My 98 Camry was super quiet. Now it seems like there is a hole near the engine in the exhaust making it sound ugly loud like no muffler. Why? It’s got 300 thousand miles on it with no leaks.

 

The exhaust has a section of flexible steel exhaust pipe attached between the engine and body/muffler exhaust systems. This allows the engine to move on the engine mounts yet the exhaust still be connected to the exhaust system on the body..

The flex pipe can fail and the result is exhaust leakage and noise. This is a common issue.

A muffler shop can replace the flex pipe or you can DIY with bolt-on flex pipes.

Search the internet for "exhaust flex pipe joint".