My '98 S70 recently started making a very loud, throaty purr -- more of a roar at this point, actually -- whenever I accelerate. Is this likely a muffler issue, or something else?

 

OK. Do you have a question?

 

My 98 S70 was making a noise like that as well. The part (flange?) that connects the exhayst pipe just after the converter was broken/rusted/shot. The Midas guys were able to just replace that part. The rest of the exhaust was ok.

 

The flange mentioned by RedS70guy is a common failure point. These cars have a stainless steel exhaust from the factory, so they tend to last a long time, but that flange is what usually goes first. You can often cut it off from both ends and weld/ clamp in a section of pipe, but that is a less- than- ideal solution. it's kind of a strange, proprietary flange/ clamp setup though, so simply replacing the broken side's flange isn't usually an option. Attaching a universal flange will work, as well. Any future exhaust repairs will need that flange cut off and replaced on the new piece, but since the system is stainless steel, you might never have to do any exhaust work again.