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Hard time with muffler while installing hitch

michail

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First Name
Michael
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2021 Sahara 4xe
I just installed a hitch and had one hell of a time getting the bolts back in with the muffler clearance on a 2.0t 4xe. Every video I watch, people just seemed to slide them right in. I checked Amazon reviews and probably 20+ people mentioned they didn't need to drop their muffler. Even looked to me like they had more space than I did. I don't think it's the 4xe as others have installed them as well.

I had to pull back really hard on the muffler to get 3 bolts in. The 4th bolt (one of the middle ones) just wouldn't go. Even tried dropping the muffler but I don't have the right skills or tools for that.

Likely will visit my mechanic for some help on this. If I could get the muffler down it would be able to fit.

Anyone else have trouble? Is there some factory variance on the exhaust? Is there some trick to getting the muffler unhooked?

Thanks!
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michail

Well-Known Member
First Name
Michael
Joined
Apr 22, 2021
Threads
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577
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Location
Florida
Vehicle(s)
2021 Sahara 4xe
Fixed it!

Although, there still wasn't much clearance.

After resting a bit I went back and noticed one end had a slight gap (1/16") around the frame. I think the factory bumper bracket was preventing the hitch from going all the way up.

I loosened all the bolts back up, including the 10mm bracket bolts. Then I used the jack to force it up higher.

After that, I was able to get the final bolt in, but it still required some force on the muffler.
 
 



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