81corolla

2000 RX 300 84K AWD

The flex pipe a.k.a. the metallic mesh bulge on my exhaust pipe is going bad and has developed a leak. The growling sound my engine produces has slowly gotten worse and worse over time.

LexMex just welded the whole thing shut. One mechanic I found won't do that, but he will just replace it if I can find the part. Anyone know where I can get that small piece of flex pipe?

Lexus only sells the whole pipe (front to back) to the tune of $1200 - not what I'm looking for.

From what I gather, the pipe has to "give" a little as the engine revs. Could I just cut out the mesh and put in a piece of stainless steel pipe and clamp it? Or would that be too stiff?

Are there any disadvantages to losing the metallic mesh? Presumably exhaust just flows through it...

Thoughts?

salimshah

Surprised to hear that the flex piece is not sold individually!

I would check from other Lexus stores.


The flex is necessary, else over time you will get a break at another place and if the flange at the engine block breaks, you may have more trouble at hand.

If you go to an independent shop may be the can rig one up for you. Mechanically I would say the flex pipe is must. It does not have to be "lexus" part though.

Note: Larger chains may be reluctant to modify exhaust (part of emission system). So look for a independent muffler shop.

Salim

bob2200

I seem to recall LexMex mentioning a Honda part that might/would fit. You might try a search on those keywords.

bob2200

Well, I couldn't find it in my search. Maybe it is in my imagination. There was discussion of it being covered under the 70,000 mile warranty.

RayN

Go to your local muffler shop such as Mieneke, and it depends who you talk to if they can do it or not.

bob2200

from a LexMex posting of 4Jan08:


"Down here this particular piece below cost me about $80 USD or so from my recollection (not including labor) for its installation, but this was for another area of the exhaust that had a problem".

Lexmex

You don't necessarily need this flex pipe. RayN mentioned it right with Meineke. What they they can do is take a .25 inch larger diameter pipe (should be about 2 inches in diameter on the replacement piece.

Remember, this is isn't a very big piece you have to replace. You can see the small section on the OEM piece below.

Lexmex

Just by an ebay search I found this, http://search.ebay.com/flex-pipe-exh...sooZ2QQfsopZ32

81corolla

Well duh, I don't know why I didn't think of checking eBay...

Ebay has lots of flex pipe. Thanks for the tip. Finding the right size is more challenging. I've attached an image with various measurements I've made. Note: "pipe" is a better word than "flange" in the photo.

Does it make sense to go with the 2.5" diameter flex pipe and fit it over the existing downpipe which is <2.5" on both ends? Or try to use the smaller pipe area to attach the new one? Or get a size that fits inside the existing pipe? I guess it depends on where the mechanic makes the cut which I can't say for sure.

There's lots of diameter sizes on eBay: 2", 2.25", 2.5", etc. Here's a link to the 2.25":

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-25-x-8-Exhaust...QQcmdZViewItem

RayN: My local muffler shop can replace the flex pipe for ~$200.

I have a little hesitation with eBay as I don't want to order the incorrect part, have the mechanic cut it out and find out I need a different size. But I've never done this before (or welding for that matter) so maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of this than it really is.

Thanks.

RayN

Check the link

http://info.rockauto.com/Walker/Detail.html?77-2511.jpg

thomas1

I had mine replaced by a local muffler shop for $100 total. Those mesh flex couplings are standard parts at most shops for doing whatever needs to be done.

Lexmex

2.25 inch is fine. I used 2.5 inch, but I had different reasons for that (racing).

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

That's weird - my Lexus dealer replaced that flexible coupling for a couple of hundred bucks last year. Looks like they cut out the rusted piece and strapped a new piece in its place.

Did you try a couple of other dealers?

81corolla

No as there's only one Lexus dealer in town.

I did have better luck w/a couple of muffler shops. I've got those in my back pocket and one shop was kosher with me bringing in the flex pipe myself since I can save a bit on eBay if I go that route.

Right now I'm researching RayN's link to RockAuto. The diagram shows part #53421 as the flex pipe section. I don't mean to sound cheap, but if that's the part, it's only ~$50 at RockAuto. So why bother with welding and all that when I can simply get a new pipe section?

The question I'm still trying to answer is whether part #53421 actually has a flex pipe section in it. The diagram isn't clear. If not, then it will be too stiff as salimshah pointed out. In this case, I'll just get the flex pipe on eBay and have it installed.

On the other hand, if the part includes the flex section, then that may be the way to go. I could get a new pipe, new gaskets and new bolts for ~$60. And assuming the old bolts come off easily enough I might even be able to do this job myself. It sounds a little too simplistic; maybe I'm missing something.

I'll keep you posted.

81corolla

Just found a picture of the part at NAPA:

http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPage...n=Exhaust+Pipe

Flex pipe section included.

I wonder if the pipe is stainless steel...