Exhaust Flex Pipe Rattle but No Leaks? (VIDEO)

[Wesley Butler]

2009 Borrego EX V6 3.8L – 112k miles

Looking for some car repair help on the video linked below. Rattle noise at around 1k rpm. The car idles slightly below 1k rpm, so I have to push on/off the throttle to hear the noise. I’ve tracked it down to the exhaust piping and it appears that the source is BOTH Flex Pipes. I checked them for leaks and neither have any leaks or apparent damage. I tried a temporary fix of using a hose clamp around each of them to keep them in place, but no luck. From the amount of movement I’m seeing, it’s as if the Flex Pipes are TOO flexible. If you watch the part of the video (30 sec mark) that has a close up of the flex pipe with the engine running, the vibration/noise go away and come back as my helper is pushing on/off the gas pedal. It’s a very narrow range, but it can get loud and annoying.

Do the Flex Pipes need to be replaced or is there something else I can do to fix the problem?

Any input you can provide is appreciated. Thanks!

VIDEO: Exhaust Flex Pipe Rattle but No Leaks

Topic

[James]

Replace with stiffer pipe or secure flex pipe with hanger to something near buy.

[Mike]

It certainly seems like the flex pipes have broken internally, and the mesh cover is holding things together, at least for now.

[Mark Lofthus]

I have the exact same issue with a 2010 Honda Odyssey that rattles just past 2000 Rpms. What did you end up doing? It’s hard to live with the sound but I don’t want to start replacing parts and make more problems. Thanks!

[Wesley Butler]

This was for a neighbor so, I’m not sure what they ended up doing. I suggested having a muffler shop cut out the flex pipes and weld in new ones or just live with the noise.

[Author]

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