Which muffler ?

[shahsmerdis]

Hi all,

Our muffler and tail pipe fell off on our 2002 4runner. My dad looked under the car and it seems like the muffler sheered off where the muffler interfaces with the tail pipe, on the muffler side. according to him there would be no place to weld the two piece back together as it would be trying weld to rust. Okay looks like new muffler and possibly new tail pipe time.

It seems there are very few aftermarket muffler brands out there. I was leaning towards walker as it seems the closest to OEM. however I'm kind of unsure how long they will last. On one side it is very cheap, but it might not last as long as OEM. few reviews pointed out it lasted 2 years. On the other hand OEM is just ridiculously expensive. 600 bucks, is just way out of the budget for a car that seems like its on its last life. What is your opinion here, do people usually have good luck with walker ?

Also can I spray paint the exhaust system to prevent rust? Or will that not do anything? Thanks!

 

[JeepKiller]

Not a clue on your close to OEM muffler situation personally, but everyone I've talked to that has a walker is happy with it. You can spray it but only with high temp spray paint or it may catch on fire or just melt away the paint. And by the way your 4Runner has plenty of life left, it's a yota!

 

[shahsmerdis]

Not a clue on your close to OEM muffler situation personally, but everyone I've talked to that has a walker is happy with it. You can spray it but only with high temp spray paint or it may catch on fire or just melt away the paint. And by the way your 4Runner has plenty of life left, it's a yota!

Yes high temp spray ! Any high temp spray with good reviews on amazon would do?

Okay that is good that most people are happy with walker!

The car needs a series of shocks, ball joints, and probably bushings. going to drop it off to a mechanic soon and then post back with everything that is needed. The suspension is very weak. I just hope that it doesn't cost more than what the car is worth to fix it. Topic for another conversation of course

 

[Chuckles89]

I have the walker catback. It is quiet. The "stainless steel" is already rusty on mine after about three months. I had it installed last fall and took it off to put something loud on. I just put is back on last week.

I would put as much Rustoleum High-temp Grill paint on it as you can. I have several coats on the outside and I liberally sprayed the inside. I hope it lasts...

 

[Ed_C]

I have the walker catback. It is quiet. The "stainless steel" is already rusty on mine after about three months. I had it installed last fall and took it off to put something loud on. I just put is back on last week.

I would put as much Rustoleum High-temp Grill paint on it as you can. I have several coats on the outside and I liberally sprayed the inside. I hope it lasts...

Was it rusting at the muffler or piping?

OP - if the flange didn't break off at the tailpipe itself, you can reuse it with the Walker muffler. I installed a Walker Quiet-Flow with the stock tailpipe last weekend. The muffler itself is stainless but the pipes welded to it aren't, the high-temp engine paint I sprayed on was from Pep Boys.

 

[JeepKiller]

I'd go with rustoleum like Chuckles said.

Get the diagnosis from the mechanic and then try to do as many repairs as possible by yourself, it'll save you a ton of money and it'll be a great learning experience. Good luck!

 

[Chuckles89]

Was it rusting at the muffler or piping?

Seams of the muffler

 

[shahsmerdis]

Was it rusting at the muffler or piping?

OP - if the flange didn't break off at the tailpipe itself, you can reuse it with the Walker muffler. I installed a Walker Quiet-Flow with the stock tailpipe last weekend. The muffler itself is stainless but the pipes welded to it aren't, the high-temp engine paint I sprayed on was from Pep Boys.

I have to double check today. I wasn't the one who pulled it off. But yeah, that sounds like a plan. Probably good idea to grind it down, and spray paint it right? (If it is saveable)

I'd go with rustoleum like Chuckles said.

Get the diagnosis from the mechanic and then try to do as many repairs as possible by yourself, it'll save you a ton of money and it'll be a great learning experience. Good luck!

I would love too, and in all honestly, I'm not sure if I am set up to do it. My first repair actually ended up costing more if I had someone else do it, but then again that is the learning curve. first few repairs are expensive, then you start to get the hang of it and becomes well worth it. I've been entertaining the idea of a lift with 4 cars will pay for itself in the life time of the 4 cars.

Will the high temp spray will prevent rust, or just give you a fighting chance, significantly reduce the chance of rust?

Thanks everyone for their prompt replies!

 

[Oprah]

I can't speak to longevity of Walker mufflers, but I have owned 3. The first was ordered through Amazon. I received it and instantly noticed it had some dings and scratches on it. Looks of the muffler don't concern me much, and the damage didn't seem to be anything beyond cosmetic. Went ahead and put it on. Noticed a rattle coming from it about a week after install, presumably from something internal being damaged due to the dents and dings. Exchanged the muffler and got a new one from Amazon. Looked exactly the same, dents, dings, and scratches. Returned that one. Decided maybe if I get one directly from Walker, it won't be damaged. Received it, looked the same. Dented, dinged, and scratched. Returned it before putting it on.

Moral of the story is that Walker doesn't seem ship the Quiet Flow SS muffler in a box. Horrible idea. Get's banged up presumably during shipping. If I had received one that wasn't dented, I probably would have kept it, because it sounded great. 5% to 10% louder than stock (judged by listening only), but had a more aggressive sound. Exactly what I wanted.

I ended up with a Borla instead. Seems to be much higher quality steel, looks goods, and sounds good enough.

So my advice is to not go with Walker, but many people are happy with them, so if you can get your hands on one that isn't dented, congrats haha

 

[shahsmerdis]

I can't speak to longevity of Walker mufflers, but I have owned 3. The first was ordered through Amazon. I received it and instantly noticed it had some dings and scratches on it. Looks of the muffler don't concern me much, and the damage didn't seem to be anything beyond cosmetic. Went ahead and put it on. Noticed a rattle coming from it about a week after install, presumably from something internal being damaged due to the dents and dings. Exchanged the muffler and got a new one from Amazon. Looked exactly the same, dents, dings, and scratches. Returned that one. Decided maybe if I get one directly from Walker, it won't be damaged. Received it, looked the same. Dented, dinged, and scratched. Returned it before putting it on.

Moral of the story is that Walker doesn't seem ship the Quiet Flow SS muffler in a box. Horrible idea. Get's banged up presumably during shipping. If I had received one that wasn't dented, I probably would have kept it, because it sounded great. 5% to 10% louder than stock (judged by listening only), but had a more aggressive sound. Exactly what I wanted.

I ended up with a Borla instead. Seems to be much higher quality steel, looks goods, and sounds good enough.

So my advice is to not go with Walker, but many people are happy with them, so if you can get your hands on one that isn't dented, congrats haha

What I noticed is amazon automotive warehouse does a terrible job in shipping.

Where else did you order from? I was thinking rock auto. but I would prefer amazon because of their amazing customer support.

where did you order the borla ?

 

[Oprah]

What I noticed is amazon automotive warehouse does a terrible job in shipping.

Where else did you order from? I was thinking rock auto. but I would prefer amazon because of their amazing customer support.

where did you order the borla ?

Pretty sure I ordered the 3rd time from Walker directly. Borla I did buy directly from Borla as well.

X2 to Amazon customer service. When I wanted to return the 1st muffler that I had already installed, I asked for a refund of installation charge. They asked how much, and without fight refunded me an extra $50 for my installation costs.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Yes high temp spray ! Any high temp spray with good reviews on amazon would do?

Okay that is good that most people are happy with walker!

The car needs a series of shocks, ball joints, and probably bushings. going to drop it off to a mechanic soon and then post back with everything that is needed. The suspension is very weak. I just hope that it doesn't cost more than what the car is worth to fix it. Topic for another conversation of course

Rear shocks and coils are very easy to do with a simple garage jack and stands. Forget the lift... you can get a good set of jack and stands for less than $100. Front is a little more tricky since they are coilovers and have to be put in under pressure, but not terrible if you have a helper and the right tools/techniques.

To be honest, you could probably replace your sway bar bushings and sway bar end link bushings and have a substantial improvement in ride quality. That can easily be done in an hour or so with no floor jacks needed.

What I noticed is amazon automotive warehouse does a terrible job in shipping.

Where else did you order from? I was thinking rock auto. but I would prefer amazon because of their amazing customer support.

where did you order the borla ?

Rock Auto is great and the returns I've done went over well. By far the cheapest prices anywhere and they do sell Walker exhausts. I think there's a rebate going as well, so even better.

If you choose to get a Borla muffler, they are considerably louder because they are a free-flowing exhaust, not a baffled exhaust like the stock or Walkers (which is what makes them quieter). I have a Borla ProXS and I love it. Better exhaust flow too with my supercharger. I can dig up the part# if you want, I ordered mine from Jegs.com where it was the cheapest. Packaged very well, all they sell is performance parts.

 

[JeepKiller]

Rustoleum is made for rust, hence the name. Make sure your 4runner is cool before spraying though and I would do several coats.

 

[shahsmerdis]

What other things do you suggest I keep on hand while if i want to do the swap myself?

I realized I can put the car on a ramp and have plenty of clearance to work on the car.

new gasket, new bolts?

 

[BrianSD_42]

But a flowmaster or Borla.

Don't try to paint the tailpipe just get a Toyota Chrome tip.

As for the tail pipe, I'd recommend the OEM Tundra chrome tip ($70) because it is high quality chrome and won't rust out like those $30 tips.

 

[shahsmerdis]

But a flowmaster or Borla.

Don't try to paint the tailpipe just get a Toyota Chrome tip.

As for the tail pipe, I'd recommend the OEM Tundra chrome tip ($70) because it is high quality chrome and won't rust out like those $30 tips.

Does the tail pipe do anything? I'm not a car expert. I'm not trying to show that my tail pipe looks good, I'm trying to prevent the tail pipe from rusting even more.

 

[Ed_C]

What other things do you suggest I keep on hand while if i want to do the swap myself?

I realized I can put the car on a ramp and have plenty of clearance to work on the car.

new gasket, new bolts?

Two gaskets, they're the same on both ends of the muffler. 4 nuts 4 bolts (also suggest washers), just go to Home Depot or Lowes and find something the correct diameter. Walker part #s are 54681 for the muffler and 31384 (need 2) for gaskets. 54081 for tailpipe if you plan to replace it. It's under $200 shipped from Rock Auto for the muffler,tailpipe,and gaskets. Mine shipped from a warehouse in MD so it arrived here (NJ) a few days early, shipping to the BX should be the same.

When I replaced the muffler, I put the rear on jack stands (chock the front wheels so it doesn't roll) and took off the right rear wheel. You'll be able to snake the tailpipe out from the back.

Does the tail pipe do anything? I'm not a car expert. I'm not trying to show that my tail pipe looks good, I'm trying to prevent the tail pipe from rusting even more.

My original tailpipe was actually in decent shape,but the hardware was so rusted I used a grinder to take them off. Since I already had the paint out for the muffler piping I decided to paint the tailpipe too, scuffed the surfaces with sandpaper, wiped down with solvent, spray painted, and let everything dry overnight. There isn't a lot of piping between the tailpipe's end and its rubber hanger so most add-on tips would stick out quite a bit, so instead I continued sanding that area until it had a finish similar to brushed stainless then sprayed with high-temp clear. There will be a slight burning smell for a few days from the paint curing and burnt off grease/oils in the muffler and tailpipe from manufacturing.

 

[shahsmerdis]

Two gaskets, they're the same on both ends of the muffler. 4 nuts 4 bolts (also suggest washers), just go to Home Depot or Lowes and find something the correct diameter. Walker part #s are 54681 for the muffler and 31384 (need 2) for gaskets. 54081 for tailpipe if you plan to replace it. It's under $200 shipped from Rock Auto for the muffler,tailpipe,and gaskets. Mine shipped from a warehouse in MD so it arrived here (NJ) a few days early, shipping to the BX should be the same.

When I replaced the muffler, I put the rear on jack stands (chock the front wheels so it doesn't roll) and took off the right rear wheel. You'll be able to snake the tailpipe out from the back.



My original tailpipe was actually in decent shape,but the hardware was so rusted I used a grinder to take them off. Since I already had the paint out for the muffler piping I decided to paint the tailpipe too, scuffed the surfaces with sandpaper, wiped down with solvent, spray painted, and let everything dry overnight. There isn't a lot of piping between the tailpipe's end and its rubber hanger so most add-on tips would stick out quite a bit, so instead I continued sanding that area until it had a finish similar to brushed stainless then sprayed with high-temp clear. There will be a slight burning smell for a few days from the paint curing and burnt off grease/oils in the muffler and tailpipe from manufacturing.

thank you for the detailed post!

my fear is that the muffler will need to be cut off... What do you think? Was yours a plain in the butt to take off?

By chance do you know what the bolts are? I much rather order them, I barely have any time to go to home depot, my next available weekend is to get my 2004 timing belt done. I'm trying to get both of these cars back to tip top shape. my parents don't seem to want to take the initiative to bring their cars to the mechanic....

 

[T4R2014]

thank you for the detailed post!

my fear is that the muffler will need to be cut off... What do you think? Was yours a plain in the butt to take off?

By chance do you know what the bolts are? I much rather order them, I barely have any time to go to home depot, my next available weekend is to get my 2004 timing belt done. I'm trying to get both of these cars back to tip top shape. my parents don't seem to want to take the initiative to bring their cars to the mechanic....

Odds are the bolts will be rusty and will need to be cut off. Nothing difficult for a shop up here since they deal with it all the time. Did you ever end up going to the shop I mentioned to you?

 

[shahsmerdis]

Odds are the bolts will be rusty and will need to be cut off. Nothing difficult for a shop up here since they deal with it all the time. Did you ever end up going to the shop I mentioned to you?

I need NYS inspection, on this car, so I won't be able to make it to NJ. .

I am going to try and see If i can leave early on work on Friday and bring the car to him (a different car) . More details in PM coming up.