Hello WeAreAliveAnd.Social friends!
Today is day 3 of participating in the #iamalivechallenge.
Yesterday was another beautiful day. I decided to take a little vacation time from work and work on my car. Vacation to work? I know, but my car needs to get inspected this month, and I knew it won't pass because it had a bad exhaust leak.
The Leak
So I have had to fix this leak three times already. The problem is when I replaced the catalytic converters a few years back, they did not mate well with the cat-back system. You can see the connection in the picture below.
I have tried a number of options to stop the leak including doubling up on the gaskets and using a "make your own gasket" sealant. The last fix lasted for about 2 years (the make your own gasket fix).
The problem is the location gets very hot as it is right behind the catalytic converters. The make your own gaskets are rated for high temperature but don't seem to stand up long term.
This time I'm trying a new gasket sealer - Permatex 80335 Muffler and Tailpipe Sealer.
(source)
This sealer turned out to be more of a paste then a rubber based sealant. It was a bit tricky to keep on the joint as it wanted to slip off. But I managed to get it to stick to one side, and then reconnect the joint.
And praise be it seems to be leak free. For now..... time to go get that inspection done!
The Car
Seems like a lot of work for a car no? Well, it isn't just any car, it is my "toy care" - a 1990 300zx. I bought it several years ago with the intent to fully restore it, but have never really done much more than make her presentable and somewhat dependable.
Hope You Had a Productive Day
I was thrilled my day ended up working out. You just never know with a project like that. I hope you all had a great and productive day too!