Notice: In order to prevent overheating of the floor panel or damage to the passenger compartment, insulation, and trim materials, check the underbody for adequate clearance when inspecting or replacing the exhaust system components.

Check complete exhaust system and nearby body areas for broken, damaged, missing or mispositioned parts, open seams, holes, lose connections, or other deterioration which could permit exhaust fumes to seep into the passenger compartment. To help insure continued integrity, the exhaust system pipe rearward of the muffler must be replaced whenever a new muffler is installed.

The exhaust pipe is bolted to the exhaust manifold with shouldered bolts and springs which allow the system to flex. The exhaust pipe and the converter are serviced as an assembly. The muffler and the tailpipes are serviced as an assembly only. The entire exhaust system is stainless steel and is designed to withstand corrosion.

The muffler is part of a welded exhaust system. The muffler is serviced with the tailpipe.

The exhaust system is supported by free-hanging rubber mountings which permit some movement of the exhaust system but do not permit transfer of noise and vibration into the passenger compartment.

Improperly installed exhaust system components can cause annoying vibrations which are difficult to diagnose.

The exhaust system has one clamp used at the pipe joint between the converter and the muffler. The clamp is part of the muffler tailpipe assembly. Use the guillotine or the saddle/U-bolt type clamps when servicing any part of the exhaust system.

Caution: Prolonged operation of a misfiring or flooded engine may cause the catalytic converter to overheat. Damage to the catalyst, the operating vehicle, or personal injury may result.

Notice: When jacking or lifting the vehicle from the frame side rails, be certain that the lift pads do not contact the catalytic converter. This may damage the converter.

The catalytic converter is an emissions control device added to the exhaust system to reduce pollutants from the exhaust gas stream.

Notice: In order to avoid damage to the catalyst, use unleaded fuel only.

A single bed monolith catalytic converter is used in combination with two different types of catalyst:

The coatings of the catalysts contain platinum and palladium. The oxidation catalyst lowers the level of hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO). The three-way catalyst lowers the levels of oxide of nitrogen (NO) as well as HC and CO.

A resonator is used on some series exhaust systems. The resonator allows the use of mufflers with less back pressure. The resonator provides for the best tuning characteristics of the exhaust system.

Exhaust system performance complaints (such as excessive back pressure) are noticeable by their effect on engine performance. However, other malfunctioning vehicle components have similar effects on engine performance and are characterized by the same symptoms or complaints. Therefore, it may be necessary to refer to the specific Engine Section for the vehicle being serviced in order to diagnose these types of problems.