Magnaflow Y-pipe Issues and Comments

[zak]

In the midst of swapping out my Y-pipe to the Magnaflow 23355 part and had some questions and observations:

My question is - why is the distance from the rear ****** to the end of the pipe so short? Mine measures only 3/16 of an inch at one point, compared to the factory Y-pipe that is just over half an inch long. This appears to be important as the donut gasket has a half inch or so axial length. In addition, the ****** is skewed about 10 degrees with respect to the square cut end of the pipe. A call to Mangnaflow's tech line (Chris) got me "we designed this to be an OEM replacement" and, when pressed, that the CAD drawing they had showed this dimension as 1/4 inch (****** to pipe end - after I told them mine was only 3/16). I don't see how the donut gasket will be properly supported. Can any others comment on this?

Other observations - 1.) the merge was flooded with 3M Weld Through coating or similar. A large handfull of paper towels and some B12 Chemtool took care of that. 2.) On mine, the forward pipe at the merge is inserted considerably farther into the merge, so that it partially blocks the rear bank pipe. Not the greatest for performance . . . have to see if my Dremel or die grinder will get in there. 3.) important to anyone - where the O2 bungs are "plunged in" and welded there was quite a bit of ripped metal shavings that I carefully wiggled and broke off. In the exhaust stream it would certainly have come off and either blocked the cat a little or been sucked back into the engine on a downshift. 4.) The O2 sensor bungs themselves stuck MUCH further in (like 3/4 inch) than on the factory part. The effect on flow could be significant.

I guess you get what you pay for. Need to figure out what to do with the mating ****** on the factory intermediate pipe, it is corroeded through as is the ****** for it.

Comments welcome - also, are people using the Felpro donut gasket or the Ford on these? My new Ford part appears to have a too tight fit on the OD - zak

 

[SHO NUT]

In the midst of swapping out my Y-pipe to the Magnaflow 23355 part and had some questions and observations:

My question is - why is the distance from the rear ****** to the end of the pipe so short? Mine measures only 3/16 of an inch at one point, compared to the factory Y-pipe that is just over half an inch long. This appears to be important as the donut gasket has a half inch or so axial length. In addition, the ****** is skewed about 10 degrees with respect to the square cut end of the pipe. A call to Mangnaflow's tech line (Chris) got me "we designed this to be an OEM replacement" and, when pressed, that the CAD drawing they had showed this dimension as 1/4 inch (****** to pipe end - after I told them mine was only 3/16). I don't see how the donut gasket will be properly supported. Can any others comment on this?

Other observations - 1.) the merge was flooded with 3M Weld Through coating or similar. A large handfull of paper towels and some B12 Chemtool took care of that. 2.) On mine, the forward pipe at the merge is inserted considerably farther into the merge, so that it partially blocks the rear bank pipe. Not the greatest for performance . . . have to see if my Dremel or die grinder will get in there. 3.) important to anyone - where the O2 bungs are "plunged in" and welded there was quite a bit of ripped metal shavings that I carefully wiggled and broke off. In the exhaust stream it would certainly have come off and either blocked the cat a little or been sucked back into the engine on a downshift. 4.) The O2 sensor bungs themselves stuck MUCH further in (like 3/4 inch) than on the factory part. The effect on flow could be significant.

I guess you get what you pay for. Need to figure out what to do with the mating ****** on the factory intermediate pipe, it is corroeded through as is the ****** for it.

Comments welcome - also, are people using the Felpro donut gasket or the Ford on these? My new Ford part appears to have a too tight fit on the OD - zak

You may have gotten an early version. I believe that Midwest worked with Magnaflow on this unit to get it to fit better - try an archive search for midwest and magnaflow. (and enjoy the reading along the way, it's good for a chuckle ...)

 

[shomesomesho]

Comments welcome - also, are people using the Felpro donut gasket or the Ford on these? My new Ford part appears to have a too tight fit on the OD - zak

This is a common problem on these Y-pipes. I have always had to grind out the ID of the donut gasket to make them fit.

Don't use the Felpro donut gasket. It is weak, disintegrates quickly, leading to exhaust leak. Get the Walker 31372 instead, which is much more durable in my experience: Walker 31372 donut gasket.

 

[sho_bc]

when i got mine installed last week, there were no issues getting it installed. as for the gasket, i picked up mine from Lordco and they had the right number

 

[platoribs]

Zak, I just fab'd up a part to address this poor design.

You will have to find a small length of muffler transition tube. It will transition from a diameter that just fits into the pipe that ends at the ******. The other end of this transition piece will become the little part that holds the ID of the donut in place.

I trimmed the transition piece down to reduce the restriction it causes and cut the upstream at a 30 degree angle to prevent the exhaust gases from hitting the blunt end.

If you understand what I'm describing up till now you'll be on your way, if not you may have to call me or let me pull the piece out and photograph it for reference.

Let me know if you get it or not.

 

[Racer X]

The inner diameter of the donut gasket of either Felpro or Ford will have to be shaved some to fit the circumference of that pipe.

I, too, wasn't a huge fan of that collector design, and a Dremel with a cutoff wheel and a carbide grinding tip will fix that. Just make sure to get all the shavings out before installation.

My O2 sensor bungs weren't that bad on mine, and the catback ****** while short, wasn't skewed except for my stupidity when I dropped it. And even still, that didn't cause an issue with sealing.

 

[sho_bc]

There were no issues when mine was installed...

 

[adidas_kn]

Summit still carries these and I need a decently cheap catted y-pipe to pass visual inspection for customs. Do they still sell the messed up ones?

 

[itwonder]

I just installed one of these 23555 direct fit converter assemblies, which I purchased from Rolling Start Auto Parts, who has an ebay store. The shipping bill indicates the part was drop shipped to me directly from Carsound Catalytic Converters, who is Magnaflow.

The ****** (at the exhaust pipe end) on mine is skewed, and the pipe extending past the ****** to hold the donut is only about 1/4". The flare on the factory front pipe was corroded away, so I had a muffler shop cut it off and fabricate a new pipe the was welded at the resonator end and flared at the forward end to meet the Magnaflow. I used the Walker 31372 donut gasket, which almost but not quite fits. The material is soft, and inner diameter easily sanded enough with a gentle swipe of the Dremel tool to fit.

THE BAD NEWS: Within a week of installation, I have an exhaust leak coming from behind the lower converter shield. I presume the converter has split open. I am not a happy camper. I have started the RMA process to replace it. I'll let you know how well Magnaflow handles this.

I cannot recommend this unit.

 

[zak]

itwonder - could you expand on exactly which converter, and front end/aft end that the leak is coming from? At first I thought my rod bearings were going, now I'm not sure where the noise is coming from on mine, but it mainly does it after warm up, and could possibly be an exhaust leak. How do I look for this?

I have another gasket part number at home for you to try, **** a walker/NAPA part no., metal lined. Fits over the end of the pipe, but will not work with the stock midpipe flare, needs to be oversized as yours likely is.

Not ready to post the details yet, but I seem to get much higher NOx signature on my car in emissions tewsting with the Magnaflow Y, compared to stock.

 

[zak]

And thanks everyone for their tips and experience with this low budget option ;-)

 

[itwonder]

itwonder - could you expand on exactly which converter, and front end/aft end that the leak is coming from?

The leak is in the converter fed from the rear exhaust manifold, the one nearest to the Y. If I hold my hand up near the rear of the converter, I can feel the leaking gas coming out between the converter shell and its heat shield. It must be a pretty good size hole, but it's hidden behind the shield. I took the car down to the local Midas and they confirmed it.

 

[revhardSHO]

I purchased and installed the new 23355 direct fit y-pipe about 3 months ago. I was worried because of the early quality control issues (I heard about them here), however, as SHONUT stated, it looks like this problem has been addressed. My y-pipe looked superb when I pulled it out of the box.

My unit came 100% ready to install. Everything was clean, welds were good, nothing off center or out of whack. The best part is, it is a one piece design, so it just bolts right on. The quality is good, even above average for most exhaust components.

I have many pictures of both the stock y-pipe and the magnaflow. I will load them to my photo bucket account when I can get a free moment so you guys can get a better look. Notes:

It is easier to install than the stocker because the flanges have wider holes to account for bent exhaust studs and other minor tweaks in the bolting system. I had it installed and torqued down in less than 10 minutes.

Dimensionally, the cats are smaller, giving you more room to finagle the y-pipe into place, and opening up room below the engine.

The rear ****** might be slightly shorter (3/8" as opposed to 1/2"), but this is negagable. Remember, everything is pulled together when you torque the rear ****** bolts down. No problem here.

The rear ****** outside diameter is larger than 2 1/4" by about 1/8". I reamed out the new gasket (its worthwhile to get a new donut gasket) and it worked fine, an extra 5 minutes.

The only thing that annoyed me was the 02 sensor bungs stick in a little further than stock. They should change this, but i think at the most it has a very minimal impact on performance.

As for performance, it woke my SHO up from about 3500-5500, as stated its giving me ~10-12 more HP in that range. Down low it improved my idle slightly (used to stall occasionally, now it doesnt) and definitely added more throttle response. Up top it seemed to help, but the engine still follows the same cam profile, so you still feel power slowly drop off after 6300 or so.

There was NO torque loss at low rpm, a problem with other after market Y-pipes.

My SHO rips because of this one single mod! I give it a big thumbs up!

 

[itwonder]

I purchased and installed the new 23355 direct fit y-pipe about 3 months ago. I was worried because of the early quality control issues (I heard about them here), however, as SHONUT stated, it looks like this problem has been addressed. My y-pipe looked superb when I pulled it out of the box.

Where did you purchase yours from? Can you tell from the shipping bill who the distributor is and whether it shipped directly from Magnaflow in CA?

 

[revhardSHO]

Where did you purchase yours from? Can you tell from the shipping bill who the distributor is and whether it shipped directly from Magnaflow in CA?

I purchased it from summitracing.com. If I remember correctly it was like $305.00 to have it overnighted. I was living in Truckee, CA at the time and it was shipped from a massive summit racing distribution warehouse (I have seen the place it is huge) located in Reno, NV, for reference Reno sits only 30-40 miles from Truckee. So no, it wasn't shipped directly from magna-flow.

 

[Storm-Chaser]

Given that the ****** appears to be the one remaining problem area, posting the photo might save you a lot of PM messages or cellphone time . . . .


. . . . just a thought . . . .

Zak, I just fab'd up a part to address this poor design.

You will have to find a small length of muffler transition tube. It will transition from a diameter that just fits into the pipe that ends at the ******. The other end of this transition piece will become the little part that holds the ID of the donut in place.

I trimmed the transition piece down to reduce the restriction it causes and cut the upstream at a 30 degree angle to prevent the exhaust gases from hitting the blunt end.

If you understand what I'm describing up till now you'll be on your way, if not you may have to call me or let me pull the piece out and photograph it for reference.

Let me know if you get it or not.

 

[revhardSHO]

Here are a few pics from the installation, the rest can be found on my photobucket account at:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v423/smithsil/Magna-Flow Ypipe/

Side by side comparison: notice the nice small cats on the magnaflow:

O2 bungs in the Magna-flow are my biggest (only) complaint:

vs stock:

This is the rear ****** which was strait and clean with the rest of the pipe:

Since installation 3 months ago, I am quite happy. Performance is great, and I have had no problems to speak of. Of course there is a possibility I just got a good one, so by no means can I speak for all who own this y pipe, these are just personal comments on my experience.

 

[itwonder]

I have received a replacement 23355 y-pipe converter assembly direct from Magnaflow to replace the leaking one. Thus I presume this represents their latest and greatest. So, far, no leaks on this one. The ****** is welded straight, and the pipe extends beyond the ****** just enough so the Walker 31372 donut gasket will work. I noted the following problem areas:

1. One pipe extends past the other inside the Y, partially blocking one pipe. I trimmed it by reaching up in there with my Dremel. That was a pain but it worked.
2. The steel rod next to the front converter that fits into the hanger on the oil pan is too long and it's positioned wrong to fit. Trim 1/2" off the end, bend it back 1/4-1/2" and left 1/2" (facing front of assembly) and it will fit. Do this before installation. You will not bend that rod once it is in place unless you heat it.
3. I could not get the outlet to end up in the same place as the first 23355. This caused a clearance issue between the custom front pipe I had made to work with the 23355 and my shifter box. There is clearly manufacturing variation from piece to piece. I resolved this by denting the side of the front pipe with a hammer enough to get the needed clearance.

To their credit Magnaflow has issued a Fedex call tag for the old one, so it looks like I won't be stuck with return shipping.

The product is not horrible, but it is not exactly direct fit as they claim. The stock front pipe flare may or may not mate well enough to have leak free joint where the spring bolts are, and the best chance is using the Walker 31372 donut gasket. The work required on the part itself for fitment is annoying, but not a show stopper. All said and done, I rate the product acceptable, especially so considering the limited number of choices available for the SHO.

 

[adidas_kn]

Well For anybody looking into getting one I just checked at Performancepeddler.com and they are selling the pipe for $204.27 with free shipping. Soo this might be the cheapest catted pipe you can get for the SHO. Now for that price I don't mind having to change a few things to make it fit. The price of the individual parts on the pipe basically add up to that.

Thanx Zak!:thankyou:

 

[shomesomesho]

Well For anybody looking into getting one I just checked at Performancepeddler.com and they are selling the pipe for $204.27 with free shipping. Soo this might be the cheapest catted pipe you can get for the SHO. Now for that price I don't mind having to change a few things to make it fit. The price of the individual parts on the pipe basically add up to that.

Thanx Zak!:thankyou:

It's now $301.89 at performancepeddler.com.