Muffler Vibration

[George Des]

I've got the Timevalve SS exhaust system on my 230Sl from the manifold back. All my past exhaust systems--I've probably had at least five in the 28 years aI've owned the car all vibrated noticabaly. I thought things would be different this time, but they're not. Has anyone figured out how to keep these systems from making the car sound like a clunker--especially on start up. I have all my shields in place and they are all tight. I can't for the life of me figure out where it may be contacting the body.

George Des

[SL113fan]

George,

The SS exhaust on my 280SL also vibrated; the muffler was hitting against the right rear lower rocker panel.  I cured the unpleasant rattle by gluing a small piece of furnace insulation to the inside of the rocker panel (to act as a buffer).  I wanted to be certain that the buffer material would endure the muffler heat.

Afterwards, I realized I should have used muffler hangar rubber instead as this would be more resistant to water.  Ordinary hardware-store rubber might melt from the heat, but "muffler hangar" rubber can definitely withstand the conditions.

Your rattle may sound intermittently because of stainless steel's greater tendency for thermal expansion.  I.e., the muffler will grow in length more than a conventional steel exhaust when heated.  This extra length may be interfering in ways your old exhaust did not.

[Cees Klumper]

My experience with mufflers, although limited, is that the system needs to be aligned in such a way as to clear all the spaces it is routed through. There are many adjustment possibilities as the various sections are curved quite a bit and how you orientate them has a material impact on whether they can touch the chassis or not.

So ... if your system is clamped together rather than welded, you ought to be able to rotate the various components vis-a-vis each other in such as way as to prevent the exhaust system from touching the body/chassis.

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[n/a]

We had this problem on my car with a Timevalve system too...unfortunately after it was welded in place. We had to cram a 2x4 in there and bend it away from the area where it was hitting. Crude but effective. It still has quite a growl, but it doesn't buzz anymore. Has anyone else noticed that the Timevalve systems don't sound like the OEM, they're a lot fiercer?

[n/a]

Hello George,
While I cannot speak to an SS system, I thought I would share my experience with the stock system.  There is little room for misallignment for the muffler.  Someone installed the stock system on my car upside down.  The muffler on the stock system is not symetrical.  It must be installed in the correct way or it will hit against the outer rocker panel behind the rear wheel.

I needed to cut the muffler from the pipes and re-install it right side up.  This solved the problem.  Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Don

[ja17]

Hello George,
Installation problems are usually the culprit. Make sure the suspension is loaded (weight on all the wheeels)during final assembly of the exhaust system. Make sure you
 have good clearance around the entire system. You should be able to grab and shake the exhaust and get no noises. Be prepared to adjust as needed even factory parts!

Joe Alexander
Blacklick, Ohio

[n/a]

While everyone is on this topic, I'm in need of replacing my old rusted steel exhaust.  Do you guys recommend the Timevalve exhaust and if so, is it better to have a muffler shop install it, or can it be done at home?

Dan

1965 230 SL Euro 4 speed
2004 230 SLK

[ted280sl]

George,
  I have the timevalve and for a long time I was not happy with it. I had a vibration and heat coming throught the passenger flor baord because the clamp was touching the fram. I was able to loosen the clamp and rotate it. My next problem dealt with the bolts that hold the front muffler pipes onto the exhaust manifold. It seems that we should have brass bolts which do not vibrate loose. It took a while for me to learn that lesson. I learned afterwards that once these bolts are loose the exhaust gass will burn the exhaust seals. I had to take it apart again to replace the exhaust seals. The final exhaust rattle I learned of dealt with the exhaust bumper above the rear pipes.
  After the above experiences I can report that I am happy with my Timevalve stainless steel exhaust system.
Ted
1969 280SL

[SL113fan]

I would investigate Borla East's stainless steel exhausts before Timevalve.  Stu Ritter (MBCA Tech Advisor) recommends Borla.

[Cees Klumper]

Reviews on the Timevalve are a bit mixed, although the general consensus seems to be that (1) it is a good system and (2) it is a bit louder than stock.
My stainless steel system was made in Germany and is the basic staple installed by Van Dijk here in the Netherlands. It costs around $750 front-to-back. The connection to the manifolds requires standard steel bolts with copper nuts that are self-locking. If the fit is correct, then this connection should be very tight. With my previous system, I could never get this connection tight, no matter what I tried. This was due to an improper fit. I installed my new system myself, working only with jack stands (no lift) and it was pretty easy. You do need to take care to route the system right, observing the necessary clearances. Using the right size donuts and other installation hardware is important. Although the standard installation is to weld the sections together, I am happy I used clamps - this way the fit can always be adjusted until just right and the system can be removed easily should this ever be necessary. I neglected to use installation 'paste' and have some very slight leaks at one or two of the joints, but this is negligable. I will correct this *sometime*.
So, in short, you should be able to install a good-quality system (Timevalve or Borla or ??) yourself in maybe two hours.

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[mdsalemi]

My Timevalve was causing some issues, and my car as we speak is in at Dan Caron's for repairs such as this.

Two issues:  Dan found that part of one pipe was contacting the idler arm, so he basically replaced the motor mount and shimmed it up so the contact is not made anymore.  That eliminated a clunking.

Second issue I solved myself, and that is the down pipe from the engine compartment comes close to some metal lines; I simply installed some extra felt padding (to be removed prior to judging at Starfest  and that cured the other problem which was a rattle.


Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored