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MG MGF Technical - Replacement exhausts

The time seems to be approaching on my 96 VVC when the exhuast is going to give up - there are some strange resonances starting to appear, mainly at idle at the moment.

I am tempted to go for one of Mike Satur's fancy stainless steel jobs but, by way of comparison, has anyone fitted a standard Rover one? Do they cost that much less than Mike Satur's, and indeed can you get them off the shelf at Quickfit now (Lord forbid)?

Peter Ambrose
N1SDF
Peter Ambrose

I got one from Chester Exhaust Supplies (CES) for £88, and fitted myself. The chrome tailpipes were a slightly smaller diameter, but other than that it was identical.
yell.com should give you their phone number.

ours was resonating badly at about 1500rpm - loose baffles inside i think.

Kev Jackson

It depends how long you intend to keep the car. Also not only is the MSD system stainless steel but it's more efficient too (another 5bhp) and it has a better exhaust note. If you are interested I have a trophy exhaust up for sale soon.
Chris

Not heard that as an option before Kev - interesting, and very cheap!

We group tested a whole host of exhausts for MG World a while back. The rolling road data can be found @ http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/exhaust_test_results.htm
Rob Bell

Could be worth checking the exhaust mounts, it has been known for the bracket connected to the band round the silencer to snap off. One big advantage of the stainless exhaust is that they don't rust and so last a lot longer, they also look better. The disadvantages are that most of them will make more noise, but this is seen as an advantage to many of us. I'm sure QWIKFIT will offer you a standard unit if you can trust them to fit it properly. When you change the exhaust get some of Mike Satur's stainles cat nuts fitted so it will be easier to get the damn exhaust off next time you have to change it........
T.E.D.

>>When you change the exhaust get some of Mike Satur's stainles cat nuts fitted so it will be easier to get the damn exhaust off next time you have to change it........<<

Good idea if they look like they'll come of without too much trouble, but if they're so far gone that they need 'persuading' with oxy/acetylene, would it be better to wait until the cat needs replacing as then damaging it won't be a concern?

Jim


Jim

Thanks for the ideas. I guess it is certainly worth checking the mounts etc before jumping in on anything.

The one thing I hoped someone might be able to comment on was whether a dealer was going to charge nearly as much to supply and fit a standard Rover part I might pay to Mike Satur. (No reason of course to assume that the Rover exhaust is necessarily any better than one from Chester Exhausts)
Peter Ambrose

I've got a little used standard exhaust available because I fitted a stainless steel unit to my F early on. I've now changed the car for a TF which to which the stainless exhaust doesn't fit.
Anyone interested ?
Make me an offer.
Hugh Findlow

Likewise, the flexipipe section can fail before the silencer.

Neil.
Neil

Hugh,
*Confused* Are you saying that you have both exhausts available? Standard (original) and Stainless Steel (Replacement) or are you just offering one of them? If it's the stainless one, I *might* be interested. What's the mileage/make?

Cheers,
Jon.
99 VVC
J Gordon

My '96 MGF was approaching it's MOT last month and, suspecting it might fail if somebody poked the rear box too hard (it's rusting under the support strap) I got a quote from my Rover Dealer...£183.86 +VAT = £216.04 (not fitted). This is probably about £100 less than getting a stainless steel version, so I guess it's down to how long you intend to keep the car.

Part Number: WCE 103450 (but this may relate to chassis number, etc, so be aware)

Tony

PS: It passed it's MOT, so no decission required yet!
Tony

Chris Swindon what sort of price are you asking for you old Trophy exhaust? I may be interested.
Martin

I am considering fitting replacing my exhaust and have experience of exhaust fitting and know the difficulties in removing corroded nuts.
My car is now 5 years old so I am also considering replacing the Cat but dont want to fit a de-cat pipe. Has anyone fitted a sport cat as sold my MS and B+G? Are they worth the £200 -£250?
S White

£200 - £250 for a performance cat sounds pretty resonable to me. Be surprised if a standard one from MGR would be much cheaper. Would be something to declare to your insurance company though, and may result in an increase in your premium.

I seem to remember a recent thread mentioning somewhere that was doing a very good deal on replacment cats (think these were just the standard ones). Can't remember the title of the thread but you could try the archive.

Personally I would expect a cat to last for about 60k, so your decision may be swayed by the milage of your car.

I think you're probably right not to fit a cat replacement pipe, as come MOT time you'll have to have a cat fitted anyway.

If you're car is 5 years old and hasn't had a cam belt changed yet, then IMO you may well be better off putting your money towards that (especially if your cat isn't causing you any problems yet).

HTH

Jim

Jim

Car has only done 15K!
I will probably still get the cam belt changed when I have it serviced next year though.
S White

Hi,
It may well be prudent to give MOTOBUILD a call(02088934553).They do a fantastic Stainless rear system.Looks good,sounds great & gives genuine power gains.

Good luck,
Duncan.
duncan dorrell

>>Car has only done 15K!
I will probably still get the cam belt changed when I have it serviced next year though.<<

Probably wise to, as cam belt can deteriorate with time, not just milage.

How come you're considering changing the cat then? Be surprised if it needed it with only 15k on the clock.

Jim
Jim

I am planning on fitting an MS Dayatona shortly, and would like to take to opportunity to change to cat while the car is in pieces. My cat is in reasonable condition but if I replace it now, I know it will be good for around another five years, and if not, I will have the old one as a spare.
It also means I will not have to worry about damaging the cat studs when fitting the Dayatona. Have had a look already and nuts are severely corroded.
S White

Fair enough S! Sounds logical if you're planning to keep the car for a few years. Hope the exhaust/cat change go ok - think you'll be pleased with the sound the Daytona makes ;o)

Jim
Jim

I am afraid I am now a little confused where the CAT actually is in the system. Mike Satur's web site includes sexy looking exhausts and also a stainless steel "downpipe" (£162). Is the CAT above or below this - or maybe even the same thing?

Confused?

Peter.
Peter Ambrose

The exhaust system basically consists of 4 components:

From the engine you have the EXHAUST MANIFOLD. This is a fairly small component, being 4 pipes into 2 and ending at a flange plate (complete with 4 threaded studs).

Next you have the FRONT PIPE (more usually called the FLEXI-PIPE as given the location of the engine the word 'front' can be confusing). This attaches to the exhaust manifold and goes from 2 pipes into 1, heading under the sump towards the rear of the car. In this area there is a short flexible section, identifiable by the woven mesh surround. After the flexible section this pipe then turns through 90 degrees before ending at a flange plate with 3 holes in it.

Attached to the flexi-pipe is the CATALYST. This is the smallest part of the exhaust system and runs transversely (side to side) under the car. It is a short, bulbous section with a flange plate at each end (complete with 6 threaded studs, 3 each side). Later model Fs and the TF have a slightly different catalyst, in that the far end has a 45 degree bend in it to take the additional exhaust sensor. The 6 mild steel nuts that are used to secure the catalyst are the ones that go rusty in an incredibly short time. Mike Satur's 'Cat saver nuts' replace these with stainless steel blanked off items that effectively sleeve the threaded studs of the cat.

Lastly, the final part is the REAR SILENCER, this is the part that contains the twin tailpipes and it attaches to the catalyst with either a 90 degree or 45 degree pipe depending on the age of the car. This is also the part most people mean when they talk about changing the exhaust and there are loads of different aftermarket versions available, to the extent that even though we tested 7 different systems, there are now enough newer systems to warrant a 'sequel' to this article. (hint, hint!) ;-)

So, in summary, from the engine:

Exaust Manifold / Flexi-pipe / catalyst / rear silencer.

I suspect the part Mike Satur is talking about is his stainless steel replacement for the flexi-pipe (i have one and it's great - see forthcoming MG World article!) :-)

HTH

SF
SF

SF,
Many thanks for this lucid description. I now understand - there didn't seem to be room for the cat between any of the components I previously recognised.

At risk of stealing an advance on your MG World story, what are the benefits (apart from lack of corrosion) of the s-s front pipe? It seems somewhat attractive to have stainless steel throughout the exhaust system except that the cat looks like the Achilles heel here.

Peter.
Peter Ambrose

The standard flexi-pipe is quite a common failure point, think Mike Satur's stainless steel downpipe has been redesigned to overcome this.

Andy? Mike? can you confirm?

paul weatherill

This thread was discussed between 11/10/2002 and 17/10/2002

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