I either have bad luck or I worry too much....
I've noticed last week that my left exhaust tip was hanging down. I touched it with my foot to see if it would wobble (broken hanger) and it didn't move. Well today, I decided I would see if I could get it to move. I grab it and to my suprise it lifts up. Looked underneath my truck to see the pipe laying on the rear axle. I took it up to a shop to have 'whatever' welded. Turns out that the left-hand outlet is breaking away from the muffler. It has only been on the truck since about June 2000.

What did I do to deserve this? Everything that is aftermarket on my truck has something wrong with it. Everything from the hood, wheels, running boards, fog lights, ventshades, to the tonneau cover.

Once I get all this figured out, and hopefully find my reciept so I can get my money back, I'm stripping the exhaust system and starting over - new muffler, pipes, and tips. Now I'm back to square one. Which muffler? It'll probably be flowmaster.

I can't believe I'm going through 4 mufflers in 4 years.

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97 f150 4.2L, silver
dynomax exhaust, k&n air filter, cervini ram air
hood, american eagle wheels, jet chip

 

Pony: You have neither bad luck nor excessive worry habits. From what I have read on other sites (I believe this one a year or so ago had a post about this) Dynomax mufflers do seem to rust quicker than the stock system. The metal is a little thinner and I do not think they are plated on the inside. The by-product of the reaction which occurs inside the catalyst is water. By the time it gets back to the muffler it has cooled and takes a lot of heat to evaporate it. I drilled a 1/8" small hole on the ends near the bottom of the seams to eliminate some of the water, but mine is showing the effects already and it has only been 10 months. When the muffler finally lets go, I will go with a stainless unit. Did not want to spend that kind of money up front until I decided to keep this truck. Well, I guess I will keep this one as it has made friends of my wife, so the stainless is next. j.b.

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99 SC Sport XL, Silver everywhere
4.2 auto, 3.55 rear gear
Split bench w/drivers side raised 2" in back
Stock AM/FM w/2 cheesy speakers
Ford brand bedliner, Mobil 1 w/Motorcraft FL400S filter
DynoMax single in/out muffler

 

Dynomax, I think, is probably one of the least restrictive mufflers on the market today. However I think FM is a more higher quality then Dynomax. I think FM would be a fine choice of mufflers for your next one. Sorry bout the muffler situation you are having.



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SpliT



2000 Work Series
Deep Wedgewood Blue
Standard Cab 5-Spd
4.2L V6 3.08 Gears
Mean Streak Cat-Back Exhaust(Anyone else have one, I hate mine)
Weld Super Single Wheels
Pioneer Deck DEH-P7200
Tinted Windows
Clear Corners
Superchip
AutoMeter Tach(Not Installed Yet)

Future Mods: FIPK, Bedliner, Billet Grille w/ Painted Grille Surround, Color-Keyed Bumpers, 6.5" Fabtech Ultimate Suspension Lift!!!

Email Me at: F150v6@Aol.com

 

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[This message has been edited by max mitchell (edited 03-11-2001).]

 

Max,

I asked them who was to blame - dynomax or installers - and they didn't give me an exact answer, but said the way the pipes were set up was correct. The warranty says I have to get the same muffler for an exchange but doesn't mention refund (unless I missed it). I'm not even sure if I still have the receipt.

 

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[This message has been edited by max mitchell (edited 03-11-2001).]

 

Max,

The pipes are 2 years older than the muffler. Your suggestion may be right. Friday I'm taking my truck to a place where it can be lifted and take another look. But it got this way a week ago and its severely rusted.
Getting a refund is not that big of a deal really. The muffler was $65-$70. I've been wanting to strip the whole system and start from scratch. I'm going to start asking around this weekend to see if some one will cut holes in my fiberglass running boards so I can do side exhaust exit (like Lightning). but I guess if i go straight pipes then I won't have to buy another muffler ever. No matter what happens it's going to cost $$$$ and I rather be getting stuff painted for my truck then having to buy another exhaust system.
I realize none of this stuff lasts forever but I wish both my truck and all my aftermarket stuff didn't need to be fixed or replaced all at the same time.

 

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[This message has been edited by max mitchell (edited 03-11-2001).]

 

Max,
I can't find my receipt. I guess this coming weekend or the next I'm going to have it all cut off. Try straight pipes and have them exit underneath the running boards in front of rear wheel. Decided that cutting the running boards might cause a weak point. I can't decide between tips though. I'll either go with flat top ones so they'll have a flush look with the running boards or get slash cut ones and possibly put them at an angle. Pipes will be about $60. If I don't like the straight pipes then I'm going to try a flowmaster.

 

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[This message has been edited by max mitchell (edited 03-11-2001).]

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ponysix8:
ponysix8 I got dynomax catback 3" system on my 4.2 its 8 months old sounds and still looks good. sorry about your luck dan

 

it blew out is what happened - something its warrantied against. The first shop that looked at said I wasn't driving it enough. During school I drive a mile or two a day, but on the weekends I drive it 80 miles a day to work. That's 285 miles a week. At the time it blew out I was in my 3rd week of winter break and anytime I drove the truck it went over 40 miles. I think I've driven it enough.
Oh well. I hope everyone else's does fine. I'm disappointed in it though. Maybe I just got the 'lemon' muffler.

 

good lord! it's the mad hornet times 2!
I let my dad take my truck up to the muffler shop b/c I had to work. They put the straight pipes on and he drove it around and decided it was way too loud. So they put 2 short (yes - 2) glasspacks on [no flowmasters laying around]. glasspacks are short b/c I wanted it to exit out in front of rear wheel (tips look sweet - barely visible underneath the running boards) on a regular cab truck. It's deeper sounding then when I had only one glasspack w/ duals running out the back. But it is loud.

 

madmax
see dynomax are not the best take a look at the way thier made in the factory.i'll bet thier not made by robots

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2000 f150 5.4 triton v8
extcab with 8 foot bed
custom superchip
k&n genII kit
granatelli mass air 80mm
ravin class 55 muffler
3in 2-2.5 out the back
3in stainless steel tips
bug flector bug guard
gps tail light covers
gps vent sheilds

 

EDIT?