Thelocalgrease monkeysays the front end of the RESONATOR on my 2004 2.4L Sebring Sedan is cracked, causing an air leak that makes the car sound like it's being driven by an 18 year-old (I'm 53 and prefer quiet). He wants toinstall anew exhaust system because the resonator cannot be fixed or replaced as an individual part. The car only has 30,000 miles on it but the factory warranty has expired due to being past 36 months. Is what I described covered by the extended catalytic converter warranty? Is this a common defect on the 2004 models? Your suggestions on how I should proceed will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

He shouldn't have to replace the whole thing. I don't know about warranty. Usually the cat is welded to the pipe, so that the pipe on either side would have to be replaced as well and is a thicker guage steel. He shouldn't have to replace it past the muffler. If he insists that can't only replace the front, a good muffler shop would.

 

Is this common, well it happened on mine, can't recall when exactly, but within the 40 - 50k mileage range, and I haven't bothered to have it fixed. It also happened to my friend's Sebring in the 40k - 50k mileage range too. I asked my local Chrysler techinician about it the last time I had it in the shop and he said they would have to replace the resonator, not sure if it was just limited to that, but the cost the shop quoted me at was $260. He said they normally don't work on exhaust systems so they can't repair it, they can only replace it. I asked him if he had worked on this problem before with anyone else and he said he had worked on one just a few days earlier and continuted to say they were starting to see more of them come in with this problem.

 

1 - FLEX JOINT

2 - BAND CLAMP

3 - RESONATOR/PIPE ASSEMBLY

4 - MUFFLER/PIPE ASSEMBLY

5 - REAR MUFFLER SUPPORTS

6 - MIDPIPE SUPPORT

7 - OXYGEN SENSOR

8 - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR (2.0L/2.4L)

9 - CONNECTOR PIPE (2.7L)
hey jim looks like the( RESONATOR # 3) is located after the catalytic convertor.and its clamped. at least you won't have to pay for a cat too,which is alot of money and might still be covered under emissions warranty.moe!!

 

Just had mine replaced on a 2.7L, same place it cracked around the front of it. It cost me $150.00 for a local shop to just cut it, and weld in a new one, and it only took them about a half hour to do and now sounds really quiet. I wouldnt worrie about a factoy look as it is under the car.