Topic: Argh! My Jeep Eats Exhaust Hangers!

[Jeffy]

This is getting on my nerves.  Last winter, I got a rip in my exhaust at teh hanger.  Basically the area around the weld ripped.  I got the exhuast replaced under warranty. Now jump back to today.  My Exhaust hanger broke off at the exhaust tip a few weeks ago and while I was looking at it today, I noticed my exhaust hanger broken off at the muffler again.  This time there is no tear in the pipe.  I've got galvanized bailing wire holding the muffler in place at the exhaust tip.  Nothing else there.

I know what's causing this and I'm sure there is no fix for it.  Basically, the exhaust ewas never designed to withstand substained RPM's at over 3000rpm.  More specifically, 4000-5000rpm.  The vibrations are breaking anything that's got some tension on it.

The left over piece at the tip is still there but the one piece is long gone.  I'm wondering if I should bother to get it replaced or see if I can rig it up myself.   The bailing wire seems to allow enough flex that it's not breaking but it really looks ghetto.

[YJmechanic]

you can use band clamps and weld the hangers to the clamps rather than to the pipes.  Tighten them snug but not wrenched down.  This will allow just a little more flex in the hanger and if it breaks you are only welding it back to a clamp not your pipes.  Some jeeps had a simular setup to this factory on the tailpipe.

[Jeffy]

Yeah that's one option but I don't wnat it to look ghetto either.  What I really need to do is raise my Tcase so the exhaust is inline again.  (There is really no reason for it to be lowered other then me being lazy and not raising it.)  Stock deivetrain and over 6" of lift and the DS angle looks great.

[YJmechanic]

I not sure if I understand you right but if you have the downpipe mount still attached to the tranny mount,  you can cut that off.  It is just a rigid mount that was over engineered for the stock exhaust weight.  I cut mine off because it was putting everything at a weird angle.  Most vehicles have about twice as many exhaust hangers as they actually need.  I bent lots of custom exhaust and eliminated many hangers in the process and never had anyone come back to complain.

[Jeffy]

Currently the bracket at the T-case is the only thing holding my exahust up.  That and the bailing wire at the end.  I've gto a 1" MM lift and that's pushing the exhaust down.  The T-case drop is making it even worse for the exhaust.  I need to move the T-case back up and that should fix all of the problems.  I'll probably get the Tip fixed and jsut leave off the one at the muffler since the bracket at the cat is beafy enough.