Tailpipe Broke
The jeep is up on a jack stand again and it’s not to start in on the pinion bearing fix. When we fixed the oil pan, we had to cut the exhaust and while that repair is still good, it seems someone else cut the muffler from the tailpipe and then patched it with a short bit of smaller tubing. As you can see in the picture, the tailpipe patch hasn’t completely disintegrated, but it has lost enough structural integrity to bend; thus causing the whole exhaust system to hang down low and (eventually) start rubbing the tire. The only hangers are at the transmission and near the rear end.
Jeep Rear Axle and Exhaust Geometry
One advantage of the Jeep’s geometry is that with a jackstand on the frame, the axle can hang down significantly and make for lots of room to work. I’m thinking I may try the impact wrench on the clamps first — since I don’t care if I break them, I just want them off. I’ve also soaked the entire thing in liquid wrench when I went out to turn the shop heater on, so … just maybe it will work.