So now Im an exhaust specialist

My recently acquired econoline pickup had a small exhaust leak when I bought it...no biggie I thought...I already had to pull the head on the magic bus cuz the exhaust manifold bolts were siezed up inside the exhaust manifold and several snapped off...all just to change the exhaust manifold gasket... an $8.49 part. Probably spent 6-8 hours fixing that one..

So I investigate and sho nuff.. the exhaust manifold is leaking...so I pull it and yep, its got bad spots in the gasket so i proceed to install a new gasket and button it up...Im all stoked up and hit the key...various retarded obnoxious noises and a loping rough barely running engine..along with a long deep moaning sound inside the carb when you tried to accelerate.. engine died..hit the key again, basically same nonsense...engine won't run...wont even idle...keep in mind it ran ok before I installed an exhaust gasket...well...me wasnt born last night and Ive seen plent of stupid stuff in my life...so I sniff maybe the exhaust pipe or muffler may be blocked internally so I take it off and....

BINGO!!






I cleaned it all out and now it runs fine.... Anybody wanna guess what that stuff is? Ill give you a hint..this truck has had some mice crawling around and wreaking havok on some wiring and some other stuff.....

Dog Food ??

I'm not sure that I want to know, but I hope you were careful cleaning that out, as well as inspecting any other prospective hiding places!

?????? I haven't a clue what that could be ?????

Nest of dead baby mice????

C'mon guys,get on the stick. Its obvious to me the mice pee'd on the muffler bearings causing them to swell and freeze up........Geesh!!!!!

EconoUSAparts wrote:C'mon guys,get on the stick. Its obvious to me the mice pee'd on the muffler bearings causing them to swell and freeze up........Geesh!!!!!

ROFLMAO!

I know the suspense is killing ya'll...so it was dog food...I got a kick out of showing the pipe to a few people... I had guesses ranging from dog food to bees to dead baby baked mice to coal to rat turds and I can't even remember what else... when I got it all out it would probably fill up a cereal box.. it was jammed about 12" into the exhaust pipe feeding the muffler... But I'll go back and check those muffler bearings...might have overlooked that...

E'lines didn't use bearings, they were low end commercial vehicles. They had MUFFLER BUSHINGS!

EconoUSAparts wrote:C'mon guys,get on the stick. Its obvious to me the mice pee'd on the muffler bearings causing them to swell and freeze up........Geesh!!!!!

Do they have zerk fittings or do you have to pull the muffler and pack them like wheel bearings? I take it the second generations and later have sealed bearings that come with the new muffler?

They have zerks. I had to change one of them once since it wouldnt take any grease and lemme tell ya it was a b&^%h to remove without my metric crescent wrench. I wound up using some left handed pliers instead.

Cut it out!!! I know these jokes can't be new, but you keep catchin me off guard... you're killin me! rofl

Tim, Metric = you must of had one of those damn 'Made in China' mufflers. I'll check on mine once I get my van back.

I hear ya on the left handed pliers. I've grabbed my wife's by accident on more than one occasion. When they slip off the nut it's blood blister city.

WOW I was shocked that you were able to get the wifes on a set of nuts to start with.

LOL! You guys is cracking me up

Magic, amazing it ran at all, must have been a pretty large leak! Bet she runs a bit better now:D

least the dog food is cured and cooked , er should i say smoked with litlle mouse turds !! hahaha

The wife's pliers are only for grabbing nuts. You must be a newly-wed if you don't know that.

dont know ablou any of you Guys!!?? I have never -EVER!! Let any female near me with any type of Pliers!!