Do you have a muffler hanger that is wobbly or broken? The exhaust hangers are the metal clips that hold your muffler in place. They can be damaged by rocks, debris on the road, and corrosion. This blog post will teach you how to remove an exhaust hanger without damaging any nearby parts of your car. You may need to change out your exhaust system if there are too many problems with it! Follow these steps below to learn how!
Related: How to Enlarge an Existing Hole in Metal?
The exhaust hanger is the tube that connects to the exhaust system to remove exhausted gases from a car, truck, or other vehicle. The hanger acts as a barrier between the ground and any materials emitting toxic chemicals. A problem with this device might cause your car's performance to worsen. Have it checked out by a mechanic before attempting any repairs on your own!
Related: How to Fix Exhaust Pipe without Welding?
8 Reasons for Removing Exhaust Hangers
Replacing the hanger will enable your exhaust system to function correctly and help prevent engine damage due to vibrations.
1. Improved Vehicle Performance
Worn-out hangers cause problems with the exhaust system by causing it to vibrate excessively, which affects its durability and performance. Replacing your old mounts ensures that this doesn't happen again.
2. Avoid Serious Engine Damage
Broken hangers are prone to snapping under stress which places harmful levels of vibration on vital vehicle components like the catalytic converter (if equipped). This can shorten the life of these parts significantly over time.
3. Easy DIY Installation
Replacing exhaust hangers is easy to do with the right tools and about an hour of your time. A jack and a few basic hand tools are all that's needed.
4. Affordable Fix
The replacement process only requires simple, inexpensive parts. A complete set runs around $30 in most cases which is much cheaper than paying for major engine repairs.
5. A Better Look
Replacing worn-out rubber mounts installs shiny new ones which look better than old, weathered ones when viewed from underneath the car. This makes it easier to maintain a clean underside keeping grime out of hard-to-reach places.
6. Reduce Chance of Accident
The vehicle's rear bumper is often the first part of a collision and can pose a serious threat to other drivers in an accident. Replacing all your exhaust hangers reduces the chance that your bumper snags on something and causes damage or injury during an accident.
7. More Secure Fit
A well-fitted exhaust system doesn't rattle when you step on the gas or press firmly on it as old ones might. This provides passengers with a smoother ride and helps keep noise levels down when driving.
8. Better for Environment
Old deteriorating rubber mounts emit harmful chemicals into the air from their deteriorating surfaces. These gases are usually released while the engine is running and contribute to environmental concerns like global warming. Replacing old mounts reduces your vehicle's impact on the environment over time.
3 Easy Ways of Removing Exhaust Hangers
How to Remove Exhaust Hangers with a Screwdriver?
Tools and Materials Required:
- Exhaust Hanger(s)
- Car Jack and Jack Stands
- Mechanic's Creeper
- Needle Nose Pliers or Exhaust Hanger Removal Pliers
- Safety Glasses
- Wire Cutters
- Lubricant (Optional)
- Owner's manual
5 Steps to Remove Exhaust Hangers with a Screwdriver
1. Secure Your Vehicle by jacking it Up
The first step is to secure your vehicle and place jack stands under the front and rear bumpers so you can work safely under the car. Remember safety first! Put on a pair of heavy-duty gloves before crawling underneath your vehicle.
2. Find the Damaged or Loose Hangers
You should easily locate loose or damaged hangers with a bright flashlight, especially if there are obvious signs of looseness such as rust, corrosion, missing paint, or nuts and bolts that won't tighten anymore. If not sure where to find them, consult your owner's manual for a diagram showing where all vital components belong in your particular vehicle.
3. Remove the Hanger
If hangers are rusted or stuck, use a screwdriver to remove nuts and bolts attaching them to the exhaust system. Be careful not to scratch your car's paint job while doing so, especially if it has already become corroded. Proceed with caution as these parts can be painted over or re-coated without difficulty. If they are just loose, tighten all nuts and bolts back into place using an adjustable wrench.
4. Assemble the New Hanger
Once old hangers have been removed, assemble new ones in their place following manufacturer's instructions - usually simple enough, requiring only hand tools like screwdriver or socket set (if bolts & nuts). Now is a good time to inspect the entire exhaust system for loose or damaged parts.
5. Test the New Hangers
Since jack stands now to support your vehicle, you can safely test newly installed hangers to ensure they work without trouble. If everything looks and sounds normal and there's no additional rattling noise, good job!
Removing Exhaust Hangers with Pliers?
7 Steps to Remove Exhaust Hangers Using Pliers
If you ever need to remove an exhaust hanger on your vehicle, instead of using a wrench and banging the crap out of the bolt (which will usually get stuck), use a pair of pliers. This is much easier and works very well. The whole process takes about two minutes, provided no rust has begun forming between the metal connectors.
1. Gather your tools
You will need the following tools: pliers, safety goggles, work gloves, wire brush, gasket maker, or anti-seize compound.
2. Wear Safety Gear
Wear gloves and safety glasses to protect yourself while handling the new hanger. You might get burned if you are not careful while removing an old hanger or assembling a new one.
3. Check under your vehicle for loose or broken exhaust hangers
Check under your car while jacked up on stands to inspect for broken or missing exhaust hangers before starting any welding procedure. These simple "P" clamps allow the exhaust pipe to move freely with its intended torque changes during driving. It also protects the exhaust pipe from damage due to rocking back and forth.
4. Use pliers to remove the exhaust hanger
You will need a pair of pliers for this step. You can use the "vice grip" type, but needle noses are easier to handle in tight spaces.
5. Remove the plier once the hanger has been removed
Only remove the plier once you have completely removed the old hanger from underneath your vehicle: otherwise, you will be clamping onto nothing. And, don't forget to replace it with a new one.
6. Assemble the New Hanger
Make sure you know which way your old hanger is oriented, as this will tell you how to assemble the new one. The open end of the "U" should face downwards, and the closed-end should be upwards. You might want to check with a level or by looking underneath your vehicle for help if you're unsure.
7. Test your new hanger
Once you've installed it, go ahead and tighten down all of your clamps again and double-check that everything is still secure before dropping the car back on its wheels and taking it for a test drive.
How to Remove Exhaust Hangers without Using a Tool?
5 Steps to Remove Exhaust Hangers without Using a Tool
1. Jack Up Your Vehicle
To begin, you will need to jack up your vehicle and set it securely on stands under its respective jacking points (usually located near each wheel). You can use either hydraulic floor jacks or bottle (scissor) jacks to do this.
2. Loosen the Exhaust Hanger with Your Hands
Once your car is securely elevated under its lifting points, you can begin working on loosening the exhaust hangers that hold the system in place using only your hands. These are usually located near where each exhaust system section meets another one. You may need to remove an old rusty bolt before getting started if it is still hanging onto the nut of your new hanger's bolt hole. This rusty part should be thrown away and not reused because it will only cause problems later if you reattach it back to your new system without cleaning up all of its rust marks first.
3. Soak the Hanger in a Soapy Water
The next step will require you to place your exhaust hanger in a bucket of soapy water and allow it to soak for 5-10 minutes. Dishwashing soap is recommended because it has cleansing properties that help strip away rust and scale from the surface of the metal that your exhaust system is made up of. In addition to removing any dirt or grime that might slow you down during your work, it also provides enough lubrication to ensure the nuts on your old rusted part should come off easily during the removal process.
4. Remove the Hanger with Your Hand
Once you have soaked your old rusty exhaust part in soapy water long enough, take it out and use your hands to remove it altogether. Sometimes, if the nut is stuck inside of its bolt hole for too long without being exposed to enough moisture in the air around it, it will be tough to loosen up with just your bare hands. This is where you might need a wrench to get the job done quickly once all rust has been removed from your old part's bolt holes.
5. Install New or Old Hanger
After you have loosened up your rusty exhaust hangers using only your hands, it should go back onto the new one easily because there won't be any rust buildup on either side of it anymore. Just make sure that your new hanger is facing the right way before bolting it up and making sure that you tighten it properly to ensure proper placement of your exhaust system.
Here's a video showing you how to remove exhaust hangers:
Do’s and Don’ts for Removing an Exhaust Hanger
Do's
- Do use a half-inch wrench with a six-inch extension and a one-inch socket to remove the hangar from your muffler if you are disconnected from your radiator assembly.
- Do ensure that you have safely jacked up your vehicle before disconnecting any of its parts, including an exhaust hanger from it.
- Do remove bolts from your muffler before removing them from the vehicle, as bolts retain heat and can burn you if they're not removed first.
- Do use a lift or hydraulic jack stand when jacking up a car or truck for any purpose to prevent accidents, such as falling into a deep hole, having an electric shock, and getting pinched by the exhaust system.
- Disconnect the negative or grounding cable from your car's battery to prevent electrical shock.
- Protect the ends of your wrench with friction tape to stop it from scratching and dinging metal parts as you loosen bolts and keep them from slipping off the nuts and bolts.
- Use a jack to lift one side of your vehicle before removing any exhaust hangers; this will make it easier for you to reach all bolts and nuts without straining yourself too much. (If you do not have a hydraulic jack, use blocks of wood.)
Don'ts:
- Don't try to remove the exhaust from a running vehicle because there is a higher chance that the vehicle will fall into the deep hole. In this case, you might get burned by hot chemicals, break your nose when hitting another car, or get pinched by the exhaust system.
- Do not allow anyone to operate heavy equipment under your hood if you don't want an electric shock.
- Do not allow anyone to go under your car or truck, especially while the engine is running. You could get burnt by hot chemicals, and you could hurt yourself on another part of your vehicle.
- Don't try to disconnect any parts of an exhaust system without even checking their condition for wear and tear that could cause more damage than good when being connected again after the removal process.
- Do not tighten or loosen any hardware without supporting it with another part, either by hanging on something else or holding onto something else. We don't want the wrench to fall from your grasp or the grip of your wrench and land somewhere that might harm you.
- Do not use a hammer to hit on your exhaust hanger to loosen them; this can cause damage to the nuts' threads, making them harder to remove when the time comes.
- Also, do not apply any lubricants on the bolts or nuts beforehand before tightening any hardware onto them because they will slip off!
- Finally, do not lean too hard against anything if you are straining yourself too much to tighten the bolts/nuts with your wrench - stay safe!
Final Words
Our guide is enough to inform you how to easily remove exhaust hangers. And the steps we included are the most convenient ones you can find. We don't think you'll need anything else to take the discussion further.
For your best operation, we have also included the tools you'll be needing. Indeed, you'll not require all of them, but these are the best tools you can have. Get the job done with the tools and save your money to remove the exhaust hanger all by yourself without going to the mechanics and garage.