Exhaust Hanger Replacement Made Easy

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Updated on 12/24/18

If you hear an extra clunk underneath the car, or if it looks like a sparkler at night thanks to a dangling muffler, you might have a broken exhaust hanger. Most exhaust hangers (aka muffler straps) are just thick rubber loops, kind of like really strong rubber bands. Like anything rubber, exhaust hangers eventually wear out, and that's when your muffler starts to suffer.

The best way to figure out if you have a broken exhaust hanger is to take a peek under the car. Follow the exhaust pipe to the muffler. You'll see at least one black rubber exhaust hanger close by. If it's broken, you'll see right away. Be sure to check for other exhaust hangers, as well.

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Hanging the New Exhaust Hanger

New exhaust hanger in place. — "Hang" the exhaust hanger on the top mount.
Matthew Wright

Once you've located the broken exhaust hanger, remove the old one from both the top mount and the muffler. It might be in two pieces, so be sure to get all of the old exhaust hanger out of there.

Now you can start to install the new exhaust hanger. Begin by hanging it on the top exhaust mount, the one attached to the car. Just let it dangle there while you prepare for the next step.

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Hanging the Muffler From the New Exhaust Hanger

Crescent wrench exhaust hanger trick. — A crescent wrench can hang the muffler.
Matthew Wright

If you have a helper, get him or her to hold the muffler in place while you attach it to the exhaust hanger. If not, don't sweat it, you can slip the muffler mount into the hanger while you hold up the muffler. That's where this muffler repair trick comes in.

For a one-handed exhaust hanger installation, grab a crescent wrench with a hole in the handle. Slide the handle end through the exhaust hanger, then put the hole in the handle on the exhaust mount. Now use the wrench to slide the exhaust hanger over the mount. Now you're hangin' again!