STROMUNG PROBLEM! HELP!

[marko]

To all who have participated in a Stromung GB (& the ones who just have a general idea)!

I finally had my, recently purchased through a GB, exhaust installed & here is what I got so far..

1 - Exhaust leak @ the connetcion point - can feel it on my hand @ idle (despite all new hangers/nuts/bolts/springs/ brackets)...

2 - 'Dimple' which was supposed to clear the subframe was placed on a WRONG spot, as the 'dimple' is miles away from anything & the subframe is making a CONTACT with the (full diameter - perfectly round) section of the exhaust...

3 - check engine light (which finally turned itself off a few days ago after being triggered by a different - earlier isue with the car) is ON again...

Does anyone else from the group buy have the same problem (I got the 2.25 inch tubing because of a DASC)????

pictures to follow as soon as my camera charges!

[weezer]

Originally Posted by marko

To all who have participated in a Stromung GB (& the ones who just have a general idea)!

I finally had my, recently purchased through a GB, exhaust installed & here is what I got so far..

1 - Exhaust leak @ the connetcion point - can feel it on my hand @ idle (despite all new hangers/nuts/bolts/springs/ brackets)...

2 - 'Dimple' which was supposed to clear the subframe was placed on a WRONG spot, as the 'dimple' is miles away from anything & the subframe is making a CONTACT with the (full diameter - perfectly round) section of the exhaust...

3 - check engine light (which finally turned itself off a few days ago after being triggered by a different - earlier isue with the car) is ON again...

WTF?!

Does anyone else from the group buy have the same problem (I got the 2.25 inch tubing because of a DASC)????

pictures to follow as soon as my camera charges!

Marko,
First, My CEL came on a day after the install, but I have yet to replace the O2 Sensors, so I will do that soon and see what happens.

Secondly, I also had to remove and put adhesive/gasket maker on the connection areas and that helped quite a bit.

Third,With the clearance and dimple issue, you will have to call Scot about that. I would recommend dimpling the subframe........if you can and willing, I did it with one (1) tap and it doesn't rattle anymore.

I actually went to Autozone/Pep Boys to buy a couple of those thick muffler hangers and they worked better than the OEM ones.
I also invested on an Actron CP9125 code reader, got it from Ebay new at $30.00 plus shipping. Get the CP 9135, it's slightly more and better........you can actually read,clear and reset codes......way cheaper than the Peake tool.

Good Luck and Let me know how it all works out for you.

[kelso]

mine has an exhaust leak at the conncection as well....mine isnt dimpled anywhere and does rattle at certain rpm's on the subframe but i can live with that

[marko]

just got off the phone with Scott, and must say that no matter what ultimatelly happens with my exhaust, he sure is a STAND UP guy since he said he will work with me to make sure I'm happy with the outcome, even if it means sending me a different unit.

having said that.. he suggested I take it off & put a dimple onto the exhaust itself right were it touches the subframe (which I will tomorow).. while there, I will try and have those guys eliminate the leak (by whatever means neccessary). Note pix below and let me know if anything on the connection seems off place... also, note middle pic - dimple they made is all the way in back (left side of photo) in front of the 4 fingerprints, while you can clearly see the subframe touching the pipe up front (right side of photo).
Also, why would the CEL come on after exhaust install, when the entire thing is passed the O2 sensors??

+ did anyone notice a loss of bottom end power (torque)?
++ how does everyone feel about the noise?? too much or just as expected?? I think it is a bit on the loud side, but it could be due to the leak...

[Philly]

sorry to hear about your issues...

Mine fit perfect (no leaks or anything) and I had a dimple put in it while being installed, they used a part on their mandrel pipe bender to dent it.. looks like OEM... and im glad it wasn't dented from Stromung directly, just because of the placement and depth etc.

I noticed a very slight, SLIGHT loss in low end torque.. i don't even notice it now... only like when i hit 2nd or 3rd gear in low RPMs (x1500-2000), but i also noticed a nice mid range increase around 4200 while on the highway... before it took what seemed to be a long time to go from 130-170km/h... seems to get there quicker.

and personally, i love the note, slightly loud when you get on it, but not too loud when your just havin a nice sunday drive.

[marko]

how about the check engine light? on or off, after install??

Originally Posted by kelso

mine has an exhaust leak at the conncection as well....mine isnt dimpled anywhere and does rattle at certain rpm's on the subframe but i can live with that

[kelso]

no CEL from the exhaust.... i get a CEL when i let the car idle for too long but its been doing that for many months and i thought i had gotten rid of it but nope...

i was aware of the lack of dimple and possible rattle before i bought the exhaust so i dont mind that at all... the exhaust leak however, irks me a bit. it seems to only be coming out of the passenger side, right at the connection point. you can feel it quite easily.you can see it if your looking for it.i called stromung many times, i guess they werent open at those times though, and left i think 2 messages which went unanswered. i then got a hold of his receptionist lady who is very nice of course and she said he would call me back shortly like within a half hour, but he was out and on his way back to the shop....no missed calls or messages on my phone. we noticed that the stock flange is larger than the flange provided by stromung, could this be the cause of the leak?maybe the bolts arent able to fully tighten like they were before because theyre at maximum capacity as it is..

[HuGo]

FACK!!!

I still havent put mine on and i hope i dont get problems. So im like almost sure they dented mine in the same place as yours. Can you circle (in paint) where you have your dents, and whats the subframe cuz i dont know.

Do you feel any quicker by any chance?

[marko]

call, call, call, & call again & again & again... sounds stupid, but it works.
I left a message yesterday - but called back like 3 times (answering machine) & I finally got him! He seems willing to help with any issues with his product, so try calling him back & talking to him.

Originally Posted by kelso

no CEL from the exhaust.... i get a CEL when i let the car idle for too long but its been doing that for many months and i thought i had gotten rid of it but nope...

i was aware of the lack of dimple and possible rattle before i bought the exhaust so i dont mind that at all... the exhaust leak however, irks me a bit. it seems to only be coming out of the passenger side, right at the connection point. you can feel it quite easily.you can see it if your looking for it.i called stromung many times, i guess they werent open at those times though, and left i think 2 messages which went unanswered. i then got a hold of his receptionist lady who is very nice of course and she said he would call me back shortly like within a half hour, but he was out and on his way back to the shop....no missed calls or messages on my phone. we noticed that the stock flange is larger than the flange provided by stromung, could this be the cause of the leak?maybe the bolts arent able to fully tighten like they were before because theyre at maximum capacity as it is..

[mohaughn]

Is it just an optical trick or is that flange bent? Looking at the pictures of where the exhaust meets up the the back part of the cat pipe the flange doesn't look straight. No CEL on an m42.

[marko]

as much as I could see while crawling under it, it is NOT an optical ilusion. anyway, the boys around the corner are putting another dimple on the right spot, so will see when i get out of work. also told the guy to try & eliminate the leak... so I'm hoping that when i get a new 'dimple' the appearent angle differential will go away. anyway, are those two brackets suppesed to be flush?? I hope not..

Originally Posted by mohaughn

Is it just an optical trick or is that flange bent? Looking at the pictures of where the exhaust meets up the the back part of the cat pipe the flange doesn't look straight. No CEL on an m42.

[marko]

how about the CEL?

Originally Posted by rwd_king

sorry to hear about your issues...

Mine fit perfect (no leaks or anything) and I had a dimple put in it while being installed, they used a part on their mandrel pipe bender to dent it.. looks like OEM... and im glad it wasn't dented from Stromung directly, just because of the placement and depth etc.

I noticed a very slight, SLIGHT loss in low end torque.. i don't even notice it now... only like when i hit 2nd or 3rd gear in low RPMs (x1500-2000), but i also noticed a nice mid range increase around 4200 while on the highway... before it took what seemed to be a long time to go from 130-170km/h... seems to get there quicker.

and personally, i love the note, slightly loud when you get on it, but not too loud when your just havin a nice sunday drive.

[Panzer_M]

no issues with mine.

got it from Understeer.com when I got the club sport.

[mohaughn]

Originally Posted by marko

so I'm hoping that when i get a new 'dimple' the appearent angle differential will go away. anyway, are those two brackets suppesed to be flush?? I hope not..

Mine are not flush up against one another. There is maybe a few millimeters between them, but they are parallel. The gap is the same all of the way around.

[pdxmotorhead]

Originally Posted by marko

just got off the phone with Scott, and must say that no matter what ultimatelly happens with my exhaust, he sure is a STAND UP guy since he said he will work with me to make sure I'm happy with the outcome, even if it means sending me a different unit.

having said that.. he suggested I take it off & put a dimple onto the exhaust itself right were it touches the subframe (which I will tomorow).. while there, I will try and have those guys eliminate the leak (by whatever means neccessary). Note pix below and let me know if anything on the connection seems off place... also, note middle pic - dimple they made is all the way in back (left side of photo) in front of the 4 fingerprints, while you can clearly see the subframe touching the pipe up front (right side of photo).
Also, why would the CEL come on after exhaust install, when the entire thing is passed the O2 sensors??

+ did nyone notice a loss of bottom end power (torque)?
++ how does everyone feel about the noise?? too much or just as expected?? I think it is a bit on the loud side, but it could be due to the leak...

So this is totally based on the pics BUT,, It looks way overtightened to me, usually spring couplers should be compressed only 70% or so, You should still have space between the coils. Too tight and they leak,
I once had a near knockdown with an oil change outfit when he noticed the "loose bolts" and proceeded to air ratchet them up.... I noticed the noise and bailed out, had to literally take the wrench away ... Arrg

There are doughnuts available to go between the pipes to assist in sealing. There is also a high vibration/High misalignment coupler available from Aircraft Spruce and or Wicks Aircraft I've started using them on a lot of race cars because they tolerate off track impacts better and are real tough....

Dave