Old Volvo GL 440 and this is coming out of the exhaust pipe. No noise, all working fine but this cosmetic thing: does it mean that the exhaust gases are now not well filtered out? Does this mean that the catalysator need to be replaced or something else?
Looks like Fiber-glass coming from resonator
Looks like stuff coming from muffler
Looks like part of the muffler to me. You should have it replaced it could end up obstructing the exhaust.
I found pretty good video about changing the muffler here. As Larry said, it is not the catalysator but the part before the catalysator. It looks like something that even an amateur is able to do. In Finland, the cost is about 60EUR for the part so not expensive part.
Terminology
- muffler = äänenvaimentimet, takapönttö (Finnish) = Ljuddämpare (Swedish)
The tailpipe and silencer assembly is what you have pictured. The tailpipe and silencer is at the end of your exhaust system. Because of its position in the system it gets hotter and colder more often, and corrodes more quickly then any other part of the exhaust. Exhausts tend to rust from the inside to the outside first. This is what has happened, and it has released the fibre-glass sound absorbtion material from inside the assembly.
You need to replaced the tailpipe and silencer, labelled resonator in your picture. Not changing the resonator will allow the fibre-glass to shift and block the exhaust. A blocked exhaust will prevent the engine from starting if the blockage becomes great enough.
