89' 325i exhaust flex pipe

[smp258]

I have a 1989 325i with a massive leak in the exhaust where the headers join the flex pipe. I looked on realoem.com for a diagram showing the flex pipe but cant find it. (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/j/h/7.png) I also looked at all the engine bay photos i could find but none showing this angle. Do i need to replace it or just weld in a small straight pipe here?

I appreciate any help. Thank you.


DSC_1114 by seanpaul707, on Flickr

[jamiholzbach]

Fyi...

I had been looking at pics of non-M e30 racecars when I stumbled upon a pic of a DTM 325i, Linders if I recall, and they used the stock manifolds, but had "equal length" downpipes. To make that work, they had installed a nice bend in the pipe where the flex section used to be. I'll try to see if I can find that pic again.

[uturn]

A muffler shop should be able to cut it out and weld in a braided flex pipe. You'll need to drop the front exhaust with the cat for them to properly fix it. Or you can go the expensive route and order a cat w/downpipe combo?