Hello everyone,

I finished installing a new muffler from Walker along with its bracket. For your reference, here are the Walker part numbers:

- Muffler: 18388
- Bracket: 35158

To my surprise and disappointment, the recommended bracket did not fit properly. The two hangers are too short, leading to several issues:

1) The muffler hangs too high, therefore the angle of the end pipe is incorrect, risking contact with the plastic flap under the bumper, which I had to slightly modify to prevent interference.

Check these images:

https://postimg.cc/kRXZ1WMp
https://postimg.cc/pmNCyDbM
https://postimg.cc/jDzXfLtw

2) I suspect that strong vibrations could lead the muffler to hit the new trailer hitch I have also installed

Ideally, it should sit at least 1" lower, which would allow me to raise that end pipe angle to be parallel, or almost, to the ground.

Previously, I've used original Volvo parts or OEM Starla (which is the same company as Walker), so I decided to give Walker a try this time.

Has anyone else encountered this problem? I'm baffled by how such a bracket with short hangers could be sold. I managed to modify the one on the right to avoid angling the muffler, which would have worsened the situation.

Is there an alternative bracket available for this Walker muffler? I doubt it, considering it's designed to fit their specific dimensions. :(

I didn't face this issue with the Starla brand; their muffler has a different shape, and their bracket is designed to complement it.

As always, any help is appreciated. :)

Thank you,
Alex

Dear Metallo,

Hope you're well. I ran into the same problem some years ago. The Walker bracket is simply defective-by-design. It cannot be made to work, i.e., to enable the muffler to be mounted to that the muffler's axis is perfectly parallel with the car's floor pan.

A Volvo brand muffler bracket is a two-piece unit, with both mounting "ears" on the top of the bracket. The top section is Volvo #9161369 . I think the bottom section is NLA.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Hi Spook,

Thank you for your feedback.

I've considered using the Volvo original P/N 9161368 + 9161369 (top and bottom), which is actually what I previously had. You can see it in the image below:

https://postimg.cc/k21z6c84

The size (width) of the two mufflers differs; the previous Starla is narrower. I'm unsure if the original Volvo brace will fit properly.

I could attempt to remove the old brace and check, but it's very rusty, and I might not be able to salvage the bolts. However, I'll see if the brace could somehow adapt to the new shape.

Did you manage to succeed yourself?

Thank you!
Alex

Hi Metallo,

I'm about to replace my 1993 940 T exhaust, Cat back and appreciate your
comments.

Where did you buy these parts? Maybe the seller's catalog is the problem?

Wagner tech support (Exhaust and other products)
Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (EST)
Phone 800.325.8886
Email Address Gurus@driv.com

I phoned in and talked to Kyle and emailed these posts to him to see if
he might remedy the situation.
He couldn't find the right part numbers after searching for some minutes.
According to FCP there's different parts for Turbo and NA exhaust?

Does anyone see a down side for a stainless exhaust.
Will my body panels rust out fast if I install a stainless system?

Cheers, Bill

Hi Bill,

If I'm not mistaken, you were referring to Walker and not Wagner, correct?
I believe the confusion may stem from a possible search for a 940 dated 1997, which does not exist in NA. Narrowing our search down to 940 1995 model should provide more fruitful results.

Regarding the part numbers, they appear to be correct. To aid our conversation, I've included links to the respective parts from the Walker site:

- Muffler: 18388
https://www.walkerexhaust.com/find-my-part/part-details.html?part_number=18388&brand_code=BDCN

- Bracket: 35158
https://www.walkerexhaust.com/find-my-part/part-details.html?part_number=35158&brand_code=BDCN

It seems others have encountered similar issues, as evidenced by Spook's post. The bracket, upon closer inspection, does not seem to be compatible with our vehicles.

I purchased these parts from RockAuto.com, and upon review, it appears they recommend pairing P/N 18388 with P/N 35158. See this image:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=565438&cc=1289112&pt=5872&jsn=797

However, the compatibility seems to be questionable, especially considering the specific design for Turbo engines.

This discrepancy becomes more apparent when comparing it to the OEM option offered by STARLA (sold by FCP) - STA-81506, which I had previously. While Walker may offer a more cost-effective solution, compatibility seem to be concerns.

I intend to explore the possibility of fitting the Starla bracket to the Walker muffler to resolve this issue. It's unfortunate that such complications arise, but it's all part of the process, I suppose.

I hope the above information helps you and anybody else who will eventually need to change their muffler in the future.

Alex

Some very interesting info here, thanks.

The Walker catalog part fitment for the rear muffler hanger bracket is the same as RockAuto. Clearly the bracket seems to fit the muffler profile reasonably well, but the ears seem incorrect, seemingly too low set (making the muffler high) and they also look too short. I hope you make RockAuto aware of this fitment issue and even ask for a refund.

The Starla brackets, with their European plant now owned by Walker, are seemingly slightly different from the Walker branded ones. I've not had problems with the Starla brackets on the Starla rear mufflers, but did have to signficantly adjust the shape to properly wrap a Starla bracket around an old genuine Volvo muffler I tripped over on a shop closeout sale.

The genuine Volvo brackets are still available (for a hefty price), both the upper strap and the lower clamp (rod) bracket, which are sold separately. It's a very different design and may need significant bending to get it to properly fit the Starla rear muffler, which is presumably a very similar profile to the Walker. The upper band on the Volvo bracket rusts out easily, but the replacement cost of just that band can be more than that of a whole Starla bracket.

Mixing and matching these older muffler systems is obviously frought with risks. At the very least, you'd expect a Walker bracket to work with a Walker muffler in our 900s and even 700s (which have similar rear mounting).

I'm impresssed in your pics that you went with the original wrap style muffler pipe clamps, not the everyday U-bolt pipe clamps which can put a groove in the pipes that later makes them impossible to separate. The wrap clamps need to be used on slitted pipe joints, while the U-bolts may be needed on unslitted joints. I will often slit an outer pipe flange with my angle grinder to make for a better fit using a wrap clamp. What brand and where did you source those clamps? I don't see them on RockAuto.
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

Hi Dave,

Regarding the wrap-style clamp, I got it at FCP:

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/exhaust-clamp-61mm-975261

It is OEM, which is sufficient for me. Swedish steel is of superior quality; there is no doubt about it.

For example, the genuine Volvo bracket I previously had on the Starla muffler was easily unbolted. Upon close inspection, it is in quite good condition. I just need to wire drill it, and it will be good to go.

I will post a picture once I have cleaned it.

You are correct that the tail pipe is slotted, which allows it to tighten well.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-exhaust-tail-pipe-760-740-780-940-386-003

Currently, I am working on my other Volvo, an XC70. Once I am done, I will see if I can fit the Volvo bracket to the Walker muffler.

Thank you,
Alex

Hi everyone,

I wanted to update you on today's progress with the exhaust system. I successfully installed the old Starla bracket onto the Walker muffler, though it proved to be quite challenging.

The task involved multiple adjustments and bending of the old bracket to ensure it fit properly with the Walker muffler. This required me to disassemble everything from the central exhaust section to the tailpipe.

Aligning the geometries of the various parts was particularly tedious. I had to ensure the muffler was parallel to the ground and its azimuth aligned, although achieving 100% perfection was not possible.

My main goal was to minimize the distance between the tailpipe and the bumper, while also achieving nearly parallel alignment of the tailpipe. However, I prefer a slight downward angle to facilitate natural condensation drainage.

This project took me many hours of hard work, largely due to the poorly designed Walker bracket. In all my years of experience, I've never encountered such challenges, typically using genuine or OEM Starla parts.

If you're considering replacing your exhaust system, I strongly advise avoiding Walker and sticking with genuine or OEM Starla parts to avoid similar issues.

Attached below are some images for reference.

https://postimg.cc/svM12snT

https://postimg.cc/fJ1ytppD

https://postimg.cc/1gQzM6yd

https://postimg.cc/jDN5zvYN

https://postimg.cc/v1tZKBBZ

Hi Metallo,

Yes I had a typo, having difficulty telling the difference between Walker and Wanker, It must have been a Senior moment. I feel like Tonto, with a red face.

Walker has no listings for 940 after 1994 in their catalog.

I found another possible hiccup is that they have two different intermediate
pipes between resonator and mufler: B230F #42754 and B230FT #42812.
Which pipe did you get? Maybe that pipe can mess up the alignment?

Another interesting item is that their rear bracket is stainless.
Not so good, if it's a steel muffler.

Best luck! Bill

Hi Bill,

I have a Turbo, so this is the pipe:

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-exhaust-pipe-axle-760-740-940-738-025

Trust me, I have installed the muffler system multiple times on my car, and I know the P/Ns by heart. The only issue here is the Walker bracket, which has the wrong design.

I don't see why a stainless steel bracket would be problematic. I wish everything were stainless steel, but it would be very expensive and not necessarily last much longer, especially with the salty roads here in Canada.

An ordinary steel muffler lasts 5 years; stainless steel has a 6-year guarantee, but the price difference isn't worth it for me.

Alex

Hi Alex,

>I don't see why a stainless steel bracket would be problematic.

Unlike metals in contact can setup galvanic corrosion
See here for a number of interesting examples:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

It's easy to understand salty road electrolyte driving in the salt belt.

Rain water is also an electrolyte. My local ham radio friend put up
some Rohn 25 (hot dipped galvanized steel) tower and was proud to
say that he used all Stainless bolts and nuts. I'm not sure how many
years it took, perhaps 20, but the tower failed because the zinc disappeared around the stainless hardware and the steel rusted out. He should have used
Hot dipped galvanized steel bolts & nuts sold by Rohn.

I've seen certain car bodies that rusted out where the body panels joined.
Is that galvanic corrosion? maybe the panels are the same metal, and the
welding rod is a much different metal? It's hard to say where the electyolyte is in this case. Maybe galvanic corrosion can take place without a traditional electrolyte?

Have you noticed what happens to steel screws/spark plugs into aluminum heads?
Is the resultant mess galvanic corrosion? where's the electrolyte?
Whatever it is, I use nickel based anti-seize there.

I wonder if anyone tried hot dip galvanizing a muffler and pipes?

Bill

Hi Bill,

If I'm not mistaken, you were referring to Walker and not Wagner, correct?
I believe the confusion may stem from a possible search for a 940 dated 1997, which does not exist in NA. Narrowing our search down to 940 1995 model should provide more fruitful results.

Regarding the part numbers, they appear to be correct. To aid our conversation, I've included links to the respective parts from the Walker site:

- Muffler: 18388
https://www.walkerexhaust.com/find-my-part/part-details.html?part_number=18388&brand_code=BDCN

- Bracket: 35158
https://www.walkerexhaust.com/find-my-part/part-details.html?part_number=35158&brand_code=BDCN

It seems others have encountered similar issues, as evidenced by Spook's post. The bracket, upon closer inspection, does not seem to be compatible with our vehicles.

I purchased these parts from RockAuto.com, and upon review, it appears they recommend pairing P/N 18388 with P/N 35158. See this image:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=565438&cc=1289112&pt=5872&jsn=797

However, the compatibility seems to be questionable, especially considering the specific design for Turbo engines.

This discrepancy becomes more apparent when comparing it to the OEM option offered by STARLA (sold by FCP) - STA-81506, which I had previously. While Walker may offer a more cost-effective solution, compatibility seem to be concerns.

I intend to explore the possibility of fitting the Starla bracket to the Walker muffler to resolve this issue. It's unfortunate that such complications arise, but it's all part of the process, I suppose.

I hope the above information helps you and anybody else who will eventually need to change their muffler in the future.

Alex

Thank you for the information