Plastic Sheeting Fused To The Exhaust Line...

[SW03ES]

For the past week or so I've been smelling this plastic burning smell intermittantly when driving and always from outside the car when I get out after its been running. I've been really busy so I haven't had time to really give it much thought. Yesterday someone stopped me at a stoplight to tell me I had something hanging from undeneath the car. I stopped to look, and theres a big peice of several mil thick black plastic sheeting wrapped around the exhaust line in between the catalytic converter and the muffler. I spent an hour this morning trying to get it off but a 2.5 foot legnth of the exhaust tube (which gets very hot) has melted the plastic and its just completely molded to the pipe. I've stopped driving it for fear the plastic might catch fire.

I'm going to take it to the dealer but honestly I think they'll have to replace that section of the line.

Anybody have any idea how to get this stuff off?

[Lexucan]

Probably if you could get the car up on a hoist you'd have a better vantage point to try and work it loose yourself. Maybe run the car for a few minutes beforehand so the plastic heats up and becomes pliable but not so long that the exhaust pipe gets VERY hot and is apt to burn you while you're working close to it.

[Firewalker]

I had the exact same thing happen to my car, however, it was a plastic bag dancing on the highway, as soon as I went over it and I didn't see it come out behind me I figured it was stuck. It was, and smelled like hell. Ultimately, I did nothing. After a week or two it simply degraded to the point from the heat that it no longer smelled, today you cannot even see where it was. So, I would just let it ride, although I know that burned plastic smell is hideous!

[SW03ES]

My main concern is it catching fire. Its not just a plastic bag but a tarp like material and I don't think its likely to burn off anytime soon...

[IS400]

If it can catch fire it already would have IMO. Most polymers have a realtively high spontaneous combustion point. Unless there is an open flame they really do not burn. They can melt and char but will not pose that great of a fire risk. Remember that the area the plastic stuck itself to is designed to cope with high temperatures if it were to ignite for some reason. Unless you have pounds of it jammed on there the fire would not last long for lack of fuel (the petroleum base of plastic).

If you are really worried pry off a piece of the material and see how easy it burns. If you can light it and is stays lit on its own you have problem. If it needs constant flame to burn you have a plastic that is no risk to the relatively low heat that an exhaust can deliver.

The cost of any section of lexus exhaust systems is very expensive. It will a big bill to replace the section you are referring to. Price out the cats alone to get an idea of what the bill could be. Emissions would probably have a regulation that refers to changing out your cats too, depending on the age of the car I think. Good luck though!

[Firewalker]

I know a lot of motorcycle owners use OVEN OFF when they need to remove melted plastic from their exhaust pipes, it works like magic. To remove the larger pieces you could always try to freeze it and chip it off, dry ice, liquid nitrogen? I don't know, I would try to scape/cut/pry off as much as I could while cold, warm up the car and try to scrape away what I could while hot....and then lastly try the oven off for what is left. It would be an inexpensive remedy if it works. I know I would hate to pay for a replacement on a perfectly good (although smelly) exhaust. Keep us posted!

[SW03ES]

We tore a whole bunch of it off, thats a good idea. We'll try lighting it tonight. The CAT is fairly new, it was replaced under warranty a couple years ago.

The oven cleaner is a really good idea too, we'll check that out too.

Thanks guys!

-Steve

[SW03ES]

Okay, I lit it and it burns pretty good and sparks and sizzles while it burns. The fire won't go out until all the plastic is consumed and its even a little hard to douce with water...

[SW03ES]

I called my guy at the dealer and he says its okay to just leave it and let it burn off.

No flames today but we'll see lol

[LexKid630]

Did the guy at the dealer say anything about needing to replace the plastic to where it came from? Was it from the car or picked up from the road?

[SW03ES]

Oh its just something I picked up on the road.