> From:    Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
> Subject: Re: Broken Stebro Muffler Bracket / Malcolm's trip
>
> In a message dated 08/08/2005 3:47:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>
> Tabe & Malcolm, the STEBRO muffler brackets  have now been modified and new
> ones are being sent out to customers who have  broken ones.  However, it has
> been our conclusion that there is some fault  with the vehicle that these
> mufflers are installed on that is causing the  cracking.

Interesting, VW designed muffler brackets that don't crack regardless of the
vehicle they are installed on. (I admit, the Stebro ones would be more
elegant... if they worked!)

> I personally
> have the  fibre gaskets on both my '87 Westy and 90 CARAT with that
> STEBRO/Vanagon  Stainless Steel Muffler and both gaskets have been there for well over a
> year now.

Frank, I have an email of yours from last year where you say you have to change the
gaskets every six months.  SIX MONTHS!  That's more often than I change my oil.

- Has anything changed that you can go a year now?  I'd like to know how to double
my gasket lifetime.

- Roughly how many KMs do your vanagons see between gaskets?

Another fun afternoon I had earlier this year:  When I went to replace one of
the leaking exhaust gaskets, I found the nylon in some of the 1/2" locknuts
supplied with the Stebro installation kit had welded themselves to the bolts.
I had to break them to get them off.  I have replaced the bolts at my cost
and inconvenience with M8 all metal locknuts and bolts.

Also, at some point one of my gaskets upstream of the cat self destructed, and
pieces got stuck in the cat where I didn't see them for months.  They sat there
and gradually abraded a small chunk of the ceramic away.  Not cool - imagine what
would have happened if I hadn't looked in the cat!

Pictures?  We got pictures.

http://www3.telus.net/public/tabe/vanagon/brokenbolt.jpg

Check out the threads on the bolts that didn't break and the condition of
what's left of the gasket.

http://www3.telus.net/public/tabe/vanagon/gasketincat.jpg

Yup, That's a piece of gasket.  I don't know exactly how long it was in
there but I'd estimate around 10,000 km.

tabe johnson/87 westy/xtabe@yahoo.com

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