ALT-3 How to Temporarily Fix a Hole in an Exhaust Pipe
Repairing small openings in an exhaust system can be accomplished in a variety of ways. If you are really lucky, it will be a gentle spitting sound, and not a deafening roar. A small leak can be more hazadous than a large gaping hole that wakes up the neighborhood when you pass through. People tend to believe that a small exhaust leak is not important.
You never want to let this problem go unfixed. Carbon monoxide poisoning is no fun and can be fatal. Often, its victims do not even realize that they are in danger until it is too late. From personal experience, the first evidence you have of a problem is when you park your car. As you exit, you feel fine. The next instant you have passed out and fallen onto the pavement. It is no fun. Neither is the headache and upset stomach that come later.
The first step toward making a repair is to locate the leak along your exhaust pipe. With the engine running, put the car in park or neutral with the parking brake set and get down beside the car and listen for the leak. Usually, this works just fine, and you can frequently see the exhaust spewing out of the hole. It can be easier to spot on a cold day when your warm moist exhaust makes a trail of vapor in the air.
If you can hear it, but cannot quite pinpoint the leak, you will need to get under the car. Using great caution, jack the car up and put some type of safety stand under the axle nearest to the jack. This will keep the car from falling on you while you are under it. A failure to do this has resulted in new graves in the cemetery.
Once you are under the vehicle, it is usually quite easy to find the hole. You can actually feel the exhaust blowing out of the hole. Be careful not to touch the pipe. It is probably hot enough to inflict a nasty burn on human flesh.
After you have found the hole, exit from under the car and turn off the ignition. It will need to cool for about an hour unless you like to work with gloves on your hands. The good news is that you are only fixing a small leak temporarily. This means that the repair should take less than 30 minutes including cleaning up after you have finished.
Now, the question is where was the small leak and what type of opening was it. Was the leak at a joint? Was it a crack or a hole? How rusty was the area of the leak? If the rust caused the leak, you will want to make an appointment with a mechanic to replace the bad part while you let the car cool. If the crack or hole was caused by some type of impact, you may be able to get a pretty good fix.
For a leak at a joint, get some type of liquid weld or metal at the auto parts store. Apply this generously into the area where the two pipes join. Once it has hardened, use duct tape and thoroughly wrap the joint to seal up any remaining leaks. If you are getting ready to go get the part permanently fixed, you might be able to get by with just the duct tape.
If you are facing a crack in a pipe or muffler, use the same type of product and seal up the crack. If you have access to a welder, you might even want to weld up the crack. This might be able to serve as a permanent fix until the part degrades to a point where replacement is the only option.
If you are dealing with a hole, clean up the edges of the hole until it looks somewhat smooth. Do not spend too much time on this. A small file and some emory cloth will do this nicely. You will need a small piece of thin metal that is large enough to cover the hole with a decent margin. Use that duct tape again and bind the metal to the exhaust as tightly as possible. Put plenty of wraps on either side of the metal besides covering the metal itself. If the hole is large, you will not be able to repair it this way. Just plan on a quick replacement.
No matter what type of leak, do not plan on the temporary fix lasting more than a week or two before a permanent fix is found. Sooner is better than later unless you are muffler and exhaust expert and know that you have done a great job. That carbon monoxide will be lurking unseen and odorless to get you if you choose to tempt fate.
