Hit a nasty speed bump and now the exhaust system on my 97 Camry is making a new sound. I see a cylinder shape which looks like the outside of woven basket. Did the cover come off my catalytic converter? (I was carrying six adults on a Mass. state park road that was as level as the Appalachian mountains with a speed bump half of which had been stolen by local bears.)
It could be the cat is damaged, but it doesn’t really matter. Whatever it is will have to be replaced.
If the heat shield is missing, it, too, should be replaced.
What was the speed limit and how fast were you going? Still, too bad.
puckettcommerce, I am not sure what we can offer you, other than advice to go to a muffler shop, have them take a look, and repair or replace the exhaust system. There isn’t much else to consider, other than maybe calling your insurance company to file a claim.
I see a cylinder shape which looks like the outside of woven basket. Did the cover come off my catalytic converter?
It sounds like you are describing the flex section of the exhaust. It is there to allow the engine to move around with respect to the body.
Sounds like you developed an exhaust leak from the jolt. My Camry flex section failed after bottoming out on a rough road when it was only two years old. Not saying you have the same failure just pointing out it can happen. Time for a muffler shop visit…
If you are contemplating doing this yourself, try ‘Rockauto.com’ for a new pipe. Other than that, a muffler shop will probably ding you for 800 bucks for a whole new exhaust system
The woven thing you see is the flex part of the exhaust. The catalytic converter is further toward the back of the car. If exhaust is leaking from the flex joint you’re looking at an expensive replacement of the whole assembly, basically everything from the exhaust manifold down through and including the cat.
I just replaced mine for 190 bucks from Rock auto. The key is finding someone who will not ruin the rest of the exhaust (if it has any life left in it!)