How To Replace A Muffler Bearing?

Want to increase the airflow and get the better MPG? Maybe all you need to do is to replace muffler bearing of your car. If your friend, girlfriend or wife don’t know anything about cars and are having a problem with the exhaust, then this is what you got to show them.

Muffler bearings are among the most important parts of your car which you are going to keep serviced regularly. Muffler bearing goes out now and then and that’s why it is important to learn how to replace it.

Have a look at the below mentioned DIY tutorial which shows off entire process and gives you the rundown on how this is all done. You will not get this type of detailed information on changing the muffler bearings of your car anywhere else. Pay Attention, because this is quite useful info!

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Rattling Sound that Exhaust Makes

The need of changing the muffler bearing is the chugging noise it makes, which means there’s a blockage in your exhaust system. If your car’s rattling, it means that your exhaust system became misaligned.

So if you don’t hear the normal rumbling that you should be hearing and if the exhaust sounds much like it is from the mail truck, which is quite funny. Ever thought why most of the mail trucks or even Honda’s make such sound? Because the muffler bearing is defective right out from the factory and that is why they always sound like that.

Photo Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeBVBCaWf0A

It’s not only embarrassing but it can also damage your exhaust, so it’s better you replace your muffler bearings as soon as possible. And if your mechanic says he will replace the muffler bearing then you probably need to change your mechanic, because you can do it on your own.

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How Do You Know If the Muffler Bearing in the car is bad or not?

There are certain symptoms that you can observe to know if the muffler bearings in the car are in bad condition or not.

Problems in your car muffler

Let’s discuss the various problems in your car muffler that are possible:

• Raspy Honda-like sound of exhaust
• Smoke coming out of exhaust: which indicates that the bearing is getting burned up from the exhaust reaction
• Lower MPG: pay close attention to how frequently you head over the petrol station

And lastly, to be 100% sure whether the muffler bearing has gone bad or not, you need to:

• Take some soapy water.
• Go under your car and have a look at the exhaust.

The common misconception that people have is that the muffler bearings are placed in the muffler, which is not true. The muffler bearings are located between the catalytic converter and the muffler. You’ll see the stretch of the pipe right there.

Photo Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHlGG6H0Uhc

If you see two exhaust pipe, then it means there are two muffler bearings. And if you’re not sure if there’s only one muffler bearing is bad, or there are two muffler bearings that are bad. So to figure it out:

• Spray that soapy water down the exhaust.
• Start up the engine of your car.
• Inspect and look if there’s any bubbling.
• If you see any bubbling, it means that muffler bearing is bad.

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How to Change Muffler Bearings on Your truck Or Your Car?

Now that you have verified the bad muffler bearing shut your car off before the exhaust gets too hot as it is hard to work on. For the people who don’t know what muffler bearings are and what they do, here are some of the advantages of using muffler bearings:

• Extend the life of muffler – so you can have your muffler last for a longer period
• Reduce the exhaust friction – which is necessary for better power output and good fuel economy
• Maintain proper back pressure – which is good for the exhaust

I’m sure you don’t want to do this again and again. So use a high-quality muffler and if you don’t know which muffler bearings you should be using, then contact the local parts store and ask them. You can also use the glass pack muffler as they are the simplest style, which is used on the performance rides. Make sure you look out for a high quality and the best glass pack muffler.

Tools and Materials Required

• High-quality muffler bearing
• High – temperature elbow grease, because the exhaust on the car gets high
• Safety glasses
• Reciprocating Saw
• Magnet
• Exhaust clamp

Installing a New Muffler Bearing

• Step 1
  • The very first you need to do is to cut the exhaust right close to the muffler bearing, which you can do with the reciprocating saw or other different tools.
  • Cut right where the bad muffler bearing is and cut as straight as possible to line up seasonally when you put everything back together after replacing them up with the iron. Make sure you use a thin blade, so you do not remove excess material.
• Step 2
  • Now go and look at that exhaust. You will see the muffler bearing right inside there. Carefully reach in there, and you’ll see that the bearing is all broken; the bearing race and muffler bearing out. You’ll see that some of the bearings on the carnage that reduce the exhaust are missing.
  • Take a magnet stick and remove those missing pieces from the inside. It’s important to remove those bearing pieces because if you don’t do that these pieces might travel into the muffler and you’ll get that raspy sound again.
• Step 3
  • Now, take the new muffler bearing. You can use a two-piece style as well as a one-piece style bearing. Let me tell you, a one-piece style bearing is better because it’s sealed and allows more exhaust flow. It’s less likely to go bad compared to the two-piece style.
  • Take high-temperature elbow grease and apply a coat on the outside of the bearing with a thin layer all around the bearing.
  • If you’re using a two-piece bearing, then lubricate both the bearings and the outside race.
• Step 4
  • Installing muffler bearing is very easy. Just make sure that the bearing goes in straight. Push till it seats itself.
• Step 5
  • Put the exhaust back together. For that, you’ll need an exhaust clamp. Line up the two pipes and tighten the bolts down at each side little by little so that the clamp get tighten evenly.
• Step 6
  • Now, start your car up and listen how it sounds with the new muffler bearings. Also, check the leakages. Grab the soapy water again and spray the exhaust pipe down. Check if you see any bubbling. Nothing will be bubbling up.

Voodoo! You have successfully installed a new muffler bearing. Let me know if this tutorial is helpful or not by commenting in the comment section.