I was driving home today and I heard a rattle from the rear of my X. I looked under and saw that the tail pipe was disconnected from the muffler. It seems it rusted all the way through. Can the pipe be welded back on or do I need to start looking for a new cat back system. Thanks



The pipe section to the right of the U bolt should be inside the muffler.


This is what it should look like.

Ouch...you have some rust issues. I almost lost half the skin on my nose and one side of my face helping a buddy re-weld a skid plate he knocked off his TJ. Was welding skid plate on and touched a rust spot on the frame that had some salt and sand and other crap hidden under a flake of rust, and it exploded in my face. Only wearing cutting goggles, not a shield. My bad. If you want to run the risk, you could try re-welding, but you'd be better off just replacing the muffler and pipe in between. A decent muffler shop will do it for a couple hundred bucks (including new cat-back muffler). Good luck.

Edit: You might want to look at some rubberized spray paint for some of the rusting components under there (bolts for mounting the shocks, etc). I am just getting ready to touch mine up and I've had that stuff on there for about 2 years and it has held up fairly well. Tough to get through if you're changing out shocks or doing other work, but it seems to do the trick.

If you are going to replace it, I would suggest a stainless Cat-Back. ie Borla or Gibbson

Thanks for the advice. I really sucks because I just put the Calmini on about 2.5 years ago. I would of never thought it would rust that bad. I might look into a new cat-back system.

I'd agree with Dave...if I wasn't short on cash (just ordered new gears, Calmini lift, etc all at once), I would've gone with the Borla. Stainless is a blessing when you're from the Northeast. The Calmini works well, but as you know, prone to rust. If you find a good deal on the Borla, let me know

Edit: One more thing - I've also seen the yellow zinc coating like they have on the Calmini diff. skids and like Jim is putting on the new Shrock skids at specialty auto stores here in san diego. I've never seen stuff like that back in NY, but if you were going to just replace the pipes on the Calmini, you might want to look for an industrial coatings/paints business near you and try to coat some of this stuff on there. Just a thought... :rolleyes:

or STILLEN .....
i got my from a buddy for 100 bones..

or get a flowmaster 40

LATER>>

damn, where do you live in the corrosion capital of the earth? You have to be right on the water, im guessing somewhere near the east river.

you should have gotten the "protective underbody coating"(aka hairspray) from your dealer when you bought the truck.

Well I used to live in PA where they love to put salt on the roads about 2 days before it snows. I just moved to MA about 6 months ago and they also use alot of sand and salt. The Calmini exhaust seems to be the only thing with lots of rust on it. How much would a potective undercoating cost? Thanks

That's because of the heat. It promotes chemical reactions. It's also because you live in the corrosion capital of the world. The humidity coupled with the salt is a lethal combination.

Just spray the trouble areas with some (at least three coats) heat-resistant rustoleum paint. Once-a-week rustoleum undercarraige treatment is a must for anybody living in the northeast (a $3 add-on at most decent car washes).

Look at Ziebart (do they have those in MA?). I got a full-size Dodge p/u undercoated there for about $200, and they would redo the coating every year before the winter for 5 years free of charge. The undercoating they use is wierd...seems almost like tar (I think it's actually similar to a softer truck bed liner material, maybe someone else could clear that up). It's heavy-duty stuff, and definitely keeps the salt off the undercarriage during the winter. Look at auto-detailing shops...ironically they are the places that do that kind of work up where I'm at. It's tough washing that stuff out of there in the summer (if you were so inclined), but worth it. :rolleyes:

Thats massachusetts for ya. Knock on wood my stock exhaust setup is showing no big issues with rust (Rolling on 46k miles on it)

You'll see why I posted a thread about stainless steel systems, (Im still having trouble finding one for the Supercharged models)

I learned my lesson from the first that had a pacesetter exhaust that last just about 2 years before the muffler can was rusted right thru

NISMO

What the hey, MAGNAFLOW

I talked to Calmini and they said that their exhaust is not made for "New England" weather. I am now looking for a nice stainless cat-back system.

I had to replace my HKS this past weekend. One winter up here and there was a hole I could fit both hands in on the muffler.

The north is murder on cars. I feel sorry for all the 2001 + Xterras that are up here. (if you remember after 2000 they stopped using the Durasteel)

I believe they switched away from durasteel w/ the '02 re-design, so the '01s should still have it (I certainly hope so anyway).

Dude if i were you I would just Replace my cat-back and muffler and pipes, cause they both look pretty rusty, just to be on the safe side, also you should wash under your car to get all the salt and and dirt and crap out around under your car and exhaust too! GOOD LUCK MAN!

I wash my truck about 4 times a month. I also put a sprinkler under the truck to rise it out. I take very good care of it but New England weather will rust anything. I got a new SS cat-back system. I'll be posting pics shorty. Thanks

I was wondering if using breake spray paint would work on the mufler.

I have an '01-and it does not look like Dura anything under there...the NE winter salt baths are murder on the metal parts...and my exhaust will be lucky to make it through another winter.

Nope.. 2000 only. Gotta love it