What I learned today....

[Twistiva]

Well, my trip to Oklahoma City to get a muffler didn't result in a new muffler on Twistiva (yet) but I learned two things that other novice Festiva wrenchers (like myself) might not know...

1) The factory exhaust pipe (DOWNSTREAM from the engine but BEFORE the muffler) has a small flange on the muffler end and the factory muffler (immediately UPSTREAM from the muffler) has a small flange on it, too, to mate to the upstream exhaust pipe flange (via bolts / no welding required). If there’s no flange-to-flange joint/connection on your Festy then someone has cut out the flange connection and simply welded the 2 pipes together. (According to the Midas guy, this is workable but not ideal; claimed it would be noiser but that doesn't make sense to me since a weld should be a completed 'joint'.)

2) A Festiva uni-body / ‘chasis’ can NOT be lubed. Many small cars like the Festiva don’t have “zerks” to lube them; cars like this are referred to as having a “sealed” chassis. I've been driving my Festiva for 24 years and always assumed that when I took it in for an "LOF" that it was being lubed. I guess not.

I'm sure many experienced Festy mechanics knew that stuff but perhaps novice mechanics like myself do not.

Cheers!

[Bert]

All of the Festy OEM pipe joints, and muffler connections are flanges that bolt together with a gasket in between. Seeing this 10 years ago boosted my confidence in DIY exhaust system replacements. However; aftermarket Cats are increasingly more common and have to be welded in place, and the initial downpipe off the manifold often breaks or cracks and someone repairs them with a weld. In short order you wind up with a hybrid system. I would like to find a source of adaptable short flex pipe that could be installed before the Cat so that I don't have to deal with cracked or broken pipes so often.
My 68 Chevy pickup has 22 grease nipples underneath. The only way you'll ever find a grease nipple on a Festy is by installing Moog-brand tie rods and ball joints. These days when you get a 'lube job' it means someone has sprayed aerosol grease on your door/hatch/hood hinges and the latch mechanisms. The first new Ford I bought (1985) infuriated me with the routine $50 warranty service charges for 'chassis lubrication' when in fact there were no grease nipples to be found anywhere. It was the service manager that then told me about the zap cans for greasing hinges.

[DriverOne]

Re: What I learned today....

Bert, go to http://www.siliconeintakes.com. They have what you need.

[Movin]

price about what I pay through my commercial exhaust warehouse..good deal !

[Bert]

Bert, go to http://www.siliconeintakes.com. They have what you need.

Thank you! The spring-loaded joint between Cat and downpipe is long gone on my cars, and despite avoiding fast launches and all that energetic stuff, my downpipes crack, break or come loose on a regular basis. Flexible engine mounts and rigid exhaust connections all the way to the back are not condusive to longevity. The flex pipe has to be fairly short in order to find room for installing it but I see that site carries various lengths.