My 2004 Camry has a split in the exhaust midpipe right at the flange. The pipe is old and really just needs replaced. But I'm not wanting to dump a lot of money into this car since it's probably going to be given to one of my younger sisters eventually. So I went against my own principles and did a hack fix.
The first time I "fixed" it was almost five months ago, and I used FiberFix Heat Wrap. This stuff is kinda like a cast; it is a fiberglass cloth soaked in a resin that gets hardened with heat and oxygen exposure. You wet it for ten seconds then wrap it as tightly around the break as you can get it. Then they give you some aluminum tape that temporarily holds the resin covered wrap in place until it cures. I ran the car for about an hour to allow the pipe to heat up and cure the wrap. This fix lasted from the beginning of October until today, during which I put about 6,000 miles on the car. I went in with low expectations and I was impressed by this stuff.
So the way it failed was that the resin eventually dries out and crumbles away from the fiberglass wrap. Even still, I had to cut it off with a knife to get it off the pipe.
So I figured if it lasted over four months the first time, maybe it'll do it again. I went to Advance Auto today and bought another roll of FiberFix and two tubes of JB Weld Steel Stik too. The Steel Stik is just a two part putty that hardens up when kneaded together. I put the Steel Stik putty on first and wrapped it all the way around the break, and let it cure for a half hour. It sets up hard in 3 minutes. Then I came back and applied the Fiberfix over top of the hardened JB Steel Stik. I ran the car for an hour to let the pipe get hot and allow the Fiberfix to harden. I'll see how long my hack fix lasts this time around and find out if the JB Steel Stik made any difference.
Anyways, I think this a great "quick fix" product. Something worth keeping in your glove box or trunk. It's a bit expensive, I paid $15 for a 2"x70" roll, but it beats $600 for a whole new pipe. Plus it's a lot easier to tape the pipe up than it is to snap off spring bolts while replacing the pipe, especially when it's this cold outside.
One tip- If you are going to keep a roll inside your car for emergency fixes and you've got man-claw sized hands like I do, you'll want to put your own pair of rubber gloves inside the box. The gloves they include didn't come close to fitting me, and you don't want to get that resin on your hands.
The first time I "fixed" it was almost five months ago, and I used FiberFix Heat Wrap. This stuff is kinda like a cast; it is a fiberglass cloth soaked in a resin that gets hardened with heat and oxygen exposure. You wet it for ten seconds then wrap it as tightly around the break as you can get it. Then they give you some aluminum tape that temporarily holds the resin covered wrap in place until it cures. I ran the car for about an hour to allow the pipe to heat up and cure the wrap. This fix lasted from the beginning of October until today, during which I put about 6,000 miles on the car. I went in with low expectations and I was impressed by this stuff.
So the way it failed was that the resin eventually dries out and crumbles away from the fiberglass wrap. Even still, I had to cut it off with a knife to get it off the pipe.
So I figured if it lasted over four months the first time, maybe it'll do it again. I went to Advance Auto today and bought another roll of FiberFix and two tubes of JB Weld Steel Stik too. The Steel Stik is just a two part putty that hardens up when kneaded together. I put the Steel Stik putty on first and wrapped it all the way around the break, and let it cure for a half hour. It sets up hard in 3 minutes. Then I came back and applied the Fiberfix over top of the hardened JB Steel Stik. I ran the car for an hour to let the pipe get hot and allow the Fiberfix to harden. I'll see how long my hack fix lasts this time around and find out if the JB Steel Stik made any difference.
Anyways, I think this a great "quick fix" product. Something worth keeping in your glove box or trunk. It's a bit expensive, I paid $15 for a 2"x70" roll, but it beats $600 for a whole new pipe. Plus it's a lot easier to tape the pipe up than it is to snap off spring bolts while replacing the pipe, especially when it's this cold outside.
One tip- If you are going to keep a roll inside your car for emergency fixes and you've got man-claw sized hands like I do, you'll want to put your own pair of rubber gloves inside the box. The gloves they include didn't come close to fitting me, and you don't want to get that resin on your hands.
