Exhaust Leak: At ball joint

Post by **renns** » 29 Aug 2010, 15:47

My car has slowly been getting louder over the last couple weeks. Tonight I jacked the side up with the car running, and took a look underneath (properly supported first, of course). The leak appears to be at the clamp around the ball joint between the front and rear portions of the exhaust system. I've done a quick search, and didn't see any other reports of this issue.

As the pipe in front and behind that joint appear to be fine, but the clamp at the ball joint is quite corroded. It might need some heat to come apart. I'm wondering if others have had a similar failure, and what repair options others have pursued. What material is the stock exhaust system? I'm tempted to cut the ball joint section off with an angle grinder and cut-off blade, and slip a sleeve overtop to be clamped or welded in place. I'm thinking the ball device is only to assist in alignment during assembly on the vehicle, and doesn't actually offer movement at this joint once tightened?

Jot · Post by **Jot** » 29 Aug 2010, 17:04

the ball joint clamp can be bought at FCPGROTON.COM or most parts stores $10 -$15

Post by **renns** » 29 Aug 2010, 18:21

I saw that clamp on FCP when checking out exhaust parts this aft. My clamp is still tight on the pipe, and the leak feels like it's coming from the top, so I suspect the pipe is cracked or corroded at the clamp. I guess the next step is to pull it apart and take a closer look at what's failed.

db130 · Post by **db130** » 29 Aug 2010, 18:23

my s70 went through the exact same problem as your car this spring-summer(progressively louder exhaust) until the tailpipe broke right after the slip joint, with clamp still holding onto the catalytic converter. what you suggested would be perfectly acceptable if you can find the proper piping that is the correct diamter. i went overboard with the repair and replaced the entire exhaust system with IPD's 3" turboback exhaust. the rest of the old exhaust was in good condition w/ the exception of the slip joint and the rolled edge of the exhaust tip looking ratty. my guess is the material of the stock exhaust would be t409 stainless(judging by the surface rust buildup).

Post by **cn90** » 29 Aug 2010, 21:08

Known point of failure.
Forget about the clamp thingy.
Go to a Muffler shop and ask them to weld using a sleeve.
They did that for me in June 2008, so far so good.
It cost me $60 in June 2008.

Post by **JimBee** » 29 Aug 2010, 21:36

I agree with the sleeve solution. Meinke muffler shop fixed mine for $25.00 last month. The shop had the right diameter pipe for the sleeve. I didn't want it welded for fear of burn-through, so they just zipped on two U-clamps. It seems tight.

HOWEVER, in the process of cutting off the ball part upstream from the muffler pipe, the cat & pipe got moved around a lot and left me with a leaking exhaust manifold gasket (the old one was pretty crispy anyway). The new "donut" gasket I installed still leaks a bit, not sure why. Maybe the butt surface of the ex. manifold wasn't cleaned well enough. So I need to do that again. Volvo likes to get $52.00 for those gaskets; I think I got mine from FCP for $9.00. You'll need two 4" x 5/16" stove bolts and a torch or dremel to cut the old bolts off. If you're under the car when you cut off those ex. manifold bolts, watch out they're spring loaded and those springs really take off when set free.
Good luck.

Post by **renns** » 31 Aug 2010, 08:25

Thanks for the hints guys. I'll give the sleeve repair a go. If it's pretty straight-forward, I'll snap a few pics and post them here.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 31 Aug 2010, 17:36

The only down side to welding it up is that you set yourself up for a manifold back replacement if the muffler goes bad. My son's 850 had been welded and it greatly complicated changing his cracked exhaust manifold.

...Lee

Post by **renns** » 31 Aug 2010, 21:22

Good point, Lee. If the car lasts that long, I suppose I could always roll out the welder again, and cut and weld the new muffler in place.

Post by **renns** » 05 Sep 2010, 16:12

Repair completed - no welding required. The ball joint section was cut out with an angle grinder and cut-off wheel, leaving a gap of about 2" between the front and rear pipe. A 1-3/4"ID x 6" long piece of exhaust tubing was slid in place to join the two free ends. Std exhaust U-clamps were used to secure the repair section. The 850 is quiet once again!

The ball joint section had rusted to the point of cracking, which was the source of the leak. The pipe was in decent shape ahead and behind that ball joint, so I expect the repair should last a good while.