Exhaust Gas Repair, Cleaning & Refining Tutorial
Content
- From pickling to removing rust, cleaning and polishing manifold to muffler until everything shines
From pickling to removing rust, cleaning and polishing manifold to muffler until everything shines
Several repair solutions such as new with or without equipment
Whether the exhaust line is made of stainless steel, sometimes chrome plated, it is a part especially prone to aging. Due to the impact on the road, but especially due to the high heat generation. The lines, when the "pots" oxidize, age, tarnish and prick to finally rust. And thanks to rust, the collector can even pierce or crack, making your muffler as noisy as if it wasn't there.
At best, a muffler loses its beautiful rainbow coloration of any new line, or just its own look. Here are some tips and tricks to restore its full glow with quick and easy solutions.
There are several solutions, and especially two methods. One manual is based on elbow and high forces, the other is mechanical, requiring little equipment, starting with a cordless or cordless drill. Feel free to share your recipes, even if they are grandmothers, they are the best!
Required equipment before starting
- Dishwashing liquid or Marseille soap
- Belgum Alu or similar
- Iron straw 000 or 0000
- Wading for polishing
- Clean cloth or microfiber
- Finishing brush 60 × 30 grain 180
- Drill with disc holder and felt discs
Wash first
First of all, washing with hot water and dishwashing liquid or Marseille soap is a good solution to remove grease and impurities present on the line. This is even the best solution on a daily basis. In all cases, attention will be paid to the use of a pressure jet and Karcher equipment to prevent water from entering, with the risk of corrosion, and then from the inside.
Now, if there are traces of corrosion on the muffler or if the surface is tarnished, then it is recommended to use cleaning agents.
Polishing method with efficient drill: silicon carbide brush on the rod
If the tailpipe is very attacked, feel free to use mechanical polishing solutions. Cordless or cordless drill required, but effortlessly guaranteed, just a little time. The solution is not only very effective on all types of supports, but also active on many types of wear, from resin traces to all types of deposits.
We start by installing a finishing brush and sanding, which will remove some of the shine if any. No need to force or push the sander. This is the brush that should get the job done. We will consider wearing a mask to protect our airways from any particles that fly away.
Depending on the brush, sanding can generate micro-scratches, it is important not to press too much and to have an even motion so as not to cross and reinforce any scratches.
The muffler, line and manifold can be sanded in this way.
Likewise, leaves rust with ease. These brushes provide both pickling and finishing, and better yet, they won't hurt your hand once you're ripe.
For hard-to-reach parts, you can use a small Dremel-type drill bit, which will hold small buffing discs.
First of all, it takes time and patience to go from one step to the next, and you can quickly spend a few hours on this grinding piece depending on the initial condition of the line. A professional can spend anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours, and a mechanic apprentice will double or even triple this time.
Price: from 10 euros depending on the shape and size and up to 50 euros
Pot compatibility: stainless steel, steel
Decorate the Descent: Two Hand and Long Methods
If it's just regular maintenance, or if a heavy sanding part has already been done with a drill, you can switch to a polishing-polishing part with an iron straw, but with 000 or 000 and the right product. Then you can use the felt to mount on a drill or local oil.
Belgom Alu and others
There are many products, more or less liquid, more or less white, more or less effective, for the restoration of unpainted metal surfaces. Some are specialized, others are versatile.
Belgom Alu or Belgom Chrome are the ones with many followers in the motorcycle world. The Alu model polishes and shines in brass, alloys and aluminum (does not fit over chrome because it will scratch it). Chrome model deacidifies, shines and protects against corrosion.
However, variations of all kinds, of all brands, are found on supermarket shelves as well as in specialty brands.
Consistency, however: It takes a good cloth or felted cloth to apply the product or very fine iron straw (000) and rub, rub, rub. Heavy, long and very long. And remember to wear gloves to protect your skin and hands.
Note that this solution works for removing traces of plastic from metal, stainless steel, chrome pots. Apply Belgom to the pot while it is still hot (be careful not to burn yourself) and rub in with iron straw. The plastic should be left as chewing gum.
Price: from 10 euros
Iron straw or stainless steel and WD40
It is an economical buying solution with a little less effort. First of all, polishing should be completed with a more or less abrasive product, whether polishing or WD40, knowing that WD is not most effective over time or on the best inlaid spots.
Steel wool price: depending on length or weight. From 4 euros
WD40 price: from 5 to 50 euros depending on the quantity
Pot compatibility: carbon, stainless steel
the cloth
After the product has been rubbed down and set aside a few times, it's time to go through the cloth to clean the surface and bring out the shine. Microfiber will also be very good.
Extreme Exhaust Line Finish: High Temperature Paint and Varnish
After cleaning the exhaust pipe, you can paint it with a brush or a bomb with high temperature paint (up to 800 ° C), except for the part of the exhaust manifold, because the temperature is too high. With a black finish, it defaults to a matte finish to the coated part. A glossy finish can be obtained by coating everything with high temperature varnish. This varnish can also be used on untreated surfaces to restore gloss to the exhaust line. Then we select the original color, at least the resulting one. New effect and lasting resistance as well as protection, this visual solution is noticeable on the repaired surface.
It's not hard to do. However, other parts of the engine must be well protected before paint is sprayed or brushed.
Compatible with pots: stainless steel, steel but not titanium.
Price: about 15 euros for 500 ml.
Conclusion
The best way to keep the exhaust line clean is to maintain it regularly, just like other parts of the motorcycle. This will save you the hassle of going into long-term, big jobs.
Chromium tip: water and the enemy of this material. Remember to dry chrome surfaces well after washing your motorcycle or in bad weather.
