Using sealant to repair mufflers and other exhaust components

The silencer is an important part of the exhaust system, which plays the role of an acoustic filter. Thanks to her, the car drives along the street without making a lot of noise, so when the part breaks down, the exhaust sounds are too loud. If it is broken, you can’t ride: the driver will inevitably be fined. Muffler sealant allows repairs to be made quickly, without welding or the involvement of specialists.

Content:

• Exhaust system overview
• Working temperatures
• When and why sealant may be needed
• Muffler Paste Selection
• Doone deal
• Permatex
• Liqui moly
• Abro
• CRC
• Sealant or welding
• DIY muffler repair

Exhaust system overview

The main function of the exhaust system is to reduce the sound intensity that accompanies the release of gases during fuel combustion. Without noise filtering, the car will start to work incredibly loud and will interfere with others. The system has other tasks:

• removal of combustion products from the engine;
• preventing the entry of harmful substances into the car;
• reduction of toxicity by reducing the amount of harmful impurities in the exhaust gas.

The exhaust system consists of several important components:

1. Exhaust manifold. Designed to divert gas flows from each cylinder. In some designs, the combination of flows into one is provided, in others into two with additional equipment with a receiving pipe.
2. Catalyst. Oxidizes extremely toxic carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) to safe carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide).
3. Resonator. It is the initial step in reducing exhaust noise.
4. Muffler. It is considered the second stage of the exhaust system to reduce noise.
5. Oxygen sensor It is placed in cars with an injection engine, located after the catalyst.
6. Diesel particulate filter It is applied in diesel cars.

The problem may appear at any stage of the exhaust system of the car, but most often it concerns the muffler. For quick repair of joints, a special high-temperature sealant for the exhaust system is designed, which does not respond to the influence of atmospheric factors and does not collapse from heating.

Working temperatures

All components of the intake system are exposed to high temperatures daily. The collector is most heated - up to +1300 degrees. Other components and parts heat less - from +250 to +1000 degrees. That is why for the repair of the system you need to use only heat-resistant sealant, which can withstand up to +1500 degrees. Ideal options are sealants based on sodium silicate or water glass.

When and why sealant may be needed

The operation of the exhaust system is carried out in the most difficult conditions, so its service life cannot be too long. For example, the most durable stainless steel and aluminum filters last up to a maximum of 10 years. Further on, holes, burnouts, breakdowns, chemical corrosion elements appear on the parts, and the effect of the system’s operation is sharply reduced. For the cheapest silencers, such problems can be detected after 1.5-2 years.

The following factors increase the risk of breakage:

• too intense exploitation;
• improper installation of system parts;
• the use of low-quality spare parts during repair;
• penetration of aggressive chemicals from the environment (for example, from dusting roads);
• too strong vibration load, driving through the pits.

In some cases, a complete replacement of the muffler, and sometimes the entire exhaust system, will be required. But often it is enough to use a sealant - a paste-like material based on polymers, which reliably holds various compounds together and ensures their strength.

An important condition for the use of sealant is the location of defects only on the outside. They solve internal problems in a different way - with the complete unpacking of structures. It is important to immediately inspect the exhaust parts to determine the cause of the breakdown.

Here are the main tasks that can be solved with sealant:

• installation of new parts of the exhaust system, strengthening of the annular surfaces of the joined parts;
• sealing of connected, mounted elements, especially manifold flanges;
• repair of a burned-out muffler, sealing holes and cracks with patches (including metal ones).

Muffler Paste Selection

Any means for repairing the exhaust system can be divided into two types. The first includes various tapes, bandages, fiberglass pads impregnated with heat-resistant sealant adhesives. They are used to repair significant damage, large holes. The second type includes high-temperature sealants for sealing small defects and sealing joints, joints.

Sealants consist of metal and ceramic substances, therefore they are often called metal-ceramic. Silicone and acrylic compounds are also on sale, but they will not be suitable for repairing a muffler due to their low service life and inability to work in difficult conditions.

Sealants may look like paste, cement, glue. Often they are sold as “travel kits”, which also include patches, tools. Such kits are designed to carry out repairs outside the garage, in case of problems on the road. Among the most popular brands include Bosal, Abro and several others.

Doone deal

This is an excellent ceramic-based cement sealant that can be used to eliminate problems with the exhaust system (preventing gas leakage, eliminating burnouts and cracks), as well as when installing new spare parts. The temperature resistance of the sealant reaches +1400 degrees, it perfectly withstands the action of mechanical factors, the influence of aggressive external environment, moisture, temperature extremes. The composition dries in 2 hours. It is not always possible to find it by article in stores; in Russia and the CIS countries it is less popular than in the USA and Europe.

Permatex

This sealant is also of high quality, is considered universal. It has a lot of positive properties:

• elasticity;
• elasticity;
• resistance to oil;
• strength;
• good sound insulation;
• minimal shrinkage.

The tool dries per day, which is a minus. But with it, you can make a gasket up to 0.6 cm thick, which works better and longer than rubber.

Liqui moly

The composition is produced in Germany, presented on the market for a long time, has consistently excellent quality. Liqui Moly is a ceramic sealant that can withstand up to +1400 degrees, a universal tool for performing a huge list of works. Its advantages are:

• sticking warning;
• metal rust prevention;
• reliable joint sealing;
• increased sound insulation;
• lack of response to negative external influences;
• the ability to work in physically and chemically aggressive environments;
• lack of harmful components.

In addition to repairing the muffler and other parts of the exhaust system, the paste is also used to troubleshoot problems with ignition pads.

Abro

The sealant of this brand is made in the USA. It is great for repairing the exhaust system, as it withstands heating up to +1100 degrees, increases the sound insulation index. It is durable, tolerates heavy loads, wear-resistant, therefore it serves for several years. Abro paste has a black and gray tint.

CRC

A distinctive feature of the CRC sealant is its quick drying, it only takes 10 minutes with the engine turned on to completely harden (with a simple indicator it increases to 10 hours). This tool is especially recommended for emergency repairs when the muffler breaks on the road. Since there are no solvents in the sealant, it is considered safe, non-toxic. Advantages of CRC are doubtless:

• good noise insulation properties;
• protection against melting and corrosion;
• reliable operation at + 1000 ... + 1300 degrees.

Sealant or welding

Both methods can be used to repair silencers - sealing with pastes and other compounds or welding. Each of them has pros and cons. The use of welding is possible only in the conditions of a repair shop, and it is impossible to carry out it without the availability of skills, expensive equipment. But such a repair will be no less reliable than replacing a part with a new one, because the element of the exhaust system will serve faithfully for many years.

Sealant is an indispensable thing in “traveling conditions” when repairs must be carried out quickly and efficiently. Every motorist who knows where the muffler is able to use the sealing method will be required no special skills. The cost of gluing the part will be minimal, as well as the time to work with it. But with the help of sealant it is impossible to fasten the internal components of the system, and the reliability of the repair will be less than after welding. Conclusion: the sealant is ideal when there is no time and money to visit the service, it will help as quickly as possible, but for a limited time, to solve the problem with a breakdown of the exhaust system.

DIY muffler repair

For the sealant to last longer, you need to use it correctly, strictly following the instructions. Here is the procedure for repairing the exhaust system:

• thoroughly inspect all the details in order to find and localize the area of ​​failure and exclude the presence of other defects;
• clean all elements from dirt, degrease with acetone, be sure to eliminate traces of the old sealant, if it was used before;
• open the package with the composition, put the nozzle on the nose (it comes with the kit);
• apply a seam 2-3 mm thick;
• if required, use clamps, linings, patches;
• leave the sealant to dry for a couple of minutes, connect the parts, withstand the time specified in the instructions, and only then start operating the car.

Sealing the exhaust system is a temporary measure. In any case, if possible, you should contact a service center to replace or weld parts, because a glued muffler cannot last as long as a new one.