Anyone ever had a squeaky exhaust??

[JeffTheViperMan]

Another annoying sound that became more apparent this past weekend was a loud squeak/creaking from the rear of the GTS. I noticed it from the day I bought it, but figured it was spare parts stuffed in the rear hatch. Unfortunately, it's never gone away.

Yesterday I let my dad drive the Viper for the first time (boy did that ever make his day) and I at-first attempted to lay in the back... Yeah that didn't happen. So then I just sat backwards in the passenger seat and tried to listen to it as we went down a relatively bumpy road here in Ohio.

From the driver's seat it sounds like it's coming from the right rear suspension. From the passenger seat it sounds like it's coming from the left rear suspension! Process of conversion tells us that it's probably coming from the middle, which means it's probably the aftermarket exhaust rubbing on something. I plan on getting underneath it possibly even today to try and find the source. I figured I'd toss this out here first to see if anyone can suggest any likely spots to check first.

Slowly and surely I'm getting my Viper woes solved. Hopefully by Summer's end I'll have it driving like new!!

Jeff

 

[eucharistos]

the same thing happened to mine when i put hiflows in (went in "tight"), and went away when i did a muffler delete. i think if the lengths of replaced parts are not 100% it causes stress squeaking, for me the muffler delete removed the stress the hiflows put in.

 

[JeffTheViperMan]

the same thing happened to mine when i put hiflows in (went in "tight"), and went away when i did a muffler delete. i think if the lengths of replaced parts are not 100% it causes stress squeaking, for me the muffler delete removed the stress the hiflows put in.

Yeah but aren't the mufflers located in the side-sills right after the cats? They are in my car at least, unless that's an additional resonator... Is that where your squeak was - in the sidesills? My squeak is coming from the back, directly under the spare-tire well. So it's either an exhaust bracket, the exhaust piping rubbing against the frame, or something in the suspension, possibly control arm bushings which sit closer to the middle of the car.

 

[dave6666]

Check all of your suspension mounting bushings - rot etc.

Torque all of your suspension and differential mounting points - control arms, shocks, carrier etc.

Torque your rear hubs.

Check your exhaust clamps assuming it's a clamped system - tighten them.

Inspect all of the rubber isolators on your exhaust mounts. The ones at the front by the cats usually get it the worst, but they are all just rubber.

Check to see if there has been any rubbing where the tips exit the rear bumper cover.

 

[JeffTheViperMan]

...
Check to see if there has been any rubbing where the tips exit the rear bumper cover.

Yeup - that seems to be it. I finally got up underneath and the answer was quite obvious - the rear pipes, just fore of the tips themselves, are actually sitting on the rear splash pan opening. I don't know if that metal is already diveted for the pipes, but it is now. It has even rubbed the ceramic coating from the pipes and they're starting to rust a bit.

So what I gotta figure out (later as the car was way too hot to work on yesterday) is how to pull the pipes upwards. I see where a bracket runs across just inside the rear bumper - I'm wondering if I can bend it upwards a bit. I don't really want to go cutting metal from the splash pan.

 

[dave6666]

Howz about a pic there Mister?

 

[2001-V10 Power Nut]

Sounds like it could be your upper ball joints need some grease, I had a similar problem

 

[JeffTheViperMan]

Sounds like it could be your upper ball joints need some grease, I had a similar problem

Yeah but I would think that if it were the balljoint, then I'd get the noise CONSTANTLY. Sometimes I don't hear anything - in fact, on big bumps, I usually don't get any noise. It's more when the body twists a little or just going over road undulations that it'll squeak.

I'll try and get some pics up, but I probably won't be back down to the car until Friday - the weather here *****!

Jeff

 

[dave6666]

It's more when the body twists a little or just going over road undulations that it'll squeak.

Within reason that may be normal. Any vehicle when twisted is going to have friction between surfaces such as mounting and attachment points between components. It does sound however that your is maybe a tad past what is normal or acceptable though.

I still think you should do the list I posted above. It is good routine maintenance if nothing else.

 

[JeffTheViperMan]

I will, and I'll get pics. Thanks, Dave.

 

[gen2lover]

Dave,you have the most posts on here yet no avatar..why?

 

[dave6666]

Dave,you have the most posts on here yet no avatar..why?

http://forums.viperclub.org/vca-members-only/622317-question-dave-quad-6-a.html