The main enemy of the exhaust system and muffler in particular is corrosion. During the operation of the car, despite the protective coating of the metal, rust corrodes both the welding places and the walls of the parts themselves.
A muffler can be repaired if its tightness is broken in one of three ways:
- applying sealants;
- application of a bandage made of fiberglass impregnated with a special compound for subsequent hardening;
- weld.
Sealing agents
On the market, you can find two types of compounds for sealing holes and small holes in mufflers: assembly sealants and putties (cements). As a rule, all offered products are resistant to temperatures up to 1000˚C. Their production is based on silicates and ceramic components.
Paste-sealants are the best option for sealing gaps at the joints of parts, for example Saab spare parts are well masked at the joints with paste-sealant ... However, in the future, such joints can be disassembled for repair purposes (as opposed to welded joints).
Putties perform best on flat surfaces. It is advisable to use material for stationary elements.
Bandages and thermal tapes
With the help of bandages and tapes made of fiberglass and impregnated with an adhesive based on epoxy resins and silicates, it is possible to close sufficiently large damage. In this case, the material can be given any shape. This repair option is great for cylindrical surfaces that dominate any muffler model.
The only drawback of bands and bands is the low rigidity of the final structure. Over time, the repaired elements will still come off, so such repairs are short-lived. And soon you will need cheap spare parts , but high quality.
Welding
In case of sufficiently serious violations of the integrity of the muffler parts, none of the above methods can provide a high-quality result. Sealants, putties, and bandages are effective against minor damage, but with serious holes they will not provide the required level of rigidity. In this case, the only correct option is to use welding.
Large enough holes and slots can be welded. At the same time, the stiffness of the welded seams is not inferior to that of the new silencer. The only option in which even welding will not be a salvation is corrosion damage to most of the entire part. Then it is hardly possible to do without replacing the element or the entire muffler.
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