Put the vehicle on a body contact hoist to raise it in the air, so the rear suspension can be off the car and the muffler/resonator pipe has space to the rear axle components. Add penetrating oil to the clamp nuts on the component you want to remove, making sure that you do not bend the bellows of the flex-joint; a dent might cause the converter to fail and require replacement. Remove the right side axle half shaft from the rear differential if your car is AWD, then loosen the band clamp at the connection between the muffler and converter pipe. Unhook the exhaust hangers from the body screws, disconnect the muffler and converter pipes and slide the muffler/resonator assembly frontward as you guide the resonator through the opening behind the rear axle. Make sure to clean the pipes and muffler by removing old insulators, rusty supports and clamps that are no longer fit to use. When installing a new part for the exhaust system, pick original parts or those that are the same to prevent problems with pressure, noisy exhaust and improper alignment. During installation, put the resonator between the rear axle and body, attach the muffler arm to the converter arm, mount the hangers on the body and tighten their screws from the rear (first on the resonator) till they reach the specified torque of 28 Nm (250 in. lbs.). Gently drop in the muffler pipe into the
Catalytic Converter pipe, with the hangers in the proper place. It's important not to tighten the band clamps all the way down, as this stretches them and means they will probably need to be replaced. First, remove the nut and peel back the clamp until the spot weld breaks. Then clean the area, keeping the spot in the same spot as before, as you install a new clamp with the same clamp orientation. Tighten the band clamp to 55 Nm (40 ft. lbs.) before reconnecting the right side half shaft to the rear differential module, if your vehicle has AWD.