Exhaust tips rubbing on grill after driving 328. | FerrariChat
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Exhaust tips rubbing on grill after driving 328.

Discussion in '308/328' started by bolex, Jul 11, 2013.

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  1. bolex

    bolex Karting

    Feb 28, 2011
    64
    San Diego, CA
    Full Name:
    Brian
    #1 bolex, Jul 11, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I recently had a new X-ost Maranello muffler installed my 328 GTB. I notice a small area where the paint was rubbed off of the grill and just assumed that it was from the installation and that I did not notice it before. Now when cold the exhaust tips are 1/2 inch from the grill, and after driving the tips elevate and contact the grill. (see photos) After the car cools down, the tips return to the original position.

    How can I adjust the exhaust so that the tips are lower to start with. Is there a way to adjust the gold colored spring hangers? Or will the entire muffler need to be rotated down.

    Not a catastrophic problem but very annoying.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Brian
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  2. Futureman

    Futureman Formula 3

    May 16, 2007
    2,024
    #2 Futureman, Jul 12, 2013
    The joints at the muffler, cat, and maybe even a littel further back have to be losened and then position the muffler in the right location and tighten everything down. If you had someone install it for you then they either didn't tighten it enough and it shifted or they tightened it when it wasn't aligned properly. If you did it yourself...sorry...don't shoot the messenger. ;)
     
  3. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    26,826
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
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    Steve Magnusson
    #3 Steve Magnusson, Jul 12, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    +1 -- all of the connections in the system need to be loosened (to absorb the tolerances in the parts) and then retightened while the muffler tips are held in the desired location.

    This shows a US version 328 (and you need to go in the other direction), but the principle is the same on all model/verision F exhaust -- the connections have a "ball-and-socket" action:
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  4. bolex

    bolex Karting

    Feb 28, 2011
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    San Diego, CA
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    Brian
    #4 bolex, Jul 12, 2013
    Thanks for the input. I had it installed by a reputable shop locally (Ferrari, Lambo, Maser). The stock exhaust did not seem to move after driving. I had the same thought process as Futureman about it maybe not being tightened down completely.

    Steve, is it normal for the tips to move when hot. I know that most exhausts on any car move a little when the engine is given throttle but return immediately. I cannot put my head around why the tips elevated up and slowly return as the car cools down.

    And regarding the gold hangers, do adjusting them make any difference?

    Thanks again.
     
  5. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    26,826
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
    Full Name:
    Steve Magnusson
    #5 Steve Magnusson, Jul 12, 2013
    Can't say that I've ever noticed it, but I've also never looked for it (and it could vary model-to-model depending on the design of the particular exhaust system).

    Unfortunately, these often wrongly get "tweaked" trying to move the tailpipe location when the real "fix" it to loosen all the joints, and tighten them after the tailpipes are in the right location. Could be that these were (wrongly) adjusted after all the exhaust joints were tight -- that would put a lot of stress into the system and might exaccerbate dimensional changes due to thermal effects (but I have no real evidence for that -- just speculation). The hangers should only be supporting the weight of the muffler, not "bending" the whole system to get the tailpipe ends in the right place.
     
  6. andyww

    andyww F1 Rookie

    Feb 7, 2011
    2,775
    London
    #6 andyww, Jul 12, 2013
    Thats exactly what was happening on my 328 when I first bought it. The tips would move downwards when hot and rub on the grille. When I came to rectify it I found the system had been bolted up under so much stress that it had cracked the flange on the front manifold away from the pipe.
    Someone had fitted a Quicksilver exhaust and they evidently could not get it to fit so they must have leant on it while tightening up the joints. When I refitted the entire system I could not get it to fit even starting out with all joints loose so I did have to raise the hangers by adding washers under the heads of the central bolts before tightening all the joints.
     
  7. bolex

    bolex Karting

    Feb 28, 2011
    64
    San Diego, CA
    Full Name:
    Brian
    #7 bolex, Jul 12, 2013
    my specialist, Gary Bobileff, is all over the problem. He basically said the same as Steve, that he would loosen all hardware and rotate the muffler to bring the tips down. Thanks guys for all of the great insight.
     

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