I've just replaced my son's '83 244 Turbo's exhaust system ... header/cat/all pipes and muffler. I thought we would resolve a clearence problem the old pipes had but the end of the header/cat pipe is still banging against the underside of the transmission cross support. The tranny in this is an AW71 auto ... and the cross support has two aluminun spacer blocks on either end where it bolts to the frame. Are those spacers critically important? An easy fix would be to remove them and bolt the support directily to the frame. This would raise the cross member and give us plenty of clearence for the pipe as it passes under the support. The spacers must be there for a reason. So what might that be? And could I get away with removing them? Pardon my ignorance on this matter as this is the only auto box 240 I've ever owned. And the only 240 I've seen with these cross member spacers. Any tips on resolving this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

T-bone

Thanks for the info. I opted to remove those aluminum spacers when I put in a new tranny mount today. I considered not bolting the header/cat to the block and lower support and that would have allowed some rotation which could have let the pipe clear but I did want the header supported. The last one cracked just beyond the manifold union. Since removing the spacers I haven't noticed any strange vibes or binding on the drive line ... and no more pipe collisions with the under carriage. So perhaps removing those blocks was the solution. Why the pipe refused to clear in the first place is anyone's guess. Everything else on the system looks fine and apprently is in the right place. Anyway we'll see how this works out. Thanks again for your help.

T-bone
1983 244 Turbo, 86 245DL, 87 745T, 88 244DL, 95 944T

My 1985 245Ti had the AW-71 with those aluminum spacers...the first time I saw the spacers I thought some jackass put them there to solve some other driveline problem. I never tried the car without them though....I have now seen a few AW's with them....weird.

On the other hand I NEVER had any banging issues, even with a larger aftermarket exhaust. Sounds like something isn't aligned correctly or the hangers aren't spaced right.....
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T-


Did you replace the header pipe with a factory cat-equipped unit? And if so, di d you bolt it both to the block and the bell housing?

I just had this problem on an 83 Turbo, and I ended up not bolting the header pipe to either of those two places. This allowed me to rotate the header pipe once loosened from the turbo flange (I centered the pipe on the arch in the crossmember) and the intermediate pipe.

I dont recommend doing this, as the wieght of the pipe and cat is a bit much to hang just from the turbo and the int. pipe. But I don't get the banging anymore either.

HTH

Kerry

I don't really have an answer for you, but I have the same problem. I just put a Starla system on and its hitting the driveshaft bearing crossmember. My situation is a little different because the previous owner removed the Cat, and there is a custom downpipe off the turbo. I think is has a lot to do with the orientation of the center pipe and its hanger. I'm going to try to drop mine down a bit at the hanger to give it more clearance.