How to Fix a Noisy Muffler

Like the silencer on a gun, a muffler reduces the sound of your car’s engine. When your muffler isn’t working properly, your vehicle will make loud and obnoxious sounds that no one will enjoy hearing—least of all you.

Your car’s exhaust system is composed of tubes that reflect sound waves which ultimately nullify each other. Sound waves and exhaust fumes enter the middle tube of the muffler and bounce off its back wall.

They are then once more reflected thanks to a hole in the muffler’s main body. The waves and gasses then go into another chamber through more holes. There, they are again diverted. Eventually, they exit the muffler through a pipe.

If your vehicle is making lots of noise due to a bad muffler, try these steps to fix or mitigate the problem.

1. After your car has cooled, check the muffler straps, aka the exhaust hangers, to assure that they’re adequately connected to the bottom of your car. Loose straps rattle, so either tighten them or replace them as necessary. If the hangers are okay, move on to Step 2.
2. Open up the muffler. Remove debris, soot, rust, or any other obstruction that could be causing the noise.
3. If the pipe is broken, take your car to a professional mechanic, but first, remove any parts that are about to fall off.

If you can’t twist off a loose part, secure it temporarily with a wire coat hanger. Wrap one end of the wire around the loose piece of the muffler. Attach the other end to an immovable portion of your car’s bottom. Don’t, however, attach it to the drive shaft. This will somewhat reduce the noise until you can get to the repair shop. It will also prevent further costly damage.

Broken mufflers aren’t just noisy. They may also emit noxious fumes. Make sure yours is in good working order by checking it for loose straps, obstructions, or broken pipes regularly.

Muffler Repair Tape: A Temporary Solution to a Noisy Problem

If your car knocks, grinds, squeaks, and makes other unholy noises, it may have a bad muffler. A muffler is basically a series of tubes and chambers located under the car at its back end. Mufflers quiet the noise made by the engine and reduce noxious emissions. If your car’s muffler isn’t working, you’re polluting the atmosphere with fumes and unpleasant noise every time you go for a drive.

Mufflers may fall prey to rust and can even fall off due to excessive rusting. If your muffler is in bad shape, have it repaired or replaced. In the meantime, use muffler repair tape to bring down the noise level and reduce exhaust emissions. This aluminum foil tape is routinely used for sealing mufflers and other metal objects that must withstand high temperatures.

To apply the tape, turn off your car and use a jack to lift up the back end so that you can inspect the muffler. Use several layers of tape to patch any holes or damage that you find. The muffler may also be making noise because the hangers that attach it to the car are loose. As you’re wrapping the muffler in tape, inspect the hangers, too. They may need to be replaced or tightened.

Remember, muffler tape is only a temporary solution. If your muffler is belching fumes and making a loud noise, take your car to an auto repair shop as soon as possible.