Engine 93-97 flex pipe leak

93-97 flex pipe leak

I have a big leak in the flex pipe of my aftermarket header and I know I've heard other people having this problem too. Is there any good way to fix it, any good place to buy just that downpipe part? Any help would be appreciated.

you might have to get a muffler shop to replace the flex pipe.. those things arnt cheap either.. $70-80. Guess the manufacturer of the header cheaped out on the part.

really? i have never heard of anyone having a problem with the flex pipe. mine looks to be in great shape.

Yea, my friend, FastRolla96 is having the same problem with his car but i think its cuz his car is very low and it seems like hes always bottoming out or scrapping something.

Yup, i got mine fixed about 2 months ago. Cost me 80 dollars.

mine leaked about a year ago and it costed alittle over 100 to fix i believe.

I already have a aftermarket header. I don't really want to buy a whole new one especially since it might just be faulty again and have another leak. I'll probably have to take it into an exhaust shop which I'll hate doing. First thing they're gonna do is complain about how they can't get it on a lift due to the side skirts.

Well I guess it's cheaper than buying a whole new header. How did they fix it? Weld a whole new pipe? Thanks for the responses.

yes i believe they welded an entire new pipe in the flex section. id shop around though b/c alot of people were actually in the 185-225 range for me. if you cant find a good deal a set of headers maybe the way to go.

Ok I just went to 3 different exhaust shops today to have this fixed. None of them can get my car onto a lift so they won't even look at it. They said theres no where else in town that could get it on a lift either. So I asked them all if I could just pull the pipe off the car and bring it in. They all said no because since its the actual flex section that is leaking all they would do is order and replace the whole pipe anyway. So basically that wouldn't even do me any good since I have after market pipes under there.

Advance auto parts wants $75 for stock flex pipe section pipe. Is there anywhere I can buy just that section of an aftermarket header?

So true! lol it is low. The flex pipe is the lowest part on the front and that thing is leaking bad. It was leaking a bit ever since I bought the thing from Ebay. Thats probably my problem there cause there cheap ebay stuff. Since then Its gotten worse cause I bottomed it out bad on this dirt road. So basically what u guys are sayin is to go to a muffler shop and they'll fix it?<br />
Cause if they can, then I don't have to get the obx headers then.

can't you unbolt your side skirts? mine are bolted on so they can be removed for just such an occasion.

The guy who painted my car put pop rivits in (i havn't been impressed by anything he did) Yes bolts are a much much better idea. I will need to drill them out and do what you did. Why don't shops use pits anymore? That would solve our problem.

Might have to buy a obx or elprototypes header cause these ebay pipes are crap and according to these shops they can't fix it.

Damn, so you cant get your car lifted due to the body kit? that sucks. To oil change places cant do exhaust work, cause they go in the pit under the car, hehe. yeah, the pipe is expensive, i was charged 60 or 65 for the part, and 20 for labor.

93corolladx, if you were to go with a new header, the chrome OBX (forza) would be an excellent joice, but iv'e got a question- HOW in the world do you know if its leaking? will it be extremely loud?

i hate bringing my car to the local muffler shop- there's a bunch of kids there who are into domestics, so obviously, here comes a little toyota who's tryin to hang with the bigs boys- they mustofve made so much fun of my little baby...

I can hear mine leaking when I accelerate or when I floor it because It makes a hissing/buzzing sound. Also you can just check under the car and have someone idle the car at 3000 rpms or higher to feel if air is coming out. Also about shops not working on low cars. Thats why I got coilovers.

^ exactly. I hear lots of hissing especially under acceleration, if I put my silencer in the muffler I can actually hear the majority of my exhaust sound coming from right underneath me rather than from the rear of the car. I crawled under the car on a cold day and I could see the gas coming out of the flex section so pretty sure theres a leak...

Where would you get a obx header? I see them on ebay sometimes and they're more expensive than the knock off kind I have so I hope they are better. Also elprototypes makes a 4-1 header for the 7afe, anyone have experience with that?

I think Ebay is the cheapest place and the only place to get them now a days. I have not been able to get them any other places even at the speed shop I got to. I'll rather get the
4-2-1 Obx headers then the El 4-1. Also don't get a pacesetter if you see them on sale. They suck period.

i would recommend this b/c the ebayer, dailod is excellent, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...7936880380&rd=1 yours is 1.8L correct- if so thats the one for ya... (keep in mind i believe this is made by UK based Forza Tuning, NOT OBX, which has a poor quality reputation)

there are quite a few brands on ebay.. someone should make a list of which one to steer clear of.

93corolladx: see if u can find a muffler shop with a drive-on lift.

Pretty sure this is the one I have thats leaking. Is that the same one you guys have? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...&category=33631

Two of the shops I went to had drive up lifts but the front wheels wouldn't make it onto the ramps before the bumper wouldve bottomed out. I'm going to drill out the pop rivits and put in screws or bolts this weekend.

The first one is what I have, the 2nd one is the obx header. Does the flex pipe look better connected to you guys? Maybe thats what my problem is. Well I'll probably end up blowing my money on a obx header since I don't see any way to really fix it.

IMO the OBX looks better and it looks to have a better quality. I also got the first like you do lol. I just wish they had the obx when I bought my headers alon time ago

mine is megan racing- i dont see it on ebay anymore, but the guy i bought it from had a similair "no name" brand auction up just like taht focus motorsports- but the megan racing header is holding up very well..at least i hope it is! there it was when i first got it- you can see the flex pipe is attached to the inner "lip" of each side much like the focus motorsports, which i believe is a crappy setup... i dont think the OBX is setup that way judging by the pics...

Well I ordered a obx header last night. I'll let you guys know if it fixes it.

Sorry to revive a old topic but I got my obx header installed tonight. The problem is gone, its so much quieter I love it. The flex pipe actually looks and feels stronger when you hold them right next to each other in comparison. If anyone else buys the obx header I'll warn you that you have to drill the stud holes bigger to get them to fit onto the head. Also the obx header didn't come with the bolts and nuts you need to install it so I was making last minute runs out to walmart. Anyway if anyone can think of a way to fix the old header I'll sell them it really cheap.