Ok to drive with bad flex pipe?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 27, 2011
Messages
342
Location
Chicago
My car is making noise from the exhaust and noticed the flex pipe broke off a bit from where it was welded is it ok to drive like this? Will it cause damage to anything if i dont get it replaced asap?
 
Last edited:
If it's not dragging on the ground then drive it to an exhaust shop or someone who can fix it. If it's dragging, try to tie it up with a coat hanger or something.
 
+1

.....and do it in a timely manner as hot exhaust can start a fire depending on what's near the leak.

No biggie. Just get the darn thing fixed. That means "flex joint replaced" in your case.

Get a good one. There are real cheap ones out there.
 
Whatever you do, don't go to sleep in that car. Not saying you do, but some people are road warriors, some people do it on their lunch break, etc.

But don't, or you might not wake up.

Othwise, it'll just be an annoyance for the most part.

I'd recommend replacing the entire downpipe. Holds up better than a repair in the long run.
 
It's no problem at all unless you breathe while inside the car. Just hold your breath and don't allow passengers. If you take a breath while inside the car with the engine running, look in the mirror. That "S" on your forehead is for STUPID. If your cheeks are rosy red, that's carbon monoxide poisoning and you're dead. If it hasn't happened yet, keep trying. A few more times should get it. Instead of fixing the car get an O2 bottle with a regulator, tubing, and a mask. You can wear it all the time your driving or play carbon monoxide roulette and only put it on when your cheeks start to turn red or you start to pass out, have vision problems or start hitting other cars. Set the O2 flow at about 6-10 liters per minute and let us know what happens if you can.

If in doubt check with bbhero. See if he agrees with my assessment.
 
I wonder if the brand of gasoline would make a difference.

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
It's no problem at all unless you breathe while inside the car. Just hold your breath and don't allow passengers. If you take a breath while inside the car with the engine running, look in the mirror. That "S" on your forehead is for STUPID. If your cheeks are rosy red, that's carbon monoxide poisoning and you're dead. If it hasn't happened yet, keep trying. A few more times should get it. Instead of fixing the car get an O2 bottle with a regulator, tubing, and a mask. You can wear it all the time your driving or play carbon monoxide roulette and only put it on when your cheeks start to turn red or you start to pass out, have vision problems or start hitting other cars. Set the O2 flow at about 6-10 liters per minute and let us know what happens if you can.

If in doubt check with bbhero. See if he agrees with my assessment.
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
Some states Loud exhaust gets a ticket.


Not here. I hear the rice rockets until the wee hours of the morning. They’re running straight pipes, most of them. It sounds like a logging camp.
 
Originally Posted By: boostedtsiawd
So the only thing is the noise i have to worry about right?


and carbon monoxide, ya moron.

If you only drive highway speed it'll get sucked under your floor pan. Slow down and it'll waft up the engine compartment to your cowl air intake.

So yeah get it fixed. You can hacksaw the old one off and put a new one in with muffler clamps for $30.
 
Originally Posted By: boostedtsiawd
So the only thing is the noise i have to worry about right?

This post proves you're a troll, the majority of the people who took the time to respond in a serious fashion told you it was dangerous.

As if we needed this thread in addition to your gasoline one to determine that.
 
Turn up the radio... When the radio can't over power the noise from a car problem then its time to see a mechanic.
grin2.gif
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: kschachn
I wonder if the brand of gasoline would make a difference.

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
It's no problem at all unless you breathe while inside the car. Just hold your breath and don't allow passengers. If you take a breath while inside the car with the engine running, look in the mirror. That "S" on your forehead is for STUPID. If your cheeks are rosy red, that's carbon monoxide poisoning and you're dead. If it hasn't happened yet, keep trying. A few more times should get it. Instead of fixing the car get an O2 bottle with a regulator, tubing, and a mask. You can wear it all the time your driving or play carbon monoxide roulette and only put it on when your cheeks start to turn red or you start to pass out, have vision problems or start hitting other cars. Set the O2 flow at about 6-10 liters per minute and let us know what happens if you can.

If in doubt check with bbhero. See if he agrees with my assessment.


Nope.

On a serious note, even the guy above with the Jeep should be aware that even a little carbon monoxide poisoning destroys brain cells in a way that makes the repair difficult and the effects don't go away quickly even when the source is completely removed.

Carbon monoxide hooks up in your blood much better than O2 and takes a while to unhook and therein lies the problem.
 
My mom passed out in my dad's auto-shop along with my uncle about 35 years ago because my uncle was running a car with the door closed in the winter. My dad returned back to the shop and found them both and called an ambulance. They revived both of them with Oxygen having caught them just in time. Fast forward 35 years later. Both are fine. My uncle is now 75 and my mom is 67.

It's not something to play around with but surely they would have had lasting effects because of how much they had in their system no?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Whatever you do, don't go to sleep in that car. Not saying you do, but some people are road warriors, some people do it on their lunch break, etc.

But don't, or you might not wake up.

Othwise, it'll just be an annoyance for the most part.

I'd recommend replacing the entire downpipe. Holds up better than a repair in the long run.

I hope you are not serious. CO will put you asleep for good without you even noticing it. Get it fixed and don't do some shmuck repair on it.
 
Last edited:
Its a smart fortwo 2008 so the motor is in the trunk and the flex pipe is sitting more lower and i dont smell anything its just the noise is annoying.
 
I bought my first car with a broken flex pipe. It used to backfire when I would shift sometimes before I got it fixed.

Good times, although I had no idea you could get CO poisoning from it. lol
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top