Exhaust Leaks

[Mjit]

Anyone got any recommendations for stopping exhaust leaks from the joints on a SS system - specifically something that WON'T make my life a living hell in 6 months time when the system has to come off to change the prop/diff/any other task that needs or is easier with the exhaust off?

[JohnD]

No.   But recommend a silicone paste that doesn't set hard and crumbly.

And with SS, an exhaust clamp bolted just  behind the joint and judicous use of the big precision adjusting tool (club hammer) will slide the joints apart.

John

[Guest]

I've used this on my s/s system and found it to be fine, including dismantling.

https://www.granvilleoil.com/prodInfo?pID=41

It's a smooth paste and tucks itself nicely in to the narrowest of gaps - you have about 5mins before it self cures, so once in place starting the car up needs to be done asap.

Not sure if it contains silicon, but as said works for me.

You can pick up a 140g tube for less than £3 on eBay.

I'm a big fan of Granville products, their stuff is excellent quality, decently priced and made in the UK.

Regards.

Richard

[JohnD]

The Granville product is an  "Aqueous solution of Sodium Silicate blended with fire retardant fillers."  So it's not a silicone, which is a "synthetic polymer of silicon with carbon and oxygen."

https://cdn.opieoils.co.uk/msds/granville/0432 Exhaust Assembly Paste MSDS.pdf

Just saying.

J.

[Guest]

Useful info John.

Out of the two I guess you favour the silicon product as mentioned earlier; I will certainly give that a go next time such a job comes up.

All the best.

Richard.

[Nick Jones]

I've always used the Bosal exhaust paste and had good results.  Best way to avoid the "living hell" on dismantling is to use Mikalor clamps at the joints rather than the more usual U-bolt type which deform the tubes.  The Bosal paste sets relatively brittle and a tapping around the the outside of the joint area with a hammer after removing the clamp breaks the bond.  Suspect this wouldn't be the case for high temp silicone.

FWIW my only experience of the high temp silicone was unsuccessful, but using it on the collector of a 6-3-1 was possibly a bit hopeful anyway.  It just burnt away.

Nick

[Mjit]

It's swapping from U bolt clamps to the wrap-around type that's given me my leaks - probably where the U clamps have previously deformed the pipes.

[wayne Rollinson]

not sure what yours is like but I have always found a good fitting system with springs the best, its simple most race bike systems are like it, regards wayne

[Anglefire]

I recognise those springs!

[Pete Lewis]

when i had the Vit6 the 631 was a bit like driving a old car with a hole in the exhaust , tried many proprietary sealers which lasted a week,  the only solution to solve the leaks was the slot and weld a nut to make a clamp, that lasted years without leakage and whilst it clamped the primaries we  never fractured one 

end result would now be dont bother with tubular manifolds , the only real gain is ....leaks and noise ,  it came on song at around 4k and had a note to die for 

but the hassle of the collector is a big negative , 

as a side it had plastic engine fan  ,no wrapping, and a heat shield she would idle for an hour and never missed a beat,  hopefully she still does 

pete