mattp27

I just finished installing a new cat back exhaust system on my 1994 Honda Accord EX. Upon installation and firing up the engine I noticed a good amount of water leaking from 2 points on the muffler assembly and at the joint between the muffler and resonator pipe (pipe B). (attached pictures; taken after having the car run for about 5 minutes)

Is it normal for this much water to come from the exhaust? From the muffler the water is coming from welded joints. The other water leakage is from the resonator joint where I used the appropriate gasket and spring bolt set. The bolt set is maxed out to the point where the springs don't allow them to sink, or tighten any more.

One additional thing, I am also getting a continuous "sputtering" sound coming from the dual tips off the back of the muffler. Again is this normal or should it be for the most part silent?

Any insight is appreciated. My first exhaust replacement....

Thanks
-Matt

NZXTInerTia

Yes its normal, just condensation inside the piping.

mattp27

Where the water is leaking on the muffler it is not at a weaping hole, its from a seam. There is no sign of a weaping hole which makes me think this is an unintentional leak. Just want to be sure I don't have a defective product.

NZXTInerTia

That doesn't sound too good. Maybe a shotty weld?

mrfoster

The likely answer is you don't have a problem. Cold steel and hot exhaust form water droplets inside the system. it happens all the time. You were not looking when it did it.

mattp27

Are there any opinions on the sputtering sound that comes from the tailpipe? Could this be a gasket issue or something else? Any suggested checks I should do to determine the cause of that problem?

To note: This is a new exhaust install and I haven't driven the car since installing. Finishing brake job first before I can get tires on the car to road test. Previous exhaust system did not have this sputtering sound.

GhostAccord

Sputtering from the exhaust would probably just be the new exhaust..... Do you have a video of the exhaust? Hard to tell what you are referring to without a sound clip.

As far as the weeping goes. Water in the exhaust is normal and it will sometimes drip from new flange joints until the gasket wears into the flanges. Looking at your flange joint it looks as though your spring kit bolts may be too short... your springs are completely bottomed out. They aren't doing much springing or flexing in that state. Did the spring kit come with the exhaust?

As far as the water at the muffler. There is usually a weep hole at one end of the muffler casing. It may look like a week weld or it could be a gap left as a weep hole. In your situation it looks as though it is leaking at both ends of the muffler. This has me thinking poor weld vs weep holes.

What brand exhaust is that?

mattp27

I will get a video recording and post here. The leakage is definitly coming from the welds, not a pre-drilled weeper.

The muffler is aftermarket. It has an AutoParts International branding on it.

GhostAccord

What about the spring kit, is that OEM or aftermarket? The spring sleeve looks to be too short for that flange & gasket setup. The springs should not be bottomed out. They should be able to spring and flex even after the bolts in the flange are tightened.


I would say you should call the store that you bought the muffler from and see what they have to say about the product. If they give you the run around contact the manufacturer themselves.

mattp27

The spring bolt kit is aftermarket as well. I've also read threads here that say the same as you mentioned, that they need to have flex in them...some suggested to shorten the spring.

Calling vendor was next step...wanted to get some confirmation here as well. Thanks.

I'll keep you posted.....

GhostAccord

Instead of cutting them you could try and take that spring kit back and get one with a shorter spring. Sometimes your local auto parts store service rep can help. Any time I run into something like this I go to a local store where they will help me find a spring kit with a shorter spring. The parts computer can only help so much. You need to find a rep that knows cars and the aftermarket.

I find that's the problem with some aftermarket kits. They don't always fit the components you are using. Specially if they are not of the same brands. I tried to use OEM spring kit on one exhaust and it didn't fit...so it was off to the parts store to find one that would work. Ended up using one that was for a Toyota of some kind.....

Best of luck!