Exhaust : flanges not mated?

[Bukowski]

Should the exhaust flange and cat flange mate flush together?

I have a new sealing ring in there along with sealing paste. There's about an inch of gap between them - such that the ring is visible. I tried adjusting the muffler around to seat it better, no luck.

I'll see if I can get a pic.

[Bukowski]

bump for pics - I'm getting the vibe that its supposed to be sealed up completely. so Ill disassemble, clean it up, and - what, mash it back and hope it works?

[dgcantrell]

Looks good to me. The flanges will not necessarily touch because the sealing ring will occupy some space between them. Don't over tighten as you will bend them. Just snug them up even and then maybe a half turn after that. As long as it's not leaking, it's good.

[Bukowski]

unrelated to original question, asking because the picture is good : what is the rusty plate above the cat? Closest I can find so far is 477 803 253 "transverse strut" in the PET, called a "cover plate" in Pelican's catalog (ships in 5 business days) -