I suggest something a little of the wall? I had an exhaust gasket finally rot out in between the 2 carburetors on my ’81 GSL. Now while saving up to replace the whole damn exhaust with something nice, I found Furnace Cement to be the answer. It is used for joining metal furnace duct work together and can withstand 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. I had gotten the tip from a friend in the business (full time gear head) and stopped over by the local hardware store (Fleet Farm) and found a nice big caulk tube of Furnace Cement. I sealed the gap; let it dry for an hour, and presto no more leak. So far it had worked like a charm. I figure it will buy me some time.

 

It is my understanding that if you remove the cats the exhaust is much cooler and not so much and issue.