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Dripping muffler . . . what are my options ?

6K views 33 replies 16 participants last post by  RedOne07 
#1 · (Edited)
Today I noticed a dark spot under the exhaust of my 2.4ltr Solstice, caused by dripping water, not uncommon. But this time it was not from the exhaust tip but from the muffler. There turned out to be a tiny "wheep hole" near the muffler exit connection.



Seems like a tiny hole so no immediate action required, but some time this summer I want to fix this problem.

So what are my options ?

1) Get it welded, think that is possible.

In case welding can not be done or I do not want to weld my options seems to be:

2) Get a near stock aftermarket copy. Are they available ?
3) Get a new stock muffler. Are they available ?
4) Get a used stock muffler via Ebay / Craigslist or the forums. Dave his famous YMMV applies.
5) Get the N/A Axle Back Exhaust Kit from SoloPerformance. LINK
6) Get a kit from SoloPerformance that includes more than just the muffler.
7) Get a standard Performance Muffler from Magnaflow. LINK
8) Get a kit from Magnaflow that includes more than just the muffler.
9) Get the GMPP Solstice Cat-Back Exhaust System (never knew this even existed). LINK
10) …………..

All insight and opinions are very welcome
 
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#2 ·
Is this a factory hole ? I'll be out in the barn and check my spare if it's factory it's probably placed there to get rid of moisture so I would leave it if it's due to corrosion and it's just a tiny hole I would not worry about it unless you want to replace it . I have a Magnaflow on mine it's the complete exhaust from the cat back ,is all stainless and have been very pleased with it .
 
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#6 ·
I've patched small holes in mufflers with fiberglass cloth and epoxy. Wash area around hole with Simple Green, dry it, sand with 80 grit, clean with alcohol or lacquer thinner, apply epoxy resin over hole and surrounding area. Wire brush the metal lightly through the wet epoxy with a SS wire brush. The epoxy will form a barrier over the sanded area preventing oxygen from creating oxidation or rust while wire brushing.

Place a fiberglass cloth patch over the wet epoxy and squeegee it down and remove excess resin. As soon as the epoxy gets slightly stiff but not fully dry, brush on more resin, filling the cloth weave. Repeat if necessary.

Use fiberglass cloth, not mat. Mat has binders that epoxy resin can not dissolve. I use 10 oz cloth but if you have thinner cloth add multiple layers.

Larger holes require a thicker fiberglass patch. Maybe a wire screen under the cloth.

There are muffler patch tape sold at auto parts stores but their adhesion and peel resistance is questionable. I repaired a small hole once with tape and it eventually dryed up and fell off. I fiberglass repaired a muffler on my Silverado over 8 years ago and it has held up.
 
#9 ·
Red checked mine out and agree with the above no weep hole in the muffler .If it's a small hole and that's what it sounds like and you don't want to go to the expense of replacing or having it welded see if you can find some JB Weld . It's a two part epoxy that won't be affected by the heat of the muffler, it's easy to use , inexpensive around 5 bucks a pack and you don't have to remove the muffler to fix it .If your going to use it after you mix it let it set up for a few minutes it will start to thicken and turn to a putty like consistency , as usual make sure the area is clean a bit of steel wool and lacquer thinner will do the job . There are two types regular and "Fast Weld" which starts to set up relatively quick and dries in a matter of minutes .I always keep a couple of packs of this stuff around have used it for years on a number of things . Good Luck !
 
#10 ·
If it's a nice round drilled hole then yes, it's a "weep hole" for condensation. Really more of a drain hole.

It's very common for a mechanic to add later if they've done exhaust work on the car and it didn't have one. If some OEM mufflers have them and some don't, it's probably just a "feature" of pre-bankruptcy GM.

In either situation, if you take it to a shop to have welded expect the guy to give you a really weird look when you tell him what you want done.
 
#12 ·
The weep holes are there for a purpose. They allow condensation that collects to drain rather than accumulating in one area and causing rust out from the inside. I don't know that I'd go crazy drilling holes in mufflers that didn't have this feature, but I also wouldn't plug up the ones that did.
 
#16 ·
If a weep hole is engineered into the muffler design for water mitigation, the hole would be located on the bottom surface. The location of the hole in the muffler pictured would not allow all the water to exit.

I'm not sure if a weep hole is required on a muffler. The heat inside should evaporate the water.

Any muffler engineers out there?
 
#17 ·
Sounds like it's supposed to be there.

For the GMPP exhaust for the 2.4L, Borla still has them in stock in their "closeout corner" section. Mine was even stamped as a GMPP part.

https://www.borla.com/products/solstice_0609_24l_mt_rwd_2_part__17802058.html

(If that link goes away, you can also google "borla 17802058".) As of today, they're $249 plus shipping for the complete cat-back.

If it turns out to be a crack or rust or whatever, you could have a muffler shop or any competent welder fix it, probably for about $30-$50 based on my experience. YMMV.

That should bolt up to the GXP as well, but it's a single-exit exhaust.
 
#19 ·
The holes in my RL mufflers definitely appear to be intentional, very round and precisely located. I can't quite imagine two mufflers rusting that way or in exactly the same location.

My NA muffler is not quite as early as Dave's, but it is an early 2007, so newer than either of the RLs. Is the lack of a hole because of its age, or because the NA mufflers were not thought to need them?
We need someone with a 2008 or 2009 NA to look for the hole in their muffler.
 
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#21 ·
So after reading the above posts I have to believe that the mufflers were probably made by different suppliers that would seem to be why some have obvious weep holes and others don't ,I wouldn't plug it up it's there for a reason .Another example is that I purchased a GM performance exhaust system from my local dealer it and it was made by MagnaFlo and I've read that the GMPP exhaust was made by Borla so again two different manufactures .
 
#22 ·
So after reading the above posts I have to believe that the mufflers were probably made by different suppliers that would seem to be why some have obvious weep holes and others don't ,I wouldn't plug it up it's there for a reason ........
Possibly, but my experience with OEM suppliers is that we all work to the same drawings, so one or the other would be a non-conforming part.
The two scenarios I think are most likely are that:
1) The difference is between NA and RL/GXP with one design having the hole and the other not. Or,
2) A design change was made sometime in 2006 (possibly coincident with the introduction of the RL/GXP) so that all subsequent mufflers have the hole.
We need a larger and more varied group of samples.
 
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#24 ·
It seems pretty clear that the hole is a design change that was made some time in late 2006 or early 2007.
My 2.4 built in February 2006 doesn't have it and your 2.4 built in July 2007 does.
I suppose it could also be a manufacturing defect that it took 2 years to catch, but I rather doubt that.
 
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#25 ·
But why would it ever be mentioned - it isn't like it is a service item.

The factory mufflers for the Kappas probably came from some Mexican factory and were made to GM specs. Lots of cars have mufflers with weep holes, it isn't at all unusual. Solstices seem to have been made both with and without. End of story. Doubt we'll ever be able to say much more about the subject.
 
#28 ·
...Solstices seem to have been made both with and without. End of story. Doubt we'll ever be able to say much more about the subject.
Just wait until you try to sell yours at Barrett-Jackson in a few years and you don't have the factory muffler weep hole! ;) :rofl:
 
#33 ·
oh no it's leaking and all the power is leeking out!! hurry order a cat back!!! do it now!! then send me your old holey muffler so I can have a look in side.....many moons ago with my old street car(340 mopar with tunnel ram&2 830 cfm carbs on top, roller cam,13.8 cr, lotsa head work etc) I could put a new set of super turbo mufflers on and make a pass down the road,8500~9000 rpm) come back to the shop and the innards of the muffler's would be all rattling,then take a hole saw cut open 1 end and pull out the busted loose parts and weld a patch back on.. thus the reason why flow masters were getting so popular as they are really welded and thick steel. those dynomax mufflers did flow great but just not great enough. I do not really like loud cars..not on the street any way.thus I want to have a look inside and see what can be done to the stock solstice muf&puf.
 
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