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Another Exhaust Question...


CoastGuardZ
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Hello all.

 

My 2002 Pathy has sprung an exhaust leak from the driverside front resonator, which is apparently a model wide issue since Nissan offers a "repair-kit". I have no intentions of dropping $75 for this band-aid and $500 for a new one is rediculous. A local exhaust shop quoted me $90 to remove both front resonators and weld in new pipe in their place.

 

My questions for y'all are...

 

Has anyone removed their front resonators?

 

If so, have you experienced any side-effects, such as droning in the cabin at any rpm range? I only ask because I've had this issue before in other vehicles, like my Z.

 

I am not looking into any aftermarket exhaust sytems as I intend on trading into a Titan in the next 12 months or so.

 

Thanks,

Nate

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Well we have different engins and our resinators are in the rear and it is only 1. I had mine removed and notised no real noise difference. At first I really had to listen for the extra little puff noise and now i cant tell at all since I got used to it. So I would probably take them down just to fix the problem. I dont know how hard them resinators are to get to but $90 sounds a little high. I never pay more than $30 for something exaust removed. Whenever i got mufflers replaced and i probided the muffler, I never payed more than $20 for the swap. Now with you needing pipe too, I would say $30 a resinator would sound fare. Just remember to do both sides, not just the bad side.

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Back home in South Carolina I wouldn't have to pay as much, but nothing is cheap here in NY. The distance I would have to drive to find someone to do it cheaper wouldn't make it worth the money in gas, so I'm hoping to get the guy down to around $75... it'll definetly be worth the money to save me the trips to the parts store for adapters and pipe and having to do it outside in the cold.

 

Not sure what R50's have the same exhaust setup (I figure the 3.5's are all the same) but mine starting at the manifolds is...

O2 sensor each side, Cat each side, O2 sensor each side, Resonator each side, 2 pipes into muffler, 1 pipe out, Post muffler, then exits out the rear.

 

I don't anticipate any issues removing them, but I also figure Nissan put them there for a reason so I was looking for any negative someone may have had previously.

 

Thanks,

Nate

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I removed the resonators from my exhaust and there is droning/rasp at ~3,000 rpms. I recommend to replace the resonators, not just remove them. $30 for each resonator including labor sounds fair.

 

This was on a VG33 engine and the exhaust was replaced from the cats with 2.25-inch piping and a Magnaflow muffler.

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I removed the resonators from my exhaust and there is droning/rasp at ~3,000 rpms. I recommend to replace the resonators, not just remove them. $30 for each resonator including labor sounds fair.

 

This was on a VG33 engine and the exhaust was replaced from the cats with 2.25-inch piping and a Magnaflow muffler.

Don't you think the droning was caused because you replaced the entire exhaust system and used a Magnaflow muffler?

 

(Besides, the VQ35 exhaust configuration is apparently much different than the VG33 exhaust.)

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isnt 3grand when the secondaries usually open? that is where i notice a big power increase and my intake gets louder. I wish there was a muffler i could put on that would make mine louder but not have anymore in cabin noise. It is hard to talk on the phone on the interstate inbetween my intake and tires.

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isnt 3grand when the secondaries usually open? that is where i notice a big power increase and my intake gets louder. I wish there was a muffler i could put on that would make mine louder but not have anymore in cabin noise. It is hard to talk on the phone on the interstate inbetween my intake and tires.

secondaries? :huh:

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i hear at 2750 rpms thats when the ECU just opens everything. like fuel and stuff like that.

Never heard of that before. Optimum air/fuel ratio is maintained by the ECU at all times when in "closed loop". The ECU is only in "open loop" at WOT and when coolant temp is below a certain threshold.

 

This is electronic fuel injection we're talking about here, not a 4-barrel carburetor.

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Yeah, the VQ35 is much different than the VG33. I have both engines. The VQ35 in a G35 coupe and the VG33 in the QX4. Based on input from various boards, the removal of the resonator caused a drone/rasp with stock and after market exhausts.

 

I think you may be right though. The resonator may eliminate the rasp; however, the drone may be from the muffler itself. I may put the resonator back on if I replace the cats. I am getting sporadic CEL (I think P420) indicating the cats may be operating inefficiently. I almost have 150,000 miles..

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secondaries? :huh:

Well thats what i call them and im not sure that ours even have them but other nissan 4 and 6 cylender engins i have owned have them. Here is what i call a secondary....

The little butterflies in front of the second set of intake ports so that at lower cfm levels it is running off of 1 intake valve creating maxium turbulance for proper a/f mixture. But at higher cfm levels ie. wot and higher rmps, the secondaries open letting it run off of the 2 intake valves. They give you maxium tq at lower rmp and more power at high rpm. It gives you the best of both worlds. Its kinda like how american v8s will have smaller intake valves for lowend power or will have bigger valves for high hp.

 

Im not positive that our engines have them but nissan likes to use them on their ohc (most all i have seen) engins and they are vaccume controlled and part of the intake manifold. I modified them to stay open at all times on my nissan pulsar nx when i was 16 thinking that i would get more power running off of all 16 valves at all times but decided to put them back the way they were supposed to be and to let them do their job after i discovered their benefit. I thought that they were just a restrictor at first. Anyways, i notice a defenate louder sound through my intake right at 3k rpm and more power so i think that they are there and opening right then. Since the power increase is so noticibel (for me at least) I think that if they were to engage earlier a benefit would be there but that would require different vaccume acuators which most likely are not avabiable.

 

Now im sure alot of people think im crazy but im not even positive that they are on the vg33 but do a little research and you will see that they exist. Alot of the tuners i used to hang around refered to them as secondaries and im not positive that is the correct name.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Now im sure alot of people think im crazy but im not even positive that they are on the vg33 but do a little research and you will see that they exist. Alot of the tuners i used to hang around refered to them as secondaries and im not positive that is the correct name.

4x4LE - No, you're not crazy. What you are referring to is the variable flow intake manifold (plenum). The VQ35 does indeed have it, on the other hand the VG33 in my '03 Frontier did not. I am not sure when it comes into play though. Secondaries, as mentioned earlier, is a term used for the back two barrels on a 4bbl carb.

 

So here is my update...

 

I had them cut out both front resonators and weld in some pipe. All was fine and dandy. No noticeable exhaust volume increase :sniff: but also no resonating or droaning in the cabin :D

 

Then a couple weeks later the exhaust got louder and while under acceleration I started getting some excessive cabin noise and a banging noise when traveling over bumps :huh: Further inspection reveals that NOW the exhaust flange where the tail pipe bolts to the muffler has rusted through! I hate NY :furious: So now I am looking into having the entire exhaust removed and a custom cat-back fabricated/installed because Nissan wants almost $300 for the tail pipe assy. What's the deal with NO aftermarket support on these things??? I see R50's everywhere...

 

Any recommendations on mufflers? I'm thinking Flowmaster 50 Series SUV.

 

Nate

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  • 1 month later...

Hey Everbody, just wanted to give you all an update on my exhaust experience...

 

I had a local shop remove everything after the o2 sensors and weld in two 2.25" pipes back to a Flowmaster 50 Series SUV (P/N 524553) which is located in the OEM position. They then welded on a 2.75" pipe on the outlet of the muffler and exited it at the original position. I also had them utilize all the original exhaust hanger locations too. I wanted it to look similar to stock.

 

I had to use the local Midas because there are no custom shops around here and most other exhaust places didn't want to touch it. Luckily they have two guys that work there who specialize in their custom work. Unluckily NY is stupid expensive and double so living here in the middle of nowhere.

 

Flowmaster: ~$100 from Summit.

Pipe, bending, welding, hangers, labor, and highway robery: ~$300

 

It is a bit louder in the cabin than I had hoped for, but it sounds way cool outside :cool2:

 

Also not real happy about the kink bending but in a town where even the Burger King shut down, good luck finding a shop that can do mandrel. :blink:

 

Go here to listen to it:

 

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...eoid=1951347443

 

And here are some pics:

 

PathfinderExhuast1-2.jpg

 

PathfinderExhaust2-2.jpg

 

PathfinderExhaust3-2.jpg

 

All Comments, Questions and Ridicule is welcomed! WAVEY

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that looks really cool. i just did muffler back stainless steel with the magnaflow. i love it. i kept it stock before the muffler because i didnt see the need to replace it, it wasnt rusted or anything and i like to be able to take it apart. the shop wanted a lot to replace all that and have flanges and stuff.

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Didn't have to deal with any bolts/nuts, had the shop do it all. The front resonators were removed a few months earlier and the flanges were rusted through. The first shop did such a crappy job that I had this shop replace their work too which is why I had all the pipe after the rear o2's replaced.

 

 

Hey 90seven... PB Blaster will work better than ol' WD. :aok:

 

Nate

Edited by CoastGuardZ
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