Dropping the active exhaust

[StangTime]

I need to drop my active exhaust so I can lower the IRS far enough to install the Steeda differential bushings and bolts. I'm doing this by myself in a single car garage on jack stands with no room to take the exhaust off completely. Can the electrical be unplugged and hangers removed to let it droop? I am going to assume the safe thing to do is support the mufflers at the rear to avoid having all the weight on the front clamps? Open to advice on how to go about it. Or I put the car back on the ground and wait for spring so I can take the exhaust out to the driveway. I might as well do an H pipe if I go that far.

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[speedydave]

I did my H pipe on ramps in my garage. It's really easier to just remove the whole exhaust. I started at the resonator and worked backwards.

There are some good videos on youtube. I think I went by CJ pony parts video.

I'm not sure you need to do anything with the exhaust for the bushings. I did springs and shocks without removing it.

Be sure to loosen the ABS wire before you drop the cradle.

 

[StangTime]

I did my H pipe on ramps in my garage. It's really easier to just remove the whole exhaust. I started at the resonator and worked backwards.

There are some good videos on youtube. I think I went by CJ pony parts video.

I'm not sure you need to do anything with the exhaust for the bushings. I did springs and shocks without removing it.

Be sure to loosen the ABS wire before you drop the cradle.

Thanks. I have seen his vids. "Back-on-the-road-in-no-time Bill" always has ideal conditions for his videos that make everything look easy until you actually try it. In his video his exhaust isn't even on the car. In Steeda's vid the car is on a lift and they say to drop the rear exhaust hangers but don't say if you need to support it.

 

[MAGS1]

Thanks. I have seen his vids. "Back-on-the-road-in-no-time Bill" always has ideal conditions for his videos that make everything look easy until you actually try it. In his video his exhaust isn't even on the car. In Steeda's vid the car is on a lift and they say to drop the rear exhaust hangers but don't say if you need to support it.

You will need to unplug the active exhaust harnesses. I would support the mufflers if you can just in case. As mentioned above, removing the full exhaust system isn’t too hard but it is a bit heavy. 2 people would be ideal for removing the whole catback

 

[speedydave]

What I liked about CJ's suspension video, is they did one side at a time without completely dropping the cradle. That was a lot more feasible for a single person working in a garage.

 

[MiamiGT350]

All wires and plugs are accessible before you remove any bolts, etc. I haven't installed the Steeda differential bushing and bolts, but assuming the exhaust needs to come out, here's how I do it.

I have removed the entire exhaust from resonator and back doing the following, by myself:

1. I lift the car up on my QuickJack
2. Remove any trim / bolts to remove the close out panel, setting the panel aside.
3. Follow wires and unplug active exhaust (the wire runs from the bumper area to the active exhaust actuators). You are unplugging in the bumper area, leaving the wires plugged into the actuators. The wire loom is a few inches long and come down with the mufflers. Don't forget to pull out the trim plugs that hold the wires to the bumper.
4. I then move to the resonator area, and separate the exhaust, supporting it with another jack (a jack stand could work)
5. I then move to the muffler area, and use a socket to remove the hangers at the bumper area. You remove the bolt, and then lift up to get them unseated. At this point, the exhaust should be supported at the resonator with a jack, and you should have both hangers separated at the bumper. The 2 hangers near the axle are still in place.
6. Now, unbolt the hangers at the rear axle, and as you lift up on each, support the muffler with a jack stand, keeping everything mostly in place. After both axle hangers area removed, the whole exhaust should be free from the car with the muffler pipes pushed through the bumper. The goal here is to keep the exhaust at the same height, just insuring nothing is bolted to the car.
7. On my GT350, I then lower the resonator area on the jack down towards the ground, a little at a time. The exhaust resonator needs to point down a good amount to get the front of the mufflers lowered enough to push the exhaust forward and out of the rear bumper.
8. Once the exhaust is free from the rear bumper, I move to each jack stand under each muffler and lower each a little at a time until everything is near the ground.

A few points:

• Putting everything back is pretty much all the steps in reverse
• I don't bother pushing the hangers through the rubber grommets. Those parts just come down with the exhaust.
• When re-seating, don't forget to use anti-seize on any resonator exhaust bolts you loosened.
• The actuator wires come out with the exhaust. You can see the loom in this video, which is a few inches long. You could unplug at the actuator, but I think it's more headache.
• I have a 3-ton floor jack that fits under the car. It's nice to be able to move the resonator part of the exhaust up and down by a few inches as you are removing or putting the exhaust back in. It can be done with jack stands, but another jack helps a lot.
• Try at to avoid having the muffler area weigh down on the rear bumper. It can cause bumper separation near the tail lights.
• The whole exhaust needs to point down at a fair angle to get the front of the mufflers to clear the rear axle and the sway bar. It's not 45 degrees, but do save some headaches by jacking the car up high.

 

[StangTime]

@MiamiGT350 Thanks for that detailed write up! I can follow that.

 

[WD Pro]

Yeah to confirm, here’s how Ford dropped my exhaust i.e. complete with hangers and loom :

Front diff bushes in my 20 don’t offer much clearance :

I’m guessing the subframe needs dropping a ‘reasonable’ amount to give you enough room to install without marking up the heat shield.

Good luck and work safe

WD

 

[StangTime]

Yeah to confirm, here’s how Ford dropped my exhaust i.e. complete with hangers and loom :

Front diff bushes in my 20 don’t offer much clearance :

I’m guessing the subframe needs dropping a ‘reasonable’ amount to give you enough room to install without marking up the heat shield.

Good luck and work safe

WD

Thanks for the info! Looks like an easier way to deal with the wire harness.
I will likely wait until spring to do this. The garage is freezing cold now.

 

[MCS]

Thanks for the info! Looks like an easier way to deal with the wire harness.
I will likely wait until spring to do this. The garage is freezing cold now.

If you need an extra pair of hands Todd lemme know when the snow thaws and we'll get it done.

 

[StangTime]

If you need an extra pair of hands Todd lemme know when the snow thaws and we'll get it done.

I may need your help if my son is not around to lend a hand. Thanks!

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