New Magnalow smell

[Aquabear]

I installed a Magnaflow Catback recently and I have a new smell coming into the truck with the rear window down(maybe even with it up). It's great, smoother acceleration n stronger pedal, nice sound, a little drone inside I have read tons of threads but none of which said there'd be a new smell. It's not the same as with the old exhaust BUT it is a strong burnt metal something smell. Will this clear up with time? Are my cats bad? I followed the directions to a T. Advice please cause my family and I love to drive the 4Runner with all windows down, she's family ya know. Thanks.

V6 not V8.

 

[aha2988]

I installed a Magnaflow Catback recently and I have a new smell coming into the truck with the rear window down(maybe even with it up). It's great, smoother acceleration n stronger pedal, nice sound, a little drone inside I have read tons of threads but none of which said there'd be a new smell. It's not the same as with the old exhaust BUT it is a strong burnt metal something smell. Will this clear up with time? Are my cats bad? I followed the directions to a T. Advice please cause my family and I love to drive the 4Runner with all windows down, she's family ya know. Thanks.

V6 not V8.

Its kinda like buying a new stove you have to burn off the factory chemicals and smells before it smells normal again. as well the 4runners come from the factory with a nasty smell specially using regular octane gas they claim if you run premium it will go away completly ive been running mid grade an it makes the smell much more tollerable. I was gonna say though your 4runner has 4 catalytic converters that are continuously burning exhaust gasses Each bank of cylinders runs through two cats. So when you put the new exhaust on you basicly when from a small window letting the smells from the cats out to a set of french doors letting the smells from the catatlytic converters come out. try using octane boosters or a better grade of fuel may clear it up a little. I know on mine if i have all the windows down as long as i dont get on the throttle real hard the smell isnt noticable at all.

 

[superman3043]

Yep, it's common and perfectly normal. There is a burn-in period if you will, where all of the coatings and oils on the new product get burned off. Should go away soon. May take like a month or so to fully settle down.

 

[Aquabear]

Thanks, new muff burn of period sounds very logical :biggrin2:. Thanks alot.

 

[David4Runner]

I just had this Magnaflow muffler installed as well and was wondering the same thing about the smell... Thanks guys! Feel much better now... I love the new performance! I barely go past 2,000 RPM cruising to work! I barely have to step on the gas and get to 75mph really quickly! Of course when I punch it its when I feel the newly acquired power... I'm sure you guys know what I am talking about, but the only way I can describe it is that the car feels more aerodynamic. The only thing is that when I floor it I hear a whistling noise, is that normal?

Also, when we were installing the new muffler, I was looking at the piping and it didn't seem to make complete sense, so we modified the pipes.

Do you guys think that the following was a good thing to do?

Imagine this is the view from underneath the car looking up... I apologize for the completely amateurish drawings, I am also posting pictures, but unfortunately, as always, I seem to think to take "before / after" pictures only after the job is done...

We did something like this:

(Before) Factory Settings: {__} - (Cat)
\\|| - (Wide Extension Pipes)
\| - (Skinny Pipes)
| - ("Y" and Mid Width Pipe)
[] - (Stock Muffler)
| - (Skinny Connecting Pipe)
0 - (Resonator)
O - (Single Tailpipe)

*The factory setting:
The two tubes leading from the cat converters would meet and form a "Y" and then one single pipe would go to the muffler. Before they would meet in "Y" both pipes became skinnier, then a mid-width connecting pipe would go to the stock muffler. Seeming to create air resistance from a geometrical point of view.


After the modification: {__} - (Cat)
|||| - (Wide Extension Pipes)
|||| - (Wide Extension Pipes)
|||| - (Wide Extension Pipes, no "Y")
[=] - (Magnaflow Muffler w/ 2 entries)
|| - (Single exit and no Resonator)
|| - (Wide Connecting Pipe)
OO - (Dual Wide Tailpipe)

*We changed them so that both pipes were wide from beginning to end, leading directly to the new muffler. Also, we took out the stock resonator.

 

[aha2988]

I just had this Magnaflow muffler installed as well and was wondering the same thing about the smell... Thanks guys! Feel much better now... I love the new performance! I barely go past 2,000 RPM cruising to work! I barely have to step on the gas and get to 75mph really quickly! Of course when I punch it its when I feel the newly acquired power... I'm sure you guys know what I am talking about, but the only way I can describe it is that the car feels more aerodynamic. The only thing is that when I floor it I hear a whistling noise, is that normal?

Also, when we were installing the new muffler, I was looking at the piping and it didn't seem to make complete sense, so we modified the pipes.

Do you guys think that the following was a good thing to do?

Imagine this is the view from underneath the car looking up... I apologize for the completely amateurish drawings, I am also posting pictures, but unfortunately, as always, I seem to think to take "before / after" pictures only after the job is done...

We did something like this:

(Before) Factory Settings: {__} - (Cat)
\\|| - (Wide Extension Pipes)
\| - (Skinny Pipes)
| - ("Y" and Mid Width Pipe)
[] - (Stock Muffler)
| - (Skinny Connecting Pipe)
0 - (Resonator)
O - (Single Tailpipe)

*The factory setting:
The two tubes leading from the cat converters would meet and form a "Y" and then one single pipe would go to the muffler. Before they would meet in "Y" both pipes became skinnier, then a mid-width connecting pipe would go to the stock muffler. Seeming to create air resistance from a geometrical point of view.


After the modification: {__} - (Cat)
|||| - (Wide Extension Pipes)
|||| - (Wide Extension Pipes)
|||| - (Wide Extension Pipes, no "Y")
[=] - (Magnaflow Muffler w/ 2 entries)
|| - (Single exit and no Resonator)
|| - (Wide Connecting Pipe)
OO - (Dual Wide Tailpipe)

*We changed them so that both pipes were wide from beginning to end, leading directly to the new muffler. Also, we took out the stock resonator.

I've never heard a magnaflow exhaust on these trucks so i cant say if the whistling is normal i know I've experienced new whistles in other exhaust sytems which were supposedly normal but my opinion would say you should hear motor not whistles (unless you've installed a turbo charger lol). causes of whistles would be leaky welds, flow design, or bad gaskets seals somewhere. just my input could be normal like i said before.

 

[Huskey]

I like the install you have made with it, but this whistle you hear shouldn't be happening. Your system is very different from mine to begin with and I'm curious what the specifics of your modifications are opposed to how it was supposed to be installed. IMO the whistle sound you hear is comming from an unfavorable turbulent flow within the system somewhere. I dont think it would be an issue with a weld or leak as that would simply sound mean and loud rather then like a "whistle". I know my magnaflow has a "Y" connection prior to entering the muffler, and its very interesting to see that yours has two entry points - depending on the muffler internals, that would be suseptable to turbulent flow. The size of your pipes look very similar to mine from the cats to the back, except my tips stick out the side and are a little bigger. I actually shortened my pipes by a few inches to fit above my springs sitting them almost withing rubbung distance of my tire when fully flexed.

As to the original OP, I have never had any smells coming from my magnaflow since installtion last year, but like I said, my tips stick out the side directly behind my tire oposed to the ones that stick straight out the back... I'm not sure if that would make a difference with regards to the vehicle draft drawing the smell back in through the rear window, but its something for you to think about or pay attention to.