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In the photo above the sealing ring is installed backwards. The smaller diameter shiny side goes into the flared end of the resonator, the larger diameter mesh looking side goes on the pipe coming from the engine. Im guessing over time the silver looking material melts and forms a better seal?
This is how my exhaust looked in the beginning prior to it being removed and the flange broken even more.
Here is how I got it back from Mercedes after they worked on it. I gave them a new sealing ring to install since i knew the old one was falling apart. Note mesh side of sealing ring is towards engine.
I ordered another new sealing ring to use to help with me figuring out the correct flange size. I dont feel like going under the car and removing the one thats installed. The exhaust leak isnt that bad so im in no real rush and want to do it right. I just noticed the ball joint parts i bought are in fact 201 stainless, i should have read the description better. Since I live right on the ocean, park my car literally 10 feet from the water I want 304 stainless at least. I may just use the parts to test fit everything and see where everything lines up. if my measurements are correct that pipe should slide over the old pipe and i can just install a clamp for now. i also ordered another flange that says it is 304 stainless, we shall see. I just dont think it is as thick as I would like, I may have to find someone to make what I want. I would like to have something bent up that I can send them to replicate if possible.
I used my telescoping magnet pick-up tool just to try and see what the exhaust is made of and the magnet stuck very well to the resonator and the large round things whatever they are ahead of the resonator. The magnet stuck very very slightly to the pipes themselves.
So im just confused as to what the exhaust is actually made from, what type of stainless? A magnet sticks like crazy to the exhaust manifold and I thought that was stainless.
The 201 stainless pieces I bought are slightly magnetic at the bends only, on the straight section a magnet doesnt stick. I read this is a quality of 201 stainless that has been worked. I just dont want to install something that will rust in a year.
i forgot to add that whenever i go under the car and play around with that joint water comes out. So im not just worried about water and road salt on the outside, it looks like that flange corroded so bad from the inside.
TimC300, thank you so much for that post. I had done it this AM and was in a bit of a rush. I just went out and reversed it like you correctly pointed out. I had not yet put the jack stands or the driver away --- it literally took 10 minutes.
Again, thank you.
Last edited by geoffreybove; Nov 2, 2024 at 04:45 PM.
Reason: I followed the recent post's instructions.....
Also, I think that the corrosion here rather than other places is caused by electrolysis from this part being a dissimilar metal to the pipes. (I'm a "boat guy!")
I dont know why a seal is installed at this joint only, there are two other connections in the exhaust that use the same clamps but is no additional sealing ring. The connection right next to this one doesnt have a sealing ring and they dont leak.
I would just have the connection welded solid but im afraid if i even need to remove the cat will be a huge project.
TimC300, thank you so much for that post. I had done it this AM and was in a bit of a rush. I just went out and reversed it like you correctly pointed out. I had not yet put the jack stands or the driver away --- it literally took 10 minutes.
Again, thank you.
How did you get that sealing ring out? What did you disconnect in order to get at it? I never seperated the exhaust before. The only thing i ever did was replace the clamps and I didnt have to remove anything, I just slipped them on over the pipes.
I know it's very odd, seems not necessary. But it is what we have. The first one for me has lasted 10 years; we bought this GLK350 with ~40K, and it now has >140K. I'm in Maine on the coast, but it lives in the garage every night. I also would not weld it, but if it keeps failing, maybe it's a good idea. My spouse really liked the sound when it was disconnected this week.....
Since I could not get the pipes low enough to get at the broken sealing ring, I cut the driver's side clamp. This allowed the rear section to move back an inch or more, and allowed them to drop down. I put a shim between the driver's pipes to hold it down. Then I could see the sealing ring, but it was all smooshed in. I noticed the end of the little pipe section, which is not on the parts list (and is why I came back to search, and found this thread). I started chiseling it with an 1/8" woodworking chisel (which was closer at hand). It came out easier than I thought it might, and then the small pipe came out. Whatever that soft stuff it is does not corrode.
I have the car up on jack stands right now checking for an odd noise i was hearing yesterday while driving. I think with the colder weather the noises start coming out.
It seems the clamp itself is made of some type of stainless steel but the bolt and the cylindrical nuts are some type of magnetized metal. In my first post the bolt rusted away to nothing. Ill see what I can find at Lowes for stainless bolts and nuts.
I was thinking of welding the new flange in since i really just want a welder so this is a perfect excuse to get one. Learning to weld on my exhaust isnt the brightest idea but I cant see it being that hard. I'll be test fitting different adapters in the mean time until i figure what I want. I found a place online that will custom make any adapter I need out of 304 stainless.
I've been searching for what I need to weld the stainless steel and it seems in my situation mig weld in with stainless flux core wire. Using gas would cost me another $150+ if i went that route. The specs for that wire say to use mig DCEP. From looking around my house I dont have any separate 110v outlets so ill have to use my dryer outlet for 220v. i found one welder I want, may wait for Black Friday deals to see if i can get it even cheaper.
Hi Tim, this is geoffreybove with a real registration now. I am a decent welder, and would not weld that, but by all means get yourself a welder and work on it! It's fun. Rusty stuff is a lot harder to work with. That said, I have a professional blacksmith friend who taught me a lot. You NEED to use the "IG" which is "inert gas." And while a cheap welder like that might maybe work OK - just treat yourself and get the one I have, which is a Lincoln 210 MP. You get what you pay for in welders....
That parts is s funky metal! It's barely magnetic, very slippery. Very interesting.
My plan was to cut away the broken flange while leaving as much of the old pipe as possible. Slide the new fitting over it and then weld it at the end and maybe along the inside.
I'm going to try just sliding the new piece on then putting a clamp on it, see how that holds up. From my measurements the new piece may be just a tiny bit too small, I was thinking I can make 2 or 3 slits down it so it can expand a little while pressing it on. I know nothing about exhaust pipes and the measurements were confusing me trying to order what I need, between the OD and ID and the material thickness. And finding out the part i received is only 201 stainless was a bummer. Like I said earlier I park my car 10 feet from the ocean. I think the salty air isnt very good nevermind the salt they put on the roads in winter. Im always washing my car so get the salt spray off it.
On a side note I came across a very interesting cause for a loud squeaking I was hearing. While driving, usually when backing out while turning the wheel i was hearing a loud squeak from what I thought was the front passenger strut. I had the car jacked up earlier both front wheels off the ground, I grabbed ahold of the spring and pushed it side to side and sure enough there was a loud squeak. Turns out the noise was coming from where the bottom of the plastic boot connects to the strut. I pushed the boot upwards so it wasnt snapped on to the strut and the noise went away. For now i just sprayed some silicone lubricant all over it. Drove around and the noise wasnt there any more.
Your plan looks good. But if it comes down to welding, stainless steels and dissimilar metals are really hard to get right. Try to stick with the clamping.
I finally got under there to pull it apart and im amazed at how long the pipe from the engine goes into the resonator pipe, i cant see the end of it. The main reason i wanted to do a repair was I was worried about that joint just falling apart, but now i see there is plenty of pipe holding things together.
I am also amazed at the amount of water that drips from these two joints, its alot.
I think i have a change of plans. I may just keep everything how it is and try to pack that joint, either a sealant or i was looking at stainless steel wool type material, the stuff used to pack resonators.
Im having trouble closing up the gap of the drivers side pipe though. I cant seem to get it any tighter, but not even sure if i can. I put a jack under everything to take the weight off, but cant seem to pull it together any more. I was thinking about using ratchet straps but then i wont be able to put the clamp on.
Heres what i was thinking of trying to pack the joint with, a steel wool type packing material. Then slide the sealing ring into place and clamp it to hold eveything in there.
Since the last post there doesnt appear to be any sound coming from that joint, but I think its temporary and still thinking how to fix it. I picked up that welder in the mean time just because it was on sale for only $100.
I tried experimenting with one of the flange pieces i bought but it came out pretty bad. Its harder to cut stainless steel with a hack saw by hand than I had anticipated. This piece isnt long enough for what i want anyways sowas just playing around. I'm thinking the next one i'll see if i can get a metal cutting blade for my chop saw.
I ordered a ball joint fitting that I think may work. Its 304 stainless, 2-1/2" OD pipe and I believe its 16 gauge so should be heavier and match the existing exhaust pipe. I'm hoping I can just cut the female section to size and slide it on, should be tight so no welding needed. i may even have to bang it on over the pipe.
Since the new flange piece I want to install is 2-1/2" OD I picked up a 2-1/2" 304 stainless steel clamp. Its a flat type clamp, not a ball type rounded looking clamp like the Mercedes are. Came across it for a good price on ebay, not sure how they can sell it for less than $10 since they shipped it fed ex in a huge box. the clamp part itself appears stainless non-magnetic but the bolt is probably a coated steel. Even came with some high-temp anti-seize.
Received the Summit 2.5" ball flange kit and it looks like it will work. They call it Eurojoint connectors. The clamp is the same Norma SEC as the Mercedes clamp except it is a 65mm and the one on the car is 60mm.
My only issue now is the ID of the pipe is 60mm and the OD of the pipe on the car is 60.5mm, at least its what im getting using my cheap plastic calipers. Wonder if i can grease it up and hammer it on, or do I try and expand it a little?
The female end im getting 70mm ID at the mouth of the flange. I think the male piece will be a better fit, just have to trim it down.
I noticed there are Mercedes exhausts that use a 65mm clamp so the female end in this kit would probably work great with those, the pipes would have to be butt welded together im thinking.
With the sealing ring being 67mm on mine where it fits into the stock flange it looks like i'll have to trim the male section, should be left with 67mm ID for the sealing ring to fit.
I picked up another sealing ring at the dealer, only $21, part# 2044920081.
I tried it on the female end of the ball flange kit and its not going to work, flange is too large and the sealing ring just falls into it and wont create a good seal. I did try searching for a larger sealing ring but im not finding anything with the correct ID and OD measurements. I realized they call the sealing ring a graphite gasket.
So next plan was to cut the male end of the kit, and I think its going to work well. I cut it with an angle grinder then cleaned it up with a hand file. Still have more to go. But it fits in, the gasket is contacting all around so it should be a good seal, and looks like the original 60mm clamp will work.
I tried the sealing ring in the end i had cut off of the male section and it fits great. I would love to use this piece, but I would have to weld it on to the pipe. Maybe i can bring it somewhere to have welded up and they can expand the pipe 0.5mm also. Either way it seems now I have two options.
While I was searching around for a larger sealing ring i came across the parts diagram for the M156 and noticed it uses a 76mm exhaust clamp. I looked up the part # and in the photos it shows the Norma SEC 65 clamp, the same clamp that comes with this Summit SS ball flange kit. I'm speculating they are the same ball flanges. If that pipe is 2.5 OD? And not the joint that has the sealing ring, just the metal-to-metal joints.
If anyone is wondering how that 2.5" to 3" reducer piece came out heres a photo of it with the sealing ring. I doesnt look good and probably wouldnt work. I bought the reducer before I really knew ball flanges were available.
Came across some useful info on the measurements of the Norma SEC ball flange clamps: First number is the diameter of the outside edges of the clamps or diameter of the pipe, the clamping diameter number is the diameter of the inside of the clamp.
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