Muffler Removal (Bumper on or off?)

So do you need to remove the bumper on a C4S to remove the mufflers? I want to tare them off to modify them. Thanks Also... how long does it take to remove them on average?

I was able to drop mine by just removing the wheel.

My friend just swapped mine today. He didn't remove wheels or bumper, it took him 2.5 hours and we talked a lot. To be fair he owns the shop and does this kind of stuff all day. JSeBmih.jpg 7oDPagV.jpg

Cool! Thanks for the help!

You may be able to do it with the bumper on, but I prefer to remove it.

I removed mine without taking off the bumper (wheels were off) but it helped that I had the car on a lift. Working on the ground, taking the bumper off would make it alot easier.

Note that removing the bumper (which I believe is, properly speaking, the bumper cover) is not too difficult - can be done in ~10 minutes. Here are the notes I took when last I did this: Remove 4 Phillips screws at the rim of the engine compartment, and the metal trim strip these pass through. Remove 3 Phillips screws at bottom rear. On each side: - Remove one semi-hidden Phillips screw high in the wheel well. - Remove two Torx T-25 screws at the bottom. Bumper cover is now loose; wiggle it slightly aft. This gives access to the electrical connector for the license plate lights; disconnect this. The bumper cover can now be wiggled off. Besides better access, removing this allows you to clean it more thoroughly than is possible with it on.

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Don't forget the two bumperettes (if you have them) - 6mm hex from the bottom, loosen and lift forward/up to remove. I take the bolts out after so the bumper doesn't get hung up when removing or replacing.

I don't have a C4S, but I have removed my mufflers several times without touching the bumper cover. I just removed the rear wheels. They slide out easily without bumping or scratching anything.

If you jack up the car high enough, you can do it with the bumper and wheels on. You will need to use some force to flex the bumper a little bit to let the mufflers slide in/out. Remember to reverse the two sets of two long bolts that old the brackets to the mufflers when you re-install, it makes it much easier to remove the mufflers next time round (nut on top, bolt thread in from bottom). It is much easier to do it with the bumper off though, because the mufflers are pretty heavy making it difficult to position them into the brackets.

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I have a narrow-body, so can't say for sure on your C4S, but I did mine with the bumper on, and can't see any reason to do the extra work to take the bumper off. FWIW a dealer had to do some work on my car that involved removing a muffler, and they didn't take the bumper off either. So it seems neither a pro mechanic nor a DIYer needs to move it to get the job done

With lift - bumper and wheels on. Without lift - wheels off and bumper on.

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Ahhh, great point. This makes total sense to me. I�d still take the bumper off since it is so easy. Up here we inevetably get corrosion. The last muffler I removed from a 996 required a angle grinder and a sawzall... No way to get to the places I needed without removing the bumper skin. Removing it is so easy to do...

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I agree. We don't have the corrosion down here - but I take lots of time between track events to clean the underside of the car - removing panels and bumpers is so easy that it's a good practice.

I'd just remove the bumper. It is so easy to do that there really is no reason to not do it. Sometimes I waste time trying to do stuff the easy way, then realize the "hard" was quicker.

When I did mufflers, I did some research and saw both points of view and was prepared to remove the bumper if I thought it would make the job easier. Once I got it up in the air and the wheels off, I couldn't see any reason for bumper removal. Not counting getting the car up and wheels off, I don't recall the whole muffler R&R being more that an hour.

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^^^ This^^^ It obviously isn't necessary, but it makes the whole job MUCH easier - albeit a little more time consuming. ** The main caveat being if you've got corrosion on the fasteners that hold the bumper on, you run the risk of breaking them which adds more time and difficulty. Sometimes it's a bitch owning a 15-20 year old car

Thanks everyone!

Anyone use a sealant on the exhaust pipes when putting things back together? Or, anything on the bolts for the muffler brackets to keep them from rusting?

No sealant but I always use high-temp anti-seize on all the bolts.

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What temp rating should it be? I have copper antiseize... is that what you use?

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Copper (1800F) is good. I just use regular automotive anti-seize (1600F).

Another benefit of removing the bumper for mufflers install is that you can easily get to the exhaust tips clamps. With the bumper on, it is very difficult to get any tools in between the exhaust pipes to adjust the tips' position. The rear center heat shield (which can be left on the car) has the shape of the tips' contour. You can use it to center up the tips, tighten the clamps, and the position will come out perfect.

Got it done and didn't remove the bumper. I did lift the car and took off the wheels. As far as P-projects go it was really easy. I took the mufflers to a local shop to get it welded up ( https://themetalmagician.net/ ). Mike was really easy to work with and he did a great job (with really quick turnaround). He TIG welded the bypass pipe and it all looks and works great.