Leaking Exhaust

[Norman Connacher]

Hi All
I am wondering about the best way to handle an exhaust leak. It is leaking at the flange to the head on the driver's side of the engine. It is a new Dansk 356A muffler so I am not sure if the flange is flat or just not aligned properly with the other flange. I would prefer to take the muffler off just once as it uses thru the bumper-guard pipes which are no fun to take on and off. I got in with a feeler gauge and measured about a .012" gap. My am wondering whether or not a set of Remflex gaskets would take up that much misalignment. I will make sure the flange is flat while I have it apart. Is there anything else I should be doing?

Norm

[Mike Wilson]

The translation for "Dansk" is "ill-fitting. On the B/C's it is usually the right side. You'll have to file the flange as flat as you can and make sure the holes line up with the head studs.

Mike

[C J Murray]

I believe the Remflex gaskets will solve the problem but an attempt to align things wouldn't hurt. Follow the Remflex instructions exactly.

[Mike Wilson]

Good advice on the Remflex gaskets, Cliff. They are thick enough to compensate.

Mike

[chris romney]

Every Dansk I've gotten fits poorly as it came from the factory and leaks. Given that they aren't chea,p it shouldn't be too much to ask to have them fit and not leak. Perhaps that's why Stoddard starting making their own exhausts.

[John Brooks]

Danask are poor fitting. The last one I did was 1/2 hole off, (too narrow),

I first pulled the motor for access. Highly recommended. I used a long F clamp and a hydraulic Porta Power to rebend the #4 pipe to align them. Its a pain due to the off set head flanges.

But the flanges need to be "true to the heads" and parallel. If it does not slip over the studs easily and flush up to the head, by hand, it will try to pull the head and cylinders over to fit the Danask welding errors.

It was also out of plane horizontally about 15 degrees. You need to tram distance of the studs in the heads. If you don't have tramel points, (Use a 1/4" threaded rod and some nuts. Grind a 3/8" fender washer with a 60 deg, points, then put it between the nuts. Then lock one and adjust the other so the distance is equal to the CENTRE of the exhust studs.) Then compare this to the holes on the muffler. The points should center in the holes. The tram is the reference, bend the 1 or 4 pipe to fit the trammel. I heated one pipe and spread it wth a porta power and F clamp as a stop, held the pressure until cooled.

The muffler flange needs to meet the head in all three axis, and be parallel. The gasket crush is not much.

Next clamp a stright piece of angle iron or flat bar, to the number 2 muffler flange and look for parrellel to the other #4 flange. Measure the distance between the bar and flange, top and bottom. The difference is how flat it is. Next do this to head flanges. This offset distance should be the same for the mufflers.

The one I had was too narrow, and the flange was 15 degrees from true vertically and 0.060 in pitch front to back . I referenced off the #2 head flange and bent, twisted and pulled the Number Four muffler flange until it fit the engine. It should Slide Right On and flush to the head, with the J- pipes on.

Don't beat it on it use the head studs to pull it into position, it Simply slide right up up the head flange, you need to keep it parallel as it slides on,

I am on the TAN, call if you need help

John

[Martin Benade]

Aren't they said to making them fit a lot better recently?

[Mike Wilson]

Martin: there was a previous thread that Dansk had corrected the ill-fitting but who knows? The mufflers in question could be old stock of either a vendor, owner or even Dansk.

John: excellent primer on fitting the muffler. Incredible that one has to go to those lengths to fit a Dansk muffler.

Mike

[Martin Benade]

As aggravating as it sometimes is, we are pretty lucky that so much is available for our cars, usually of at least reasonable quality.

[Paul Ahnell]

+1 on the Remflex gaskets. No leaks there. +100 to the 100th power on the crappy fit and construction of Dansk; dreadful fit, lousy welds, rattle like a can full of marbles after a short time. Disgraceful! Run away! I'm ashamed of my heritage when I see one of these things. Every once in a while there's a post about "...Well, we understand they adjusted the jigs and now fit much better....". BS! Let's all boycott the sellers of those abortions since they are complicit. I recently scored a NOS Leistritz for half the price of a $!&^%* Dansk and was amazed at how smoothly that muffler slipped tightly over the J tubes and precisely onto the # 2 & 4 studs in <10 minutes. Just laid on my back, put my feet against the muffler and pushed. Done. No cussin' or sweating. Don't forget the Remflex.

Yes, I feel better now, thank you.

[Wes Bender]

Certainly not defending Dansk's quality (or lack thereof), but if the heads have been flycut a couple of times, it has the effect of bringing the exhaust ports closer together. That also contributes to the problem of poor fit.

[Norman Connacher]

Thanks for all of your comments guys. I have decided that I will make sure the flanges are flat and go with the Remflex gaskets. When I installed the muffler, after all the negative things I had heard about Dansk, I was amazed that the holes actually lined up very well with the head studs. I should have known that I would not escape without some problem though. Hope the Remflex gaskets solve it.

Norm

[James Learmonth]

After 3 attempts to make 3 different Dansk mufflers fit my C Coupe I contacted Eisenmann Exhaust Systems through IND distributions in Lake Zurich, IL. They didn't stock mufflers for 356 Porsches but would certainly fabricate one. The whole operation took a little over a month. A perfect fit to the engine and installed without getting your hands dirty. A little pricey but worth it.

Jim

[C J Murray]

After 3 attempts to make 3 different Dansk mufflers fit my C Coupe I contacted Eisenmann Exhaust Systems through IND distributions in Lake Zurich, IL. They didn't stock mufflers for 356 Porsches but would certainly fabricate one. The whole operation took a little over a month. A perfect fit to the engine and installed without getting your hands dirty. A little pricey but worth it.

Jim

Do you have any pictures? How pricey?

[Mervyn Hyde]

I had similar fitment issues but was fortunate in that highly respected Porsche owner and fabricator Maury Swanson, owner of a lovely, well travelled Continental, made one for me when he was in his 80's. It was a perfect fit at the manifold flanges Maury had made many 100's over the years and his mufflers (shown in loose bench assembly) are highly regarded in this country. Sadly he passed away recently.