Exhaust repair

[africaking]

How do i repair a small hole in an exhaust? I don't want to take it into a garage for repair, are there any products to buy that would patch it up or will I have to weld?

[Impret-Sir]

You can buy exhaust repair kits in any motor factors, Halfords for example. They consist of a metal 'bandage' that you wrap around the pipe after first smearing on some paste like goo that is meant to harden when the pipe heats up. In my experience this will only be a temporary repair, the bandage will burn through eventually, but it will work for a while. Obviously it will not work if the whole is on the vertical aspect, the end of the back box for example, or where the pipe joins a silencer, not sure that there is any way to repair holes in these areas, short of welding, and that will only work if the surrounding metal is sound.

[Toureman]

Hi,

Sir is right, it,s called gungum, comes as a paste or bandage from Halfords, but as he says, sometimes it can last a week sometimes a few months.

I had a lot of experience using this in my younger days!

Lasts longer if you fasten the tin foil on (this comes with the bandage) with jubilee clips and then cover it all with the paste.

[NORMANTHEDOG]

using the above mentioned really depends where the hole is and how effective it is,its the cheapest way,then welding,then new bit.

[Impret-Sir]

As Tourman says, I too used this stuff a lot when I was younger, running old bangers on a shoe string, (that bit hasnt changed, unfortunately!), we used to cut the ends off a baked bean tin, or similar, and then slice it lengthwise, then wrap it around the pipe over the bandage, then as he says, use jubilee clips to secure the whole lot. I remember getting through a whole summer on my Mk1 Escort with a bodge up like that!