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Our daughter's '91 244 has developed a loud exhaust. It looks like Volvo has quit selling the cat back packages. The intermediate pipe is not available and they claim that the muffler has be be special ordered from the manufacturer.
Who makes or sells the best-of-the-rest quality exhaust parts for these cars ?
Thanks
Greg
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posted by
someone claiming to be Mike
on
Sat Nov 25 05:21 CST 2023 [ RELATED]
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FWIW - when I have ordered exhaust mufflers/pipes I coat them first with VHT Silver High Temp Ceramic Brake Caliper paint - did the header pipe as well a few years ago and it is holding up well (not peeling off).
I live in a salt belt too.
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My experience has been that Walker parts last about two years even if you drive the car every day. The Volvo exhaust would last 7-10 years and weren't much more expensive than aftermarket. When I saw that Walker bought Starla I figured that they did not add a premium line.
I see NAPA carries Bosal. $264 - $330 for the mufflers. Rockauto has stainless Walker mufflers for very cheap.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/volvo,1991,240,2.3l+l4,1287053,exhaust+&+emission,muffler,5872
I'm skeptical of that too.
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IPD sells a cat back hi flow stainless steel kit. Made in China of course. Will see how it holds up.
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My experience is that Bosal lasts longer than either Walker or Starla. Cheap stainless exhaust - I too would be skeptical. Stainless is wonderful if for real. I put well over 250k on my 95 850 with a stainless system. The only exhaust parts I ever replaced were the 2 rear exhaust hangers. Amazing! This is in the snow and salt mine road system of New England.
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Hi Jim,
I'd expect a SS muffler's steel hangers to disappear with electrolysis going on.
Did you notice any other nearby steel parts rusting away? Rocker panels, the floor?
Putting stainless next to ordinary steel can setup destructive electrolysis.
In the New England winter you're driving around in the electrolyte.
I wonder how good it is for brake calipers to have SS flex lines, so the calipers don't go west, including stuff like frozen bleeder screws?
FYI KlausC is still with us, and planning on getting cataract surgery in December!
Dunno if anyone has escaped hospice care, but so far so good with Klaus.
Bill
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This was the factory exhaust from Volvo. All 850’s, S70’s and early V70’s have stainless muffler and rear pipes as one unit. Didn’t you realize that? Believe newer Volvos also have stainless steel exhaust systems. Why the hell would Volvo do that if it was going to cause electrolysis? Other car manufacturers also have stainless steel exhaust systems. Doesn’t make any sense.
My point was I only replaced the exhaust hangers in 21 years. Car had original muffler/pipes, catalytic converter and even the original flex plate at 21 years old. IMO - truly amazing! Car had zero rust when I sold it at 21 years old.
--
Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....
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Hi,
I too question the statement made about stainless steel creating electrolysis in adjacent metals being mounted together or electrically connected.
I went off on a search to get more information about this phenomenon that he wanted to share with us.
Yes , I agree it is very odd to think down that road without considering what he may have meant in an environment of an electrolyte.
Salt water is an electrolyte or at the least a conductor of electricity too.
I also thought of my 240s with their rubber hangers that were put on there as flexible noise isolating units.
I know they do nothing for stopping rust from other corrosive elements involved.
In building something like a battery you need two connections or conductors for input and output.
In the case of electrodes one can become sacrificial.
In his scenario this would be the plain carbon steel parts of the car he is referring to.
Now if adding a stainless exhaust system might acerbate the problem. This would only be by reducing the amount of eatable material available.
So that would make the any other parts even more susceptible to corrosion under electrolytic conditions of snowy road or driving on an ocean side beach in a blink.
In conclusion, I do not want to dismiss his post into the lands of total poppyseeds as I had one critic say about a post “I must be smoking something good.” 🙂 I don’t drink or smoke as I have enough going on without any help.🤭
I can appreciate opinions. As like on other things from our bodies, everyone has at least one something out of necessity. It keeps the world interesting.
Thanks for your post now I feel better about doing my research.
The idea of a ceramic paint or better yet, ceramic exhaust systems.
That sounded entertaining as catalytic converters use ceramics.
Just need something not so brittle as porcelain used earlier cooking pots and then lose the metal substrate.
How to keep it light and of course cheap, would probably kill the project. ICE contraptions are on the endangered lists.
Hey, we have fiber optics now, just installed in my house, because of thinking out loud among our cohorts.
Phil
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Hi Kitty,
I had the same idea to say as I just bought a set from them a few weeks ago.
One muffler or both are Starla or Walker brand quality. It’s the same with the pipes.
FCP out sourced up the exhaust clamps and the rubbers are of good quality too.
The clamps look heavier duty than the factory ones that may still be on an aged vehicle.
These are made of a wide band material with formed ears.
The bolts used to pull them together are shorter but larger in diameter.
They are look like a made for the job at hand. In being more robust has to be an improvement IMHO.
I THINK, these cannot sink into the split joint like the factory ones do.
Many installers or owners tend to over tighten the factory ones to get some of feel of satisfactory friction.
Like I said I bought mine a few weeks ago and I believe they are cheaper this week or they are running a sale as they usually do from time to time. Mine were $307 and I just saw a few days ago they’re under $290.
My whole order was discounted more when you hit $499 so I wasn’t hurt any IMO.
FCP has a nice reputation and statement that they use their stuff on their cars or won’t sell it.
I believe they did their homework on this package.
The Volvo rear muffler has always been a heavy design and that makes it a cold sink. That helps attract moisture stay in there since the mass is so far away from the heat source.
Stainless steel or an another design would be very helpful but getting both done for these aging vehicles can only spell $$$.
The center pipe can be fabricated in muffler shops and “might be” aluminized as Volvos once were?
These in the set appeared to be coated with something.
I don’t know if and when that gets done during manufacturing since bending a stretching is involved.
Is probably a cosmetic deal on the outside as who can see the insides? Stainless is all the thorough. It comes back to how much chromium and nickel is in the metal $$.
It will also depends on how long a person is willing to wait for the ROI.
Many factors kept stainless out of many vehicles today.
Phil
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Starla cat back Here:
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-exhaust-system-muffler-kit-240
iPd sells stainless off brand cat back systems.
https://www.ipdusa.com/Catalog/Index?CAT_ID=1034
Some will use OE Volvo clamps and hangers. 1991 240 US has the metal do'hnut! spin gasket at the header pipe out to catalytic converter inlet. The three studs from the cat may be feeble after 32 years. I've remove the cat, used a press or auto machine shop to press these studs out. The spline interface was then sharp on the plate on the cat. Used as large a diameter hardware for high heat and torque, And does well. Original cat!
Also, it is primarily critical the header pipe just before the outlet is supported by the bracket attached to two bell housing bolts. There is a plate in between shaped like an L. These rust as do the break away in an accident welds that secure the single piece of thick sheet steel with the steel embedded fastener, a hex nut usually, used to secure that L bracket to the header pipe end near the outlet. That L plate secures to the bracket in two places. M8 or M10 hardware (bolts, nuts, washers). A hard to access nook to be sure.
That bracket also connects the exhaust to DC earth / ground. In fancier cars, the exhaust system is connected to the body, and earthed, at exhaust system unions with an appropriate conductor / insulation connecting the exhaust in an electrical bond to the body. I've used braided copper alloy and steel ground straps meant for the under Volvo 240 environment. Up to the last union where the tailpipe connects to the rear muffler / resonator (if you have one). Your exhaust system may remain for a very long time, like decades, as has on my 240s.
Many other articles here for exhaust service. Maybe look at the exhaust page in the 700/900 FAQ? Not the same parts yet the same exhaust system.
\https://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/Exhaust.htm
Also, if not already, how are the exhaust manifold gaskets when you look at an edge. Rusty and flaky? The studs are a service item as these rust, can seize and snap. The newer studs from Volvo are beefier yet you can find premium hardware at McMaster-Carr, Fastenal, Fasteners, and maybe the higher priced Grainger outlets.
Use nickel anti-seize on studs and all fastening hardware.
May be able to find it cheaper elsewhere. A little cheaper.
Questions?
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Just FYI, Starla is Walker, not Bosal. Some parts houses list Starla under the Walker name. Within brands there are often various design constructions at assorted price points for quality and longevity. Starla aluminized steel jacket with stainless steel baffles is by far the most common used in our RWD Volvos series. In my decades of Volvo muffler experience, Starla can be of inconsistent quality as far as the bonded aluminum skins and thinner walled connector pipes go and simply don't have the longevity of the thicker OE ones that Volvo spec'd from their suppliers. Always best to shop around once you've got the p/n's figured. Buying kits is by far the simplest, but not always the cheapest. One problem I've noted recently, and this especially applies to Starla, individual parts like one of the muffler brackets or even the tail pipe may be backordered for long periods of time from all suppliers, meaning that going for a more expensive kit is the best option, that is if you can find them in stock. I've had to resort to using old muffler hangers that I know weren't going to last as long as the new muffler.
If you're going to keep your Volvo, the FCP lifetime guarantee is well worth the premium price. I once had a muffler shop lifetime parts and labour muffler warranty on my 140 and when it came to needing a third resonator rear muffler they didn't want to honour it saying that #2 wasn't a lifetime part. Took a phone call to the distributor to sort that one out.
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now
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https://www.ipdusa.com/Catalog/Index?categorycrumbs=997
Stainless. Expensive. Maybe a better Black Friday price?
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