Welder type for DIY exhaust work?

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My xterra as well as my sisters sienna developed a large exhaust leak,,, something common here in LI NY, so I was thinking about buying a cheap flux welder to do it myself. However, reading on the web people say that those welders are not good for this kind of stuff, that I should get a good mig welder, but those are not cheap, keeping in mind that I won’t use it often, I don’t know if it really make sense.
 
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How about renting one? If it is only for a one-time use, it would not make a lot of sense to buy one.
 
around here at least the right place would fix all that for cheap.. do you have a lift?

You will probably need one to weld it properly.
 
You can probably replace the exhaust with new system without a welder.

People use gas to cut rusted-out sections.

I have had a place use a welder to make up an exhaust for my Jeep from SS pipe. That was TIG welding.

If parts are rusted they should be replaced not patched.

Do you know how to MIG weld. If not you will be burning through a lot.
 
Is it a hole in the pipe? Can you just put a pipe joiner clamp around it?

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Originally Posted By: Donald

Do you know how to MIG weld. If not you will be burning through a lot.


A LOT... a lot a lot a lot

Rusty exhaust pipe isn't the type or place to "learn" to weld.
 
Originally Posted By: koffy
My xterra as well as my sisters sienna developed a large exhaust leak,,, something common here in LI NY, so I was thinking about buying a cheap flux welder to do it myself. However, reading on the web people say that those welders are not good for this kind of stuff, that I should get a good mig welder, but those are not cheap, keeping in mind that I won’t use it often, I don’t know if it really make sense.
This seems like one of those things that you come in with high expectations and end up destroyed, don't even bother.

If you're not already good with a welder your options are realistically:
1. Replace the rusted part of the exhaust.
2. Cut the rusted part out and join the pipes by making a lap joint with a band clamp, connector, reducer or flex joint connector and some U-clamps (obviously not going to work if the opening is on a catalytic converter).
3. If the hole is small just wrap a band clamp around it.

Options 2 and 3 are extremely cheap, less than twenty dollars in material cost and have a higher chance of working (if you measured and removed any rusted fasteners or clamps, nearly 100% chance of working).
 
I bought a cheap $99 welder to do those types of repairs. It's a pain in the neck to do. Next time i just bought the whole section of pipes and replaced it.


Unless you want to invest the time to learn proper welding techniques and have ample time to burn, it's probably better to find alternatives to fixing stuff.
 
Ok,,, I guess It was not a good idea,, to many cons,, it’s usually the flanges and flex joints,,, I’ll ask my friends for a good shop to take care of it,,, we can’t always win (DIY everything )
Tanks guys your help is appreciated
 
A lot of newer cars have exhaust sections that bolt together. Cut off the old rusty bolts from the damaged section, bolt-in a new one with new flange gaskets.
 
When a pipe gets rusty enough that one hole opens up, there will be more soon afterward. You're ahead to bite the bullet and replace the whole section, usually that means do everything from the converter to the tailpipe as a group. And any sort of DIY exhaust work is not fun.
 
I used the good ol' harbor freight boogermaster to weld my exhaust together. It's not pretty as it's a pretty thin gauge to get a good weld with the HF model. Held up great for a few years with no leaks. Ultimately a poorly placed boulder ripped the entire exhaust system off ... but not at my welds! So I took a different route.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
boogermaster
LOL!!! That's exactly what it is.
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Quote:
it’s usually the flanges and flex joints,,,

They sell pieces of flex joints. For the flanges, you can just cut the flange out and replace with a section of pipe connector or a reducer.

It just means that where you had to take the nuts and bolts off to undo the flange coupling, you now have to take off some U clamps and slip the pipes out of the connector or reducer.

If the flange used spring bolts, those slip and move under tension as the engine vibrates and is usually used as an alternative to a flex joint in the exhaust system. Replacing that with a straight rigid section may not be so good, they sell flex joint sections for this purpose.
 
Originally Posted By: koffy
I was thinking about buying a cheap flux welder to do it myself.


That will never work for exhaust tubing. Flux core wire burns way too hot for thin material like that. You need steel that's at least a 1/4 inch thick. I just saved you a lot of frustration.
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: Donald

Do you know how to MIG weld. If not you will be burning through a lot.


A LOT... a lot a lot a lot

Rusty exhaust pipe isn't the type or place to "learn" to weld.


Oh yes it is! If you can weld rusty carbon steel exhaust pipe, you are good, and can move onto the next lesson
laugh.gif
 
Those exterras have a common failure of the exhaust manifolds so be sure to check exactly where your leak is. I just repaired the right exhaust manifold on a 2002 V6 model....the part was only $60 at Rockauto so I replaced it rather than weld it.
 
Start the job at the local auto parts store and their bin of miscellaneous pipe adapters. Just get familiar with what's out there.

Find the leak. Like said above it could be at a flange. If you have two, 2 inch outer diameter pipes butting together you can cut the flange out and get a doo-dad joiner that has 2, 2 inch internal diameter pipes. You'll need enough flexibility in your existing exhaust to shove something back an inch to get this thing to even fit in there.

Now you could throw some clamps on there but these never fit perfectly and create the perfect spot for you to throw some weld.

I use a $99 HF flux welder (with genuine Lincoln wire, reputed to be better) on exhaust bits. It takes a lot of practice. I use it to fill the gaps of the overlapping pipes. I zap a spot and wait, then zap another and repeat.

If you've never welded before, doing it under a car with rusty thin pipe isn't fun at all.

However, some exhaust welding involves removing pieces and doing them on the shop floor, a relative breeze. For example I lost a flange on my camry muffler so I just sawzalled the flange off, dropped the muffler, and welded a $5 slip pipe extension to the good muffler off the car that then slid over the existing pipe. Gravity is real, hot metal drips, and it's easier to handle when you can rotate the part as you see fit.
 
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