s70 muffler removal/installation

[mom]

Hi everybody,
it's been a long time but I'm still alive !

I have to change my muffler as it's becoming a little bit noisy. I tried to remove it today but when it comes to turn it for the last few inches, I don't have enough room under the car. I had to reinstall it after a few tries.
My question is: Is it possible to remove this muffler in a driveway or I need a lift?

Thanks.

Alain.

[JRL]

Always better (easier) with a lift (and sometimes a torch)!
ALL NON turbo muffler become a bit noisy, doesn't mean they're bad

[mom]

Hi,

no mine is shot, there's a hole in it.Our roads are salted here during winter
It was almost removed . It's just that I can't twist it 90 degree to finish the job.

[VolvoTurbo850]

I find if you cannot lift the car then you might have to make a few cuts in the pipes to clear the rear axle. To make it tougher the hangar connects to the back pipe to two long metal rods which keeps the pipe from clearing the trailing arm.

[MissouriJim]

I realize this is a somewhat ancient thread, but I ran across this today when looking for advice, and thought I'd post in case anyone else finds themselves struggling with installation of the stock muffler/pipe assembly. Which, I mean c'mon, they could have put a flange over the rear axle.... but anyway....

I just put a stock muffler in my 2000 S70, with the aid of a fairly high-lift racing jack (it's sweet, worth the $200.) I believe removal could follow the same tips as installation, if you are interested in keeping the assembly intact for whatever reason.

Here were the key bits to getting it in:

- Remove the converter heat shield, which is secured by eight plastic 10mm nuts (yes that extra inch makes a difference)
- Bend the tailpipe hangar, at least on the left/driver's side, up so it kinda wraps up instead of sticking out (this gets it past the frame when routing thru)
- Remove the tailpipe tip if it's attached
- (Optional) Put a sheet of cardboard under the muffler when working this thru to make it easier to slide around; it takes some serious fiddling to get it thru, but it will make it.

There's a sway bar / crossmember assembly between the rear wheels which will mock you during this procedure. But you can defeat it. After bending and removing things as I mentioned, do something like:
- Slide the pipe up over the sway bar assembly, near the middle, to get started
- Swing the muffler toward the passenger side while wiggling that tailpipe closer to its ultimate destination, kinda working it back and to the side.
- The pipe will be wedged against the undercarriage until you get enough clearance, where it will suddenly pop thru...

And now, you can work the pipe the rest of the way back, bend your hangar back into place (I found vice grips serve well enough,) hang your muffler (refit the heat shield first,) and go have a beer. Or soda. Or if you're really healthy, maybe a smoothie.

Note: I'm not sure a lower-height clearance would work for this; you really need some significant room under there. Probably worth investing in some pretty tall jack stands.

Hope this helps someone!

[FireFox31]

I just removed and reinstalled the OEM exhaust on my 2000 V70 last night. Granted, I did it on a lift, but I have done it in the past flat on my back under a floor jack. Here's the procedure I recommend:

Tips:
Removing the rubber holders from the hangers is the hardest part of the job. Thus, I work to minimize that task by removing the brackets which are installed to the car with the rubber holders still in place.
There are three versions of OEM mufflers. Two have a separate rear muffler which disconnects after the rear axle. This is what I'm describing. A third version appears to have a straight pipe all the way to the exhaust tip, making removal a bit harder. Check Volvo Parts Web Store for info and diagrams.

Remove the rear muffler:
1. Remove the U clamp between the front and rear muffler just behind the rear axle.

2. Remove the rear muffler bracket above the muffler using a 17mm socket. It has a right angle hook inside the frame nearest the front of the car which requires angling the bracket toward the back of the car. This can be accomplished with the rubber holders in place.

3. Rotate the rear muffler around the axis of the pipe while pulling it backward to free it. The bend in the pipe gives you plenty of leverage to rotate as long as you keep the pipe straight at the joint.

Remove the front muffler:
4. Remove the clamp between the catalytic converter and muffler pipes. Grooves tend to wear into the bracket and ball/cup flange, so maintain the bracket's orientation for reinstall. Note which bracket is the bottom and which bolt is left.

5. Support the front muffler with a jack. Preferably use a jack with continually variable adjustable height such as a threaded head which raises and lowers. Alternatively, use multiple blocks of wood stacked up so you can easily remove a block to lower it a few inches at a time.

6. Remove the right muffler bracket by the charcoal canister. I think it used two 14mm head bolts. Use a long socket extender to reach them. The charcoal canister will stay attached from bolts on its other side.

7. Remove the muffler from the left hanger. This is the hard part. See the attached picture. The hanger bracket is part of the rear suspension so can't reasonably be removed. You must remove the rubber holder from the hanger. The rubber holder has an indent which makes it lock into the U-shaped hanger, making it even harder to remove.
I removed the rubber from the (lower) muffler hanger by sticking a screwdriver into it at the hanger's rounded end so I could pull the rubber down over that lip. Between the rubber and the muffler, I used the flat end of a crow bar to pry the rubber away from the muffler and over the lip.
I suspect it might be easier to remove the rubber from the (upper) car hanger because that lip doesn't curve as much. Perhaps raising up the right side of the muffler would diminish that angle further, shifting the muffler right gives more clearance. Try putting a crow bar between the rubber and the car hanger, twisting it to force the rubber right and off the hanger.

8. Remove the front muffler by swinging the pipe away from the catalytic converter pipe, dropping that end to the ground, then pulling the entire assembly forward so the rear pipe comes forward over the rear suspension.

With the exhaust out, take time to look for cracks and holes. They'll only get worse, so have them fixed now. I found pinhole leaks in my catalytic converter ball flange so will replace it with a ball/socket flange kit. See this thread about exhaust leak repairs for solutions from me and others.

Installation is the reverse of removal. It's easy to slip the left rubber holder on to its hanger specifically when using the lower hanger on the muffler. Space is a little tight to access the upper holder.