Posting here in case there is anyone who has experience of freeing up a stuck exhaust flap? So far, I've got the spring and flange mechanism completely dismantled and can rotate the spigot. I then reassembled it without the cable but it is still too stiff for the return spring to move it. Thanks
Just disconnect the cable, the flap’s rest/default position is open which is fine, buy an exhaust servo eliminator from the likes of Healtech or Vizi-tech and connect it to the loom. You don’t need the exhaust valve it’s just a noise related emissions device and at MOT time the tester isn’t going to dismantle the exhaust to see if it’s fitted.
Yeah, I've noticed that most people ditch the mechanism. It's certainly an option when I run out of patience Just wondering what impact it has on fuel consumption?
No impact on fuel consumption, it’s purely noise related. If you have it exposed and the engine running, when it works, you’ll see it closes the flap at 3500rpm and reopens it at 5-5,500 rpm. It’s only to get the noise level down to what were the noise emissions regs at the time.