The winter time is when bad mufflers start to fall apart. Rust, road salt, and snow drifts all work together to deteriorate your muffler and poke holes in it. Once the muffler starts to break apart, it will get really loud and you'll need to replace it before you get a ticket. Replacing the muffler is something that many car owners who know how to set the car up on jack stands can do by themselves in an hour or so. If you own a 1997-99 Toyota Camry with a 2.2L engine, here is how you can replace the muffler.
Raise Backend of Car
Jack up the back end of the car and set it on jack stands. Don't forget to put chocks in front of the front wheels so the car doesn't roll forward off the jack stands while you are working.
Remove Damaged Muffler
The flange
The nuts might strip because of the damage the rust has done to them. In this case, you'll have to cut the bolts to remove them. Use a handheld grinding wheel fitted with a cutting wheel to cut off the bolts if you can't unscrew them with the ratchet.
Take Muffler off the Hangers
Two
New Muffler
The original muffler part number for a Toyota Camry with a 2.2L engine is 17430-7A672. If you don't buy a muffler directly from a Toyota dealer, you need to be sure the replacement muffler matches up with the Toyota part number to make sure everything fits correctly.
Clean Flange
The flange on the long pipe will need to be cleaned so you get a good seal when you connect the flange on the new muffler to it. Take a wire brush and remove all the rust on the front of the flange and remove whatever may be left of the old gasket before you install the new muffler.
Install New Muffler
Put the studs on the muffler through the holes in the hangers. Line up the flanges and put the new gasket between them. Bolt the flanges together to finish. To learn more, speak with someone like Leo's Automotive.
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