wilco184
Member of the year 2015
Hi,
I would like to share my experience of replacing the exhaust flex on my TDI. Tony at A2 Cars correctly identified a leaking exhaust pipe at the A2 Cars open day as being the cause of an odd noise with my car. I'd always had my suspicions about the exhaust, but never had the time to check it out thoroughly. Many thanks Tony and team.
I was faced with two options. Either fit a new exhaust section from the turbo back to the rear silencer including the CAT or just to replace the flex section, which was the part that was leaking. I opted for the latter and purchased a stainless steel flex section of the correct dimensions from eBay. It arrived swiftly and seemed to be well made.
The plan was to cut out the old section of flex, and then clamp on the new flex section using exhaust paste and U clamps. Due to where the flex is located on the TDI, cutting the old section out proved to be very difficult. See picture below. The bolts between the exhaust and turbo couldn't be undone due to being seized, so the exhaust had to be cut in place. The bottom was cut with a hacksaw and the top was effectively 'destroyed' with a combination of tools, and then ground back with an electric file.
Removal of the flex section clearly showed where the leak was originating from. The black carbon deposits or the braid are a dead giveaway. I cut back the braid to examine the point of failure. You can see below that the hole has simply arisen due to rusting of the steel bellows. This was the hole after some light poking with a screwdriver. The original hole was a little smaller.
One the remaining pipe had been ground back, the new flex section could be fitted. Much to our annoyance, the top section of the existing pipe contains a weld that could not be bypassed easily. As such, it was decided that the simplest way to get the replacement flex to fit was to fit a new, larger 'collar' to it, in order to increase it's diameter such that it could fit over the weld. Modifying the new piece in this way seemed like the best way in my particular case, although it may differ for others. The photos below show the new collar made of stainless steel, which was welded onto the new flex.
After this, the new flex was fitted, sealed with paste and clamped into position; ready for testing. Once confirmed as being leak free, the car could be reassembled and the task deemed completed.
I can't say this is something I'd like to do again. It took a long time and their was a fair bit of annoyance involved, but I'm pleased it's done and the exhaust is now much quieter. I'm happy with the result.
Regards,
Matt.
I would like to share my experience of replacing the exhaust flex on my TDI. Tony at A2 Cars correctly identified a leaking exhaust pipe at the A2 Cars open day as being the cause of an odd noise with my car. I'd always had my suspicions about the exhaust, but never had the time to check it out thoroughly. Many thanks Tony and team.
I was faced with two options. Either fit a new exhaust section from the turbo back to the rear silencer including the CAT or just to replace the flex section, which was the part that was leaking. I opted for the latter and purchased a stainless steel flex section of the correct dimensions from eBay. It arrived swiftly and seemed to be well made.
The plan was to cut out the old section of flex, and then clamp on the new flex section using exhaust paste and U clamps. Due to where the flex is located on the TDI, cutting the old section out proved to be very difficult. See picture below. The bolts between the exhaust and turbo couldn't be undone due to being seized, so the exhaust had to be cut in place. The bottom was cut with a hacksaw and the top was effectively 'destroyed' with a combination of tools, and then ground back with an electric file.
Removal of the flex section clearly showed where the leak was originating from. The black carbon deposits or the braid are a dead giveaway. I cut back the braid to examine the point of failure. You can see below that the hole has simply arisen due to rusting of the steel bellows. This was the hole after some light poking with a screwdriver. The original hole was a little smaller.
One the remaining pipe had been ground back, the new flex section could be fitted. Much to our annoyance, the top section of the existing pipe contains a weld that could not be bypassed easily. As such, it was decided that the simplest way to get the replacement flex to fit was to fit a new, larger 'collar' to it, in order to increase it's diameter such that it could fit over the weld. Modifying the new piece in this way seemed like the best way in my particular case, although it may differ for others. The photos below show the new collar made of stainless steel, which was welded onto the new flex.
After this, the new flex was fitted, sealed with paste and clamped into position; ready for testing. Once confirmed as being leak free, the car could be reassembled and the task deemed completed.
I can't say this is something I'd like to do again. It took a long time and their was a fair bit of annoyance involved, but I'm pleased it's done and the exhaust is now much quieter. I'm happy with the result.
Regards,
Matt.
