2009 Subaru Forester. Exhaust pipe is cracked. Uh oh.

My sister's car was making racecar noises. This is why. I had her order a new piece of flex pipe last week when we were investigating the noise.

First: get the pipe to where I can work on it.

This is the manifold and catalytic converter assembly removed. If you need removal instructions, this is where I'll say get someone else to fix your pipe.

New metal blade to help cut exactly where I want it to.

My weapon of choice for cutting exhaust pipe is the sawsall. It cuts through pipe easily and the blades are robust. Use a bi-metal blade.

New pipe piece.

I really should have measured before she ordered it. It's all good, though. I sent her a link to order one based on a rough estimate that I eyeballed last week.

I have marked my cut and started cutting.

The cinder block makes a nice brace to reduce chatter. I don't want to damage the catalytic converter by shaking this too much during removal.

Cut it out!

It turns out that the new blade was a good choice. This had a couple of layers of pipe in there.

I used my grinder wheel to clean up the edges and my wire brush to clean up rust for a good welding surface.

Dry fit.

Always dry fit pipe before welding, or you'll be sorry.

The gap here means a little bit of gap welding.

It's not bad, I'll just have to be weld with the speed down here so I don't burn through the pipe during the gap weld.

Mask up.

Use your PPE and check your tools before use. I just barely replaced my spool of wire, so I have plenty.

Prepped and ready.

The most difficult part of this will be the small gap between pipe pieces. I just have to make sure that it's solid and doesn't leak. Normally, I would pressure test, but with 3 other holes, I don't think I have the ability to.

Tacky.

Tack weld to make sure it stays while I finish the weld.

Together at last.

I'm not good at making my welds look nice, but they're solid and air-tight.

The flange gasket.

Yeah, I was pretty certain this was going to have to be replaced, so we ordered a new one of these, too.

Mostly clean.

The wire brush is getting a workout today. Battery #1 on my drill died at this point. Good thing that #2 was at the ready.

It's shiny.

This is going to be the easiest part of this endeavor.

Don't forget to clean the mating flange.

I brushed off the other side of the flange. It might not seal well if I don't.

Cleaned up the exhaust manifold, too.

I didn't have to do a lot of work on the engine or exhaust manifold, since I replaced the engine less than a year ago.

Ready to roll.

I used some exhaust wire and mounting strap to hold the exhaust shields in place and reduce rattling. The car had a CEL, and I cleared them since this was the root of the issue. Funny enough, this happened the first week the car was due for emissions. It should be good to test tomorrow.