4d ago

I replaced my truck's rusted out muffler

Turns out the rattling was coming from the heatshield of the DPF so I spent a day replacing a part which wasn't even the source of the issue. Well, atleast I've got a new exhaust now and did some underbody rust prevention while I was at it.

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Nice work. I've replaced the wrong part before, but I learned a lot from it. Something was dripping on the exhaust manifold, so I replaced the heater core because it was in the right place, and coolant runs through it. It turned out to be the head gasket that needed replacing, so I got to do that, too. I'm in a different place now financially, and will never do either of those jobs myself ever again.
- Oh man, two of the worst lol.
- I learned so much from replacing things that weren't the problem. In the moment, it's such a a pain but it's taught me a lot and been helpful in the long run.
  
  Sometimes it's the only way to really figure out what's broken.
Should have installed a cutoff valve while you're down there for when you feel the need for speed LOL
Oh to be handy. Nice work.
- You usually don’t lose anything by at least trying to fix something that’s already broken. At worst it'll just remain broken. Even if I don’t intend to repair it, I’ll still usually tend to disassemble it just to see what it looks like inside - and there’s often a part or two I can scavenge for the “DIY box” in case it comes in handy later. I also don’t worry too much about how pretty the fix is, as long as it works. Also, there's instructions for almost everything online. Just go for it.
  
  And if they don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy :) nice work
  
  One of my biggest problems I guess is not even knowing what the parts are called or what they do or how things function and how they're built. I'll have to start so far up, you know? Not like I can Google "how to replace rinkymadink in a Honda Shmonkaflonk". I'd rather have to start with, like, "how does a car propel itself?" 💀
If anyone needs to know, those exhaust heat shields can often be secured with a stainless hose clamp, or discarded entirely.
- stainless hose clamp
  That's exactly what I was about to do
  
  I wouldn't even argue with bailing wire and a tight twist.
I have to replace mine soonish. One of the brackets on it has broken and I’ve never gotten round to replacing it, even though it’s only £100 for a new one. What’s with the angle grinder and drill? Aren’t they just bolted on?
- I didn’t actually mean to remove that piece. The bolts and nuts had rusted away, and it fell off while I was hammering the old exhaust loose. I had to cut the remaining bolt shafts from the DPF flange and drill new holes for through-bolts.

14 comments