How do you install a muffler?

Answer 1

Depending on your car this is pretty easy.

First you need to raise the rear end of the vehicle about 24 inches and rest it on sturdy jack-stands. (Never work under any vehicle supported only by its jack.) Make sure you are on firm ground or a concrete slab so the jack-stands will not shift. Choke the front tires so they can't roll when the rear end is up in the air. Jack up the rear of the vehicle on one side and place a stand under a solid part of the chassis but out of the way of your work. Lower the vehicle onto the stand, making adjustments as the stand takes the whole weight of the vehicle. Repeat for the other side. For safety, put the spare tire under the tire of the side you're working under, in case of a jack-stand failure.

There's probably going to be a U-bolt or some kind of piece holding the intake side of the muffler to the pipe. I would recommend first going to Auto Zone or another parts dealer and telling exactly what kind of car you have.

Generally the people that work there will actually go and look under your car and see for themselves. There are different size openings on mufflers so you MAY want to measure both holes on the muffler just to have that extra info. You probably wont need it. Mufflers usually cost less than $20 or so.

Once you get it home just take that U-bolt off, slide the old one out, slide the new one on, clamp the u-bolt back and your done. There may be another bracket that keeps the very back of the muffler off the ground so that will need to be put back also. You may need a new tailpiece for your muffler if its rusty. This is one of those simple repairs that is really fundamental. I have seen some crazy ones that have housings over them and the exhaust, but that is a different story.