Doug's Cobalt SS SC

Hey guys so I purchased my entire catback system brand new from ZZP and had it installed on 8-5-16 so just over two years ago. My car is up on the lift today while I splice a bad part of my fuel line where it's leaking when I noticed a crack in my three chamber muffler system at the rear of the car.

I take great care of my car I'm not hard on it I don't rev it up a lot and it stays in the garage. Also when I installed it I paid extra for ZZP rubber insulated exhaust hangers to help give it a smoother ride.

Any idea what could have caused this crack? And what would you guys recommend I seal it with?

It appears to be cracking right on the seem

Doug's Cobalt SS SC

I just looked closer guys and it's not leaking exhaust right now it appears to be on the putter layer

Doug's Cobalt SS SC

Outer layer

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

Is it welded there I can't tell? Is it a stainless exhaust because it looks like it has rust on it?

Kolt

Those are stainless but based on him being in ohio, salt will still cause most stainless to corrode over time unless it has a ridiculous amount of chromium. Looks like it cracked on the outside edge of the weld. No signs of impact anywhere? There isn't anything you can "seal" it with that would last. Needs to have a tig line ran over it. Don't have to use filler for a spot that small but you should use stainless filler to keep the line from corroding quickly.

royce777

iTrader: (29)

judging by the pictures backround, it is the rearward exit side.

Doug's Cobalt SS SC

Hey guys your correct it is ZZP a stainless steel exhaust and it is the exit in fact there's a picture below of this piece that comes with their cat back system. You are also correct that it is indeed a manufactured defect which is why it's splitting at the seem and as you said there's no impact. Regarding the rust trust me I too was not happy when after only a year it started to rust and now after two it's rusted even more. I live in Ohio so yes they salt the crap out of our roads however I wash my car all the time especially in the winter and I'm always sure to clean the under body. According to ZZP they said it's all surface rust that can easily be cleaned or scubbed off to make it shine again. I haven't had the time to try however I did scrub the tip of the exhaust and that shined like new again so there may be some truth to that.

So get this guys after taking the muffler section off so that I can ship it back to ZZP free of charge and have them repair or replace I found a much larger crack on the top of the muffler in the same exact spot running right along the seem however rather than just being on the outer layer of the SS this crack has gone through both the outer and inner layer and it's leaking a good amount of exhaust! We couldn't see it at first with it being on top and against the under side of my car.

My guess is when ZZP gets it back they won't try to repair they will just replace now. I'm still puzzled as to how this could have happened in such a short amount of time and then my concern is will my new one do this again in two years or will I start finding cracks like this in other portions of my exhaust? I purchased their complete system 3" from the block back 3" shorty header, 3" down pipe with 400 cell spun cat & 3" cat back complete with resonator and 3 chamber muffler system. I of course also got all new exhaust gaskets at every connection plus the kit came with the SS clamps that are on. In addition I went with the more expensive insulated rubber exhaust hangers, I deleted my down stream O2 sensor and plugged it with a bung hole plug and I installed all new exhaust or header studs right into the block. There's not much more than that I could have done to ensure I got a nice exhaust that would last for a while

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

most stainless exhaust systems arent made with very high grade stainless. most production exhaust systems are made from 409 stainless. 400 series stainless will get surface corrosion and look kinda crappy, but you can polish it back up with a bit of work. while it will look a little corroded and crappy, it wont rot out very easy, ive had my exhaust system (not zzp, made by clear image back in the day) on my car for 8 years now, driven year round, lots of use in the snow, and the exhaust is quite corroded and ugly looking, but its solid, and im still able to clean the tip up with an SOS pad.

when i build a real nice exhaust system i use 304 stainless from a place that sells stuff for food production, brewing, etc. the stuff wont corrode at all and is easily polished to a mirror shine. the big thing here is the cost, when i built my 944, i had over $400 (canadian) in straight pipe and elbows to do my exhaust system. now add in a muffler, and v-bands, its pretty well $700 before ive even fired up the welder. this is the main reason exhaust systems arent built in 304, the other being 304 is a little more brittle, meaning its harder to bend, and it may not bend without cracking.

as for the crack in your muffler, all stainless is brittle to some point, and that may be the result of a stressed area during manufacturing. myself, id have no problem welding that up, however if zzp is willing to give you warranty thats the better option.

63 Nova SS

iTrader: (3)

I'm glad they are going to take care of you.