I have a '95 Accord EX Wagon 4 speed Automatic. There is a hole that has rusted through either the resonator or central silencer right behind the "wicker basket" type unit. My question is: How do I tell if this piece is a resonator or central silencer? When looking at parts, both units look the exact same to me. (If you can't tell already, I am a newbie at car repair.) Does anyone know how to tell the difference, or better yet - if there is a difference between a resonator or central silencer? You can see the hole in on the right side of the picture. Any input would be appreciated, just looking for wisdom from someone wiser than me.



The hole is on the right side of the pic. It is pretty rusty all around.

 

The "basket" unit is called a flex pipe. It expands or contracts according to compensate for expansion or contraction of exhaust due to heat.
The cylinder on the left is a resonator. I think resonator is a more proper name for central silencer, so both are more or less the same. Your silencer would be the muffler at the end of the exuhast.

 

on your car the "resonator" and "central silencer" are the same thing. resonator is the term most commonly used here.

technically speaking a "resonator" would be a chamber (full of air/exhaust gasses in this case) that is sized and tuned to vibrate or resonate at certain frequencies to cancel out harsh sounds from the exhaust system. (for more just google "Hemholtz resonator")

"silencers" can operate on several principles including resonance and absorption. this term is more generally applied though and can pretty much refer to any part of the exhaust used to modify the outgoing sound including resonators and mufflers.

so either term can be used for what you have pictured. some later model accords had "mid mufflers" down stream of the resonator but separate from the main muffler at the rear. the section of pipe that your resonator is welded to is called the mid pipe or B-pipe and can be purchased and replaced as a single piece. by the looks of the pipe beyond the braided flex joint, I would recommend replacing the whole piece.

...and for the record, the flex joint you have welded in there must have been put on as a patch or something. there wasn't a joint there from the factory and a joint like that is really only needed just in front of the catalytic converter near the engine.

 

Thanks Digitalis. That gives me some peace of mind. And flex pipe sounds much better than wicker basket.

 

Thanks hondamark 35. I purchased a resonator before I realized they are sometimes called central silencers. It is the whole long pipe so I will be replacing that whole section. Thanks for all of the info. It is a big help.