replacing muffler hangers

[markus]

has anyone done this? i ordered 2 muffler hanger kits for my E34 today from autohaus az. Im mostly concerned if I have to drop the exhaust or not. seems like i can reach my hand in there and take off the old crappy rubber ring. i can forsee the cuts on my hands already, those rubber rings are a bitch to remove and install, however the bracket clamp thingy atleast screws on to secure the muffler.

[genphreak]

has anyone done this? i ordered 2 muffler hanger kits for my E34 today from autohaus az. Im mostly concerned if I have to drop the exhaust or not. seems like i can reach my hand in there and take off the old crappy rubber ring. i can forsee the cuts on my hands already, those rubber rings are a bitch to remove and install, however the bracket clamp thingy atleast screws on to secure the muffler. The only bitch part is trying to wangle them off around the safety tabs.

I find the trick is to use a few medium screwdrivers, and know where the saftey tabs stick out. I think the best tool would be bicycle tyre levers as they won't damage the rubber.

[whiskychaser]

Dropped the whole system on mine but not sure if 540 is different. Found a trolley jack came in handy to take the weight. It makes putting on the figure of 8 shaped hangers easy. The two bolts that grip the seam on the back box were seized so I got complete fittings. There isnt much clearance between the left hanger and the body - thats where you are going to get scratched! :)

[Russell]

screwdrivers and a small jack under the exhaust to lift as needed. I used my floor ajck and stands to raise the car. I changed the two middle donuts as mine were broken. Not the rear.

[632 Regal]

I removed the rear bumper to get mine on. There was NO way I could get the new one on there.

[BFEINZIMER]

tthis job is SUCH a bitch, trust me go to a good bmw guy and just pay to have it done

[Dave M]

tthis job is SUCH a bitch, trust me go to a good bmw guy and just pay to have it done

-10 points. Now make up for it by removing his thrust arms ;)

But seriously, its awkward, its uncomfortable, but its definitely in the realm of DIY.

Dave

[632 Regal]

its very easy with the bumper removed though and the actual bumper is pretty easy.
-10 points. Now make up for it by removing his thrust arms ;)

But seriously, its awkward, its uncomfortable, but its definitely in the realm of DIY.

Dave

[BFEINZIMER]

o dave....naw i tried doingit when my rubber hangers failed, i had a jack to support the muffler n all but it just was horrible i paid my local guy to doit

[markus]

actually i found out if u rotate the rubber things they come off pretty easy because they are an oblong shape. doesnt seem to bad actually now.

[NielsGalan]

I replaced mine with no hassle at all. Maybe the exhaust systems are different for the different models (well I know they are). The centre 8-shaped hanger I changed by just holding up the exhaust by hand being under the car. It needed some wiggling, but it was relatively easy to change. 5 minute job.

The rear hanger, however was a differnt story. I gave up on that one because I had no tools. But after looking closer to the assembly I noticed that there is a part between the exhaust and the rubber hanger that can be removed. It bolts on to the exhaust. I removed one nut, seperated the metal holder thingy and now I was able to rotate the rubber hanger and remove it easily. The new ring came on just as easily. - The whole thing took me 10 minutes.

What a difference it made. Turns out that this was the cause of the "vibration-when-pulling-out-of-a-full-stop-especially-slightly-uphill" business. Needless to say, I realised this only after I changed center bearing, guibo and transmission mounts ... I will chronicle my vibration-when-pulling-out-of-a-full-stop-especially-slightly-uphill findings in more detail later in another thread.