Broken muffler weld

[Orion]

so coming home the other day on the freeway (2008 SGT) I started hearing an occasional clunking noise. After I got home I couldn't see anything under the car that was loose or hanging until I put my car cover on and saw that the rod that is welded to the muffler in the back is broken right off at the weld.

 

Has anyone had this happen before? Was the weld done at Shelby?

How much hassle is Ford going to give me? I can just see them make me go through the same hassle as when my rear sway bar bracket broke while in for service.

I have barely 8,000 miles on this car, it was in for an oil change last week. The muffler was fine and I have never heard of this failure on the stock Mustang...

[JeffIsHereToo]

It has happend a few times and there have been postings on this or more than a few occasions. Take it in to your dealer and file a warranty claim. Same thing happened to me and it was replaced under warranty. BTW these are not the same mufflers as a stock GT. These are Ford Racing mufflers and all welds are done by the manufacturer not Shelby.

[ilmor]

Same thing happened to me recently. My Ford dealer replace my muffler with no hassle, under warranty. In fact, my warranty period ran out while it was there!

[stormeaston]

Or stop at a muffler shop and have them touch it with the welder, I can't imagine it would cost much and alot quicker than screwing around at the dealer. If you were closer I'd do it for ya for free(six pak Bud Light) but your in CA so that ain't gonna work.

[JeffIsHereToo]

Or stop at a muffler shop and have them touch it with the welder, I can't imagine it would cost much and alot quicker than screwing around at the dealer. If you were closer I'd do it for ya for free(six pak Bud Light) but your in CA so that ain't gonna work.

 

 

 

With all due respect to my good friend from the great white north I wouldn't recommend this because the new FRPP muffler has a different design hanger and I assume it's better. There is no "screwing" around to get it done, this isn't like the other parts where there is a lot of verification or wait time. The mufflers are generally available and come in pretty quickly. Since there is no real impact other than the clunking you can run till it comes in and it's a 20 min install. You're entitled to a replacement so get one.

 

IMHO!

[mywickedshelby]

Same thing happened to me........several times....the last time....I took them to a local shop to be welded so I could keep driving the car but took pictures before the weld was done, sent them to Tasca and had both mufflers replaced under warranty this past April. The welds on the new ones are across the back of the muffler instead of along the top edge, much better postioning and weld.

 

no problems with the new ones.

[Orion]

so is the fix going to be a completely new muffler?

 

I was thinking they'd just reweld it, and I know a new muffler will take days for them to approve. Living in a big city means long waits for anything automotive.

[ilmor]

so is the fix going to be a completely new muffler?

 

I was thinking they'd just reweld it, and I know a new muffler will take days for them to approve. Living in a big city means long waits for anything automotive.

 

 

That was the fix for mine. In my case, the dealer intended to weld it, but said that it was not possible for some reason. So, they decided to order a new muffler.

 

And yes, it did take days, at least two weeks. My car was not in the shop all that time, though, but I did have to bring it back for the 2nd visit and install.

[mywickedshelby]

rewelding in the original spot will only be a temporary fix....as mine came undone 3 times over 2 years.......took pics when it was broken & sent in for warranty processing.

had it welded locally to get me by until new mufflers came in..........when I got the call from the dealer, I zipped over there and they slapped them on....

 

car was never down waiting for parts.....

use the reweld to get you by.......

if you rely on that as a permanent fix, I guaranty you will be sorry.....

 

get them replaced while you still have warranty......or end up wishing you did...........good luck.

[stormeaston]

With all due respect to my good friend from the great white north I wouldn't recommend this because the new FRPP muffler has a different design hanger and I assume it's better. There is no "screwing" around to get it done, this isn't like the other parts where there is a lot of verification or wait time. The mufflers are generally available and come in pretty quickly. Since there is no real impact other than the clunking you can run till it comes in and it's a 20 min install. You're entitled to a replacement so get one.

 

IMHO!

 

 

 

 

You ain't seem me weld yet!

 

[Orion]

thanks for the help. I'll be dropping by the service dept and seeing what they say.

[Orion]

well, I guess it won't be a surprise to anyone who has dealt with Ford lately, but they just welded the bars back to the muffler.

I guess I should have just ripped the muffler off and bashed it with a sledge hammer in order to get them to replace it like they should have.

Those bars are not supposed to break off are they?

 

Will report back if (when) the welds fail.

[JeffIsHereToo]

well, I guess it won't be a surprise to anyone who has dealt with Ford lately, but they just welded the bars back to the muffler.

I guess I should have just ripped the muffler off and bashed it with a sledge hammer in order to get them to replace it like they should have.

Those bars are not supposed to break off are they?

 

Will report back if (when) the welds fail.

 

 

 

WHO TOLD YOU THAT?

 

In all the years this has been ongoing I have NEVER heard of Ford telling anyone that. I would call the Ford Racing Warranty line yourself and ask. If they say that make sure they know you know of all the other owners that got replacement mufflers with the improved design.

 

Please report back!

[Orion]

WHO TOLD YOU THAT?

 

In all the years this has been ongoing I have NEVER heard of Ford telling anyone that. I would call the Ford Racing Warranty line yourself and ask. If they say that make sure they know you know of all the other owners that got replacement mufflers with the improved design.

 

Please report back!

 

 

I'm confused by your post. What are you saying that you've never heard Ford say? I didn't write that they told me anything...

was that a reply to another post?

I will search for a number for Ford Racing to complain about the dealer, but I would have expected the same weld job if I'd gone to any other dealer in So Cal.

[ilmor]

I don't see a problem with getting a weld (as long as its a good one of course). When I took mine in, I expected a weld, but my dealer said that because of the way my hanger broke off, it could not be welded properly...so...a new muffler was ordered. Hopefully the other muffler holds together as my warranty is now expired.

[JeffIsHereToo]

I'm confused by your post. What are you saying that you've never heard Ford say? I didn't write that they told me anything...

was that a reply to another post?

I will search for a number for Ford Racing to complain about the dealer, but I would have expected the same weld job if I'd gone to any other dealer in So Cal.

 

 

You are entitled to a new muffler.

 

Thus far, to my knowledge, anyone that has had this issue, including myself, has had the muffler replaced by Ford under warranty with a muffler of a different design.

 

That said, some have taken it upon themselves to have a the weld redone. That's fine, but unless it's done well, it too will develop cracks and break and chances are when it's out of warranty.

 

You posted that your dealer welded them back and seemed to imply that Ford told them to do so. The fact is the dealer SHOULD NOT have welded it back and instead filed a claim with Ford racing and got a new one.

 

The warranty line phone number and process is can be found here:

 

http://www.teamshelby.com/forums/index.php?/topic/42709-shelby-gt-info-for-owners/

 

I wouldn't have expected, or accepted, some dealer to spot weld a performance muffler I bought, I would expect a new one that was properly inspected but if your happy with it then fine i'm not here to try to force you to get something you don't want.

[JeffIsHereToo]

I don't see a problem with getting a weld (as long as its a good one of course). When I took mine in, I expected a weld, but my dealer said that because of the way my hanger broke off, it could not be welded properly...so...a new muffler was ordered. Hopefully the other muffler holds together as my warranty is now expired.

 

 

 

My understanding, the discussions I had with my dealer when this happened, is that the way these were designed and attached re-welding wasn't an option and that's my concern. My dealer even said they could weld it back but that would probably just break again so they didn't want to waste my time and I was better off waiting for the replacement.

[tispco]

No warranty here. My first muffler broke about a year ago and the other one just broke. I took it to the local custom exhaust shop and he rewelded the hanger on and welded a 2" x 2"metal plate on top of the hanger and muffler. It cost me $10 / muffler and should be a lot stronger with the metal plate.

[Orion]

I'm intent on keeping my SGT totally stock, so I would be a little concerned if they gave me a muffler that had a different design.

 

Will call Ford Perf Monday to see if that's what they would have done or will do if it breaks again.

[Frank S]

I'm intent on keeping my SGT totally stock, so I would be a little concerned if they gave me a muffler that had a different design.

 

Will call Ford Perf Monday to see if that's what they would have done or will do if it breaks again.

 

Can you find out when the "design change" was implemented? Perhaps some of the Shelby GTs were put together with the new design. I have one pair of each, old and new, and the difference is minuscule; involves extending and re-shaping the hanger rod so that it isn't attached only to the lip of the muffler can, but to the end cap as well. I'll see if I can find my photos, so you can see. In my view, the change is insignificant with regard to originality and authenticity.

 

Edit:

 

The old-style mufflers have been on two cars and subjected to rather harsh treatment, and haven't failed yet. Knock on wood.

 

Sorry for the not-so-good photography.

 

 

[JeffIsHereToo]

Can you find out when the "design change" was implemented? Perhaps some of the Shelby GTs were put together with the new design. I have one pair of each, old and new, and the difference is minuscule; involves extending and re-shaping the hanger rod so that it isn't attached only to the lip of the muffler can, but to the end cap as well. I'll see if I can find my photos, so you can see. In my view, the change is insignificant with regard to originality and authenticity.

 

 

I have one old and one new on my car and you're right it has nothing whatsoever to do with originality and authenticity. Through the years parts will need to be replaced simple as that. The old one I still have is proof that this is an issue that effects only some and may point to a bad weld from day one on a select few however with the change it would seem that Ford is looking to minimize the effect by having more than one point of contact?

[JeffIsHereToo]

No warranty here. My first muffler broke about a year ago and the other one just broke. I took it to the local custom exhaust shop and he rewelded the hanger on and welded a 2" x 2"metal plate on top of the hanger and muffler. It cost me $10 / muffler and should be a lot stronger with the metal plate.

 

You went to a customer muffler shop where they removed the muffler, added to plates, re-welded, and then reattached the muffler all for $10? Where is this place so I can take my car there!

[tispco]

You went to a customer muffler shop where they removed the muffler, added to plates, re-welded, and then reattached the muffler all for $10? Where is this place so I can take my car there!

 

Yes, A1 Exhaust in Fort Mill, SC. They only do exhaust systems and lots of custom work. I removed the muffler and reinstalled it myself. They added the plates and rewelded for $10. I about fell over when he told me how much the bill was!

[stormeaston]

You went to a customer muffler shop where they removed the muffler, added to plates, re-welded, and then reattached the muffler all for $10? Where is this place so I can take my car there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff......................I'll weld it for for FREE!!!!!!!, or you can drive to SC and pay ten bucks!

 

[JeffIsHereToo]

Jeff......................I'll weld it for for FREE!!!!!!!, or you can drive to SC and pay ten bucks!

 

 

 

 

:happy feet:

[Jer]

Mine have broken and been rewelded a few times. The reweld doesn't last.

It's covered under warranty... Ford knows the first run had issues, they're aware of it. Get a new muffler (or 2).

 

Jer

[Orion]

just to clear things up, are previous posters suggesting that there are one and two hanger models?

Mine is a 2008 and has 2 hangers that both broke off right at the muffler.

 

I don't know if they both broke at the same time or if one broke and then the other failed. I'd been on a 300 mile trip to Vegas, but the rattling didn't change at all after I noticed it.

[tispco]

just to clear things up, are previous posters suggesting that there are one and two hanger models?

Mine is a 2008 and has 2 hangers that both broke off right at the muffler.

 

I don't know if they both broke at the same time or if one broke and then the other failed. I'd been on a 300 mile trip to Vegas, but the rattling didn't change at all after I noticed it.

 

 

There are two versions of this muffler and both versions have a hanger at the front and another hanger at the rear. The first version was just a bad design and will break over time (bummer if you want everything "original"). On the second version, they changed the shape and length of the hanger so it could be welded to the top of the muffler and the end cap of the muffler. If you look at the pictures in post #20 from Frank S on the first page, you can see the difference.

[TRGriff]

If I may; I would like to add my own experiences concerning this topic, rattles from the left muffler of my SGT. I purchased my car (07) new and from the beginning I had a rattle. It was really bad at speed. Around 60-65 it sounded like there was a metal wood pecked in the trunk. My SGT is only for sunny days. I have to date only 3300 miles logged. Once a year since new I’ve had the oil changed and I had the dealership check for the rattle. They made adjustments to the rear fascia and tightened up bolts, however all for not. The rattle persisted. Like I stated, once a year 08, 09 and 10 oil changes and a complaint about a rattle in the rear of the vehicle. This year my dealership told me that my car was out of warranty. Not because of the mileage but because I purchased the vehicle on 10/12/07 and the current date was 10/20/10. It was explained that Ford is strict on that point with their warranties; one day past or one mile past and the 3/36 is over.

Well that didn’t go over well with me. They said as a courtesy that they would check the vehicle again with out charge. They could not find anything wrong.

I call Ford customer relation and explained my situation. I was told that when I purchased my vehicle the extended warranty was applied to my vehicle and that the dealership would be contacted and arrangements would be made to correct the rattle. It took three appointments and over a hundred miles of test drives, but the rattle………?

Has now been cured. I did explain numerous times to the service writer, technicians and service manager that this forum offered the correct fix for the rattle. But they said that they had to diagnose the problem themselves. With a technician in the trunk with an electronic listening device and a good old stethoscope probing the chassis openings it was concluded that the gas filler tube was vibrating against the frame. Fix, bending the tube slightly and adding insulation, result the rattle continued.

Finally, taking my suggestions the muffler hanger rod was cut back about a half inch and the rear muffler hanger bracket removed. (All of the suggestions which were furnished by this forum’s members) Final result; with the hanger rod cut back and bracket removed the rattle is gone. Yesterday the dealership installed a new hanger bracket at the rear position of the left muffler. This new hanger bracket (2010) is new and improved (it is dual sided). It is not position specific (L or R) but generic. It may be used now on either side. Or maybe, the 2010 Mustangs now have two hanger rods on each muffler.

Last comment, the folks at the dealership were always nice and well intended, the Ford customer relations department also couldn’t do enough to help. All in all a very positive experience. My Ford dealership will continue to have my patronage and the Ford CR folks also get a 10.