replacing flex pipe on an 01?

[ChitownCamry01]

so recently my car has gotten louder and its annoyed the sh*t out of me. the shop i went to says my flex pipe is leaking. i also just noticed my MIL went on, could this be causing it? and if anyone has had this problem, is it easy to replace on your own b/c the shop wanted $120. let me know guys

[hill8570]

Personally, I'd be willing to pay someone $120 to replace a flex pipe...it's a bit of a pain in the ass, and I don't really want a bunch of CO getting into my breathing air...

As to the MIL, you don't give any info about your rig. If it's a model with a oxygen sensor down under the rig, a leaky flex could give all kinds of strange sensor readings, and could trigger a "catalyst efficiency" MIL. A readout of the DTC would be real helpful there...

[Mike Gerber]

$120 is a good price. I paid an independent shop $150 for the same job and this shop is usually pretty cheap. They will cut out the flex pipe section and weld in a new aftermarket one. Get it done. Yes, it could be causing the code. See if it goes off within a few hundred miles after replacing the flex pipe. If not, go to Autozone and get the code read for free and report back here.

Mike

[LynchburgCSI]

i'd suggest having it done by an independent shop as stated (although it cost me less than $80 to get mine replaced...parts included.)

i'd dissconnect the negative battery cable after replacing the flex pipe and wait to see if the CEL comes back on. if it does, then go get the code read.

[JohnLX300]

I had this happen on my '96, a leaky flex pipe will cause a CEL to go on. And, as someone noted before it comes up as catalyst effieciency below threshold. I replaced my entire front flex pipe when it cracked. I cost me about $150 shipped and I installed it myself, even after everyone said it would be hard. It took about a half an hour. the website is www.macautoparts.net, they also have a lifetime warranty on the flex pipe as well. I hope this helps.

[the_professional]

I replaced the front exhaust pipe. Bought it for $60.

Put the car on ramps, unbolted the front exhaust pipe from the manifold, unbolted the exhast pipe.
Put the rear of the car on ramps, unbolted the whole exhaust. Hacked & Hammered away, got it apart (as it was rusted together). & put everything back together, rust proofed the whole exhaust, & back up it went. The exhaust is relatively rust free, just at the connections is where I have rust. Not bad for 17 year old exhaust in the North East.

[#2!]

It cost me $116 at Midas to replace the flex pipe on my 96. CEL light never came on it just idled at 400 rpm and stalled when cool. Ran smooth and clean after that repair. Never noticed it being loud though. I remember sensing a slight exhaust smell but would have never guessed the flex pipe was blown out.

[Stealth]

Ugh, need to replace mine on my '95 beater. Gonna try to do it on the cheap. I removed the pipe already thanks to the wonders of air tools. I'll probably order this flex pipe: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Unive...item3ef9267bd9

And find a way to cut the one out on mine. It's kinda strange in the way that the exhaust has like a sheet metal covering, almost like a heatshield. I'm sure its not necessary so I'll just cut away what I need to.