Peugeot 406 Petrol - Driving without rear silencer

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Sun 5 Dec 2010 15:53
Peugeot 406 Petrol - Driving without rear silencer - starcott

I was recently on a motorway journey 50 miles from home when the rear silencer broke away from the rest of the exhaust system. There seemed to be some loss of pulling power in the engine.
I was advised by the rescue service that they could remove the hanging silencer and then it would be safe to drive home. Bearing in mind that the remaining exhaust system would be without one of its supports and the possible intake of exhaust gases into the car, would it be OK to drive home? Could any damage be caused to the engine?
Thank you.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 6 Dec 2010 13:33
Peugeot 406 Petrol - Driving without rear silencer - tdc

Exhaust systems should always be in sound condition and secure.

I saw a classic result of exhaust neglect 25 years ago when a woman in a Fiat Panda failed to replace a long-past-it system.Trundling along the A1 at sixty the centre rotted section broke free and in the blink of an eye hit the road and punched its way through the floor-pan near the handbrake lever narrowly missing her left side.

If you wire it up or the existing supports allow the remainder of the system to sit in a balanced manner you should be ok.Fumes will only be a problem if you have holes in the floor .....even with a complete system fumes can encroach on the cabin through damaged boot/hatch seals.

It`s unlikely you`ll do any harm to your engine if you take it easy....you ought to spend an evening at your local stock-car track to see what you can get away with as far as car abuse/neglect is concerned!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 6 Dec 2010 13:55
Peugeot 406 Petrol - Driving without rear silencer - madf

Blew a rear exhaust on Mini Estate. The gases melted the fuel pipe line on the rear subframe and it caught fire. The heat boiled the hydraulic fluid so stopping was a problem.

That's why exhaust holes are so potentially dangerous... apart from the gas leakage that is...

(The Mini survived thanks to a passing motorists fire extinguisher)

Edited by madf on 06/12/2010 at 13:55

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 6 Dec 2010 22:17
Peugeot 406 Petrol - Driving without rear silencer - starcott

Thank you for those responses.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide