Question on BMW 3-Series E36 Muffler_Replacement

I replaced the muffler on my '95 E36 325i this weekend. It was still the original muffler, but it this dry California weather it lasted over 20 years! I bought all my parts, except for the muffler, from Pelican Parts. Thank you for the excellent article, it was really helpful.

It took my 4 hours to replace; I'm slow with tools since I don't do this every day and I didn't have all my tools ready. You definitely will need a helper when installing the new muffler. A few thoughts and notes for others.

1. The ESCO Flat Top Jack stands are sweet! I love them, they are my new favorite tool! They fit perfectly on the jack point with the rubber pad. The car was really secure and I tried to push the car and pull the jacks out but they are very stable. This made me feel very safe under the car and I was comfortable the whole time. Highly recommended!
http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/catalog/ShopCart/TOOL/POR_TOOL_ESCOJS_pg2.htm

2. Spray WD-40 rust release spray on the bolts and allow it to soak and penetrate, 20 year bolts were really rusted!

3. Have the right tools! Flange bolts were really tight. I was using short wrenches and sockets and it took a really long time to loosen everything. I stripped the last nut and end up having to use vise grip pliers to hold in place and a long breaker bar to remove. All this could have have been avoided if I had used two *LONG* 12mm & 13mm wrenches in the first place. This part took a long time without the right tools! "The magnitude of torque depends on the force applied, the length of the lever arm". Physics, physics! Use long wrenches it will save you time and effort.

4. Removing the rear rubber mounting brackets was really easy with a deep socket. Just note the original positions and take a few digital pictures for later reference. Removing the hanger brackets from the rubber mounting brackets was hard. Again, short wrenches were problematic and hard to remove with only your hands. My neighbor had a vise and by holding the bolt in place, nuts came off in 5 seconds!

5. When remounting, as noted in the article, loosely hang the rear muffler in place. I had to redo the hanging. You need a loose rear muffler to allow the pipes to travel forward into the flange brackets. I had long wrenches for installation and it was much easier. Also be wary of your nuts! I had stripped a nut and went to OSH to buy replacement nuts. They only had nylon insert lock nuts, but I think they should suffice.

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This post was auto-generated based upon a question asked on our tech article page here: BMW E36 3-Series Sport Muffler Replacement (1992 - 1999) | Pelican Parts DIY Maintenance Article

[Nick at Pelican Parts]

Thanks for sharing your installation process and experience. These type of comments add so much to the Pelican tech community.


- Nick