How to Replace Intermediate Exhaust Pipe 1997-2001 Toyota Camry

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In this video we're going to be working with our 1998 Toyota Camry 2.2-liter, four-cylinder. We're going to show you how to remove and replace your mid-pipe on the exhaust. This is the pipe that goes between the front pipe and the muffler, which takes up the majority of the center section of the vehicle.

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Here are the items you'll need for this repair: 12mm sockets, 14mm sockets, ratchet, extension, 12mm wrench, 14mm wrench, penetrating oil, jack and jack stands

Raise and support your vehicle. We're using a lift to make it easier to show you, but this job can easily be done in the driveway on a jack and jack stands. Now, normally we would show you how to replace each individual portion of the exhaust, but our entire exhaust system right from the manifold back is rotted beyond the point of repair, so we'll have to replace the entire thing.

The first big issue we noticed is the flex pipe; it has rotted away. Mash is coming off and it's actually split in the middle. You can hear the exhaust leaking out of here when the vehicle's running. Now, normally we could change this front cat pipe, however there is nothing left on these flanges. The hardware that's in there isn't even recognizable anymore, so even if we did get these out and get new hardware in, the flanges are too corroded for us to be confident in them sealing correctly.

Our mid-pipe has the same issue. It’s rotted all the way back here at the muffler, so we can't expect this to come off and reseal properly either. And the muffler itself is completely rotting through the case on the side. See how soft the metal is there? So we have to replace our entire exhaust system.

Since we'll be removing the entire exhaust as one piece, we'll remove the O2 sensor here with a 22mm wrench. Once you've cracked it loose, this O2 sensor can be a pain to remove since the connector is actually under the carpet on the driver's seat, so we'll mark the side of the O2 sensor that's facing us with a paint marker or whiteout and count how many rotations it takes to remove it. We can counter twist it that many rotations when we reinstall. One, two, three, three and a half turns removes it. We'll make sure, when we reinstall it, that we counter twisted it three and a half turns before reinstalling so our wires aren't twisted.

Normally, to remove the mid-pipe, you would remove the nuts onto these studs here, remove the hardware, and separate this flange, but ours is too far gone, so we're going to swap the whole exhaust. Spray some penetrating oil onto the rubber hanger. That will make it a lot easier to remove. You should just be able to grab it by hand and slide it off the stud. Make sure, after you've removed this, you use some wood, a bungee cord, or a jack stand to support this end of the pipe—if you've separated the flange—before removing the back half. To finish removing the mid-pipe, you would separate this flange by removing the two nuts. Ours are too far gone, so we'll be replacing the whole system.

Our mid-pipe is exactly the same, with the same bung for our O2 sensor, same two bolt flange, same hanger, resonator, all the same bends right back to the support, and the two bolt flange for our muffler. Install the mid-pipe into the hanger. Make sure you clean the surfaces if you're using an old pipe. We have a new one, so we'll just install a new gasket onto our flange.

Mount the muffler and the mid-pipe together. We have two 14mm flange nuts that we had in the shop. If you saved your old hardware, these studs are OEM size, so you can just reuse it. Ours was corroded, so we'll have to replace it with this stuff that we had. Tighten it down with a 14mm socket and ratchet. Especially when using old exhaust parts, if you are able to, you want to get these down as tight as you possibly can without breaking them. This stuff can be a little tricky to get to seal properly.

That mark we made on our O2 sensor, when it's just hanging and resting, is facing away from us. We need three and a half counter turns on this. We'll go counterclockwise, since we'll be installing it clockwise to get back to this position. One, two, three, and a half times, install it into the bung, tighten it down the rest of the way with a 22mm wrench. This may not line up in exactly the same place it did, but as long as you don't have a big, hard twist on the wiring harness, the sensor will be just fine. If either pipe is an old pipe that you're reinstalling or reusing, make sure you clean the surface for the gasket before installing your new one.

Put some new 14mm hardware through there. You may be able to reuse your old hardware. If you can, that's fine, but we're using some new 14mm nuts, bolts, and a washer on each end. Tighten the hardware down with a 14mm socket, ratchet, and wrench. Make sure you get this hardware down as tight as you can, to make sure that that gasket seals properly. It does help to try to tighten down both sides evenly to make sure you don't pinch it on one side.

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