I went to my mech today to try and resolve the constant rattles and noise I'm getting from the exhaust. He told me to try and get polyurethane bushings and mounts and to maybe create a center bracket because that will help it from moving.

I have the three piece system and I must say I'm getting tired of having to deal with the noises. When he was trying to find the source of the issue, he said the exhaust, when tightened and everything connected in the mounts, would move about half an inch to an inch just when he would hit it. He said that during driving and accell it would most certianly be a bigger movement.

I than suggested the thought of maybe welding it together and making it two pieces, the downpipe plus the through pipe to the catback, thus, not having to worry about clamps, leaks, rattles, etc. Pretty much making it a OEM look. He said that the addition of a middle bracket and this would elminate all issues of movement and noise, especially no more leaks.

I'm going to talk to Chris and Adam about the clamps one last time before trying this. I think the clamps are not doing a great job of keeping the flanges tight and the they are rubbing creating the noise and leaks. I know these are suppose to be great connections, but I have had a crappy experience with them. I DO NOT THINK THIS IS A FAULT FROM ALTA so I don't want people thinking I'm taking a shot at them before speaking with them. I like compromise and resolution people!!

I just want to know peoples thoughts who have the Turboback and what they think of the welding idea. Thanks NAM!

Few other points: My guy said it wouldn't cost to much to weld, but could get a bit pricey when creating a center bracket.

 

No issues yet for me, but my exhaust is relatively new and the clamps appear to be tightened to their max.

Keep us posted!

 

Yeah see the issue lies in the tightening "to the max". It's only suppose to be tightened to 70 in lb trq. If you tighten to much, its going to bend them, thus leaving pockets for leaks and rattles. Make sure to read the instructions carefully when installing the clamps! Hope everything works out great!

O and BTW, I have had the Turboback for about four months now.

 

Yep, I understand. I had mine installed by a Mini Dealer who says they did it correctly and the clamps still tightened until touching.

 

Okay, had 3 points on the Turboback welded today. Basically, it is the same setup as the stock system. Only one clamp remains that connects the DP to the Catback. So from the tips of the muffler to the conection after the resonator, is all welded. Upon driving, my CEL went away and has stayed off for the remainder of the day. I asked Freddie, my mech @ ICS in Stamford, CT to let me have a look at the clamps...they were black with carbon. Major leaks were going on in the exhaust at every point. He said he could even hear it at every point when he got close to it.

I spoke with Chris at ALTA and he is sending me a single V-band for the DP spot so I can properly torque it to the right specs. Finally, I feel much better and guys and gals, it only cost me 100 bux for the welding + labor. 100 bux! Not bad. Only took about an hour. Hope this helps everyone!

 

Thanks for keeping us up to date. My problem seems to be getting worse and welding might be an option. As near as I can determine, when the exhaust gets hot it also gets longer. When it is in its expanded state, the clamp directly behind the resonator contacts the heat shield. I have tried to move the shield, but I don't think there's any more room.

Is there a way to adjust the entire exhaust system front to back?

 

I think the major problem are those clamps themselves. Having used tons of v-band clamps, this is really the first on the mini forums of people having leak issues. I have removed many of times the OEM v clamp on mini's (which also has a copper flange gasket to ensure tight seal) and reinstalled it and torque the crap of it with no issues or leaks.

In looking at the design of the clamp Alta uses, I can see how it stretches and deforms. There is NO support for the v section itself on the sides. Also if you look at the stress point and how the exhaust moves in that upper section, all pressure is applied to one side of the clamp, making a lever effect. This will open the v section real easy !

I think if you go to a different v clamp make and one or two sizes smaller (so the ends can never touch), you will find the problem goes away all together. Heck in diesel engines those are used all the time and vibration & heat is way more than a MINI can do and those work very well. When we use v clamps for high pressure lines, we apply a crap load of torque on the little bolt and the clamp holds 185 psi 24x7x365 for many years with no issues ....

Its good to know that with you exhaust leak fixed, CEL went away for now ! Lets see how long it stays away.

Just my 2 cents on the subject.

 

Just to add on ...

Here is how I usually have seen v band clamps work. First the mating surfaces/flanges have interlocking joints like this:

This holds things in place, aligned and prevents leaks. Also you will notice that V section is more square (more surface area for hold strength).

This is the clamp used to hold the above:

Also the band is v section is split into multiple sections. If you pry open on section, the others still hold.

The combo works great on semi exhausts

The OEM mini exhaust also (if memory serves correctly) has a lip on the flange to lock into.

 

The V band clamps on my Alta TBE also are leaking but no CELS yet.

 

This is a very informative post. Thanks Dr M!

 

Thanks for the post Dr. M! Very good info, I must need a smaller clamp. I still have one on there and its still slightly leaking, but the new one is on the way from ALTA. I will let everyone know.

 

Hey all!
Morbius is right but also very wrong at the same time. The clamps we use will for sure not work with those V-bands. But the clamps we use do work with our v-bands. These are a custom made clamp by Clampco (no secret there) designed around the flange by them. Our clamp is narrower than the clamps needed for the machined type.

The flanges shown above are a completely machined flange, where the ones we use are a formed flange. The machined ones are nice but do add quite of cost to the system, which is why we choose to use the ones we did. These give the benifit of a V-band with out adding significant cost to the system.

It is very important to note that over tightening the clamps can cause leaks. I have some i have used and abused over and over again, and have see this issue where they leak a small amount of soot. These are even on ones we over tightened after all the use. But if you start by over tightening them, this can cause issues. From what i have seen, the issues seen from over tightening is small exhaust leaks that are not even audible. Meaning no put-put sound as the engine is reved.

dtsoccer6,
If you are getting noises from the exhaust, are the tubes also not secure? MEaning are they loose and can you twist them? I have only heard of one guy were the clamps were overtightened(from a shop impacting them on!) This spreads the "V" out and then looses tension, which the tubes were actually loose on. This can even happen on the CNC type flanges.

We have mentioned these things to our clamp guys and they are looking into making a small change to help over come, over tightening, but in the meantime just don't over tighten them.

There is one more thing we have up our sleeve. V-bands don't need gaskets, but we are going to make one for those who have over stretched the clamps. This simple thin aluminum gasket will solve these problems. So for those who have this issue, give us a ring and we will get you the parts you need, in a short period of time. It may be a couple of weeks as this is something that we just put into motion.

I hope that helps solve some of the issues that have come from overtightening the clamps. We are here to help!

 

The tubes can no longer be tightened as they are now welded. Sign me up for my single V-band off my ALTA DP though lol I would like the piece of mind of a gasket. Thanks ALTA!

 

I spoke too soon. I now have a CEL and will take it over to Alta next week to read.