4 replies to this topic

[paulgr]

Thought I would share this info with you as I learnt this over the weekend (cant find any reference to this on the site).  If anyone has a pre 2007 1.6 Diesel C-Max (or Focus to that matter), then you may have this issue with the front exhaust section.  There is a transaxial bracket that connects the bottom section of the exhaust to the engine, shortly after it leaves the cat.  This is the only bracket holding the exhaust to the vehicle after the cat and before the flexiable pipe connector.  It would appear that this bracket has been designed out (you can no longer buy it) and there is now a new bracket that attaches to the join with the flexiable pipe.  I guess that the previous bracket was not strong enough and once this breaks there is undue stress of the pipe connection with the cat.  There is a kit available to convert the pre 2007 models to the new post 2007 model with a new bracket and fixing bolts.  The only issue is that you have to cut off the rear section of the front cat exhaust pipe to fit the new bracket and then add on the new rear section.  The issue is the bolts attached to the front cat section that dont allow the bracket to be mounted in situe.

I will look at fitting this new bracket in the near future (when the weather is dry!), but my plan is not to use the conversion pipe, but drill out the existing bolt on the old exhaust section and then fit a floating bolt/nut instead. This will hopefully save nearly £40.

If anyone has undertaken this conversion before, please let me know.  I will update once I have fitted it and let you know if the proposed is possible.

[paulgr]

Thought I would post an update.

Instead of fixing a new design bracket (drilling out the exhaust bolts was not going to be easy) I took off the old transaxial bracket and repaired it. To get the old bracket off, you need to remove the cat from its fixing bolts and slacken off the turbo/exhaust join to give enough room to get the bolts out of the bell housing as they clash with the exhaust pipe. I used a piece of 4mm thick, angle iron to make up a new bracket, this was bolted to the existing bracket once it had been filed down flat, drilled and tapped. The car is now so much quiter and I will see how long the new bracket lasts.

[paulgr]

Here is a picture of the fixed bracket

[paulgr]

Note that when fitted to the car, the new part of the bracket points downwards

[cmaxloveing]

Ok I have to keep eye on this I do know it had some work on it so I have to look up history on that