The exhaust system in your 1997 Honda CR-V consists of four major sections: the front pipe, the catalytic converter, the resonator pipe and the muffler. The only repair that can be done on the exhaust of the CR-V is replacement of the sections or gaskets. In most cases, replacing the exhaust only involves the resonator and the muffler, but sometimes a new catalytic converter may also be required. The sections are joined with flanges and gaskets to allow easier removal and replacement of the sections. All the sections are available from a Honda dealer or though many auto parts stores.
Raise the rear of your CR-V with a jack and support the vehicle on a set of jack stands. Locate the two mounting bolts that join the muffler to the resonator pipe and remove them with a wrench or socket and ratchet.
Locate the two rubber isolators/hangers at the rear of the muffler assembly and remove the muffler from them. The muffler has two metal hooks that slide into the hangers; slide them out and remove the muffler from under the vehicle.
Locate the flange at the front of the resonator pipe where it meets the catalytic converter. Remove the three bolts with a socket and ratchet or wrench. Remove the resonator assembly from the two rubber hangers that support it just as you did with the ones on the muffler. Remove the resonator from under the vehicle.
Inspect the catalytic converter to determine whether it will need replacing or not. If it does need replacing, removal is the same as the other sections, taking out the flange bolts and removing it from the car. In most cases, this is not required.
Raise the new resonator pipe into position under the vehicle and hang the assembly in the rubber hangers by inserting the support rods welded on the pipe into the holes in the hanger. Install a new gasket between the catalytic converter and the resonator flange, then install the mounting bolts and tighten them with a socket and ratchet or wrench.
Install the new muffler into the rubber hangers in the rear of the vehicle, again sliding the support rods into the holes in the rubber hanger. Raise the front of the muffler, then insert a new gasket between the two flanges and install the two mounting bolts. Tighten the bolts with a socket and ratchet or a wrench.
Raise your CR-V off the jack stands then remove the stands from under the vehicle. Lower the CR-V to the ground carefully and remove the jack. Start the vehicle and listen for any exhaust leaks, especially where the flanges join. If you find any leaks, tighten the mounting bolts in those locations with a wrench until the leak stops.
