Exhaust pipe rust

[Timeline]

What can I coat the areas of rust on the exhaust pipes? It's not really bad yet, mostly the elbows in the rear area.


Thanks!
John

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

go to your local auto parts store and ask to look at there header paint.
then you will have an idea of what to look for online and see if you find a better and or cheaper one.
the rust will have to be cleaned off.
nothing is going to stay on there forever just because of the heat.

[mmoore6856]

exhaust wrapping tape also. this is great to protect stuff from exhaust heat

[Booyah45828]

Originally Posted by mmoore6856

exhaust wrapping tape also. this is great to protect stuff from exhaust heat

Terrible at preventing rust though.

Nearly every pipe I've seen, unless 304 stainless, that was wrapped had issues with rusting. The wrap holds moisture next to the pipe and causes it to rust out faster. Even 408 will rust if wrapped. We've replaced loads of turbo downpipes and intermediate pipes that were rusted through because they were wrapped from the factory. A lot of your header manufacturers will void warranties if there is evidence the header was wrapped.

To remedy rust, you can wire brush, acetone clean, and then paint with header paint. Most header paints are ceramic based and require a curing process, either on or off vehicle. They basically want you to boil off the moisture and oils in the paint and then bake the coating to seal it. Some of those paints have a primer that you can use with them too.

VHT flameproof is one brand of the stuff that I've used. It worked good on some cast manifolds that I did. Reviews for all of them will be mixed, as the results seem to be heavily dependent on preparation and curing process. Some people can't read or follow directions and end up with poor results because of that.

[Timeline]

Thanks Booyah!
I'll take that advice once spring gets here.

John

[LargeMargeInBaja]

On a diesel engine, the exhaust from the engine carries e fog of oily fuel.
This's normal.
Diesel exhaust systems rarely rust from the inside.
I think your pipes probably show minor cosmetic corrosion.
I think your exhaust system will be good for a while longer.
.
I suppose you could douse the blemishes with a rust-eater fluid.
I am sure chemicals exist to consume the corrosion.
I imagine they are nasty stuff.
.
An alternative is media-blasting -- sand-blasting is one method, although some folk prefer soda-blasting with sodium bi-carb... the odor-absorbing powder in the box in the back of your fridge.
.
I toss these into the discussion as points of interest.
I have no experience with either.
I have one functional lung, I avoid air-borne particulate and chemicals.

[Timeline]

The corrosion is around the welds, it is not severe yet. Good to hear the pipes rarely rust from the inside. The bus has a lot of clearance so working on this is pretty easy.



Thank you for taking the time to help!


John