Question about duct tape on car mufflers

I kept patching my 2002 Civic exhaust with duct tape every few months and it never held. Fellow mechanic at the garage in Tulsa told me I was doing it wrong. You gotta clean the pipe with acetone first, let it dry, then wrap the tape tight while the exhaust is cold. Tried it on a 3 inch rust hole 6 weeks ago and it still holding. Anyone else run into this issue or found a better way to prep the surface?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hayden15d ago

Buddy from work tried heating the pipe first to dry out any moisture and his patch held for two months.

brianreed14d ago

Man, that's a clever trick. I had a buddy who fixed a leaky pipe in his basement and he tried something similar. He used a hairdryer to warm up the copper before putting on the patch. @the_hayden, your friend's story lines up with what I saw. My buddy's patch held for almost three months before he finally replaced the whole section. He said the heat dried out any leftover moisture that could mess with the adhesive. I guess it makes sense, water and patch stuff don't mix well.

karenb9714d ago

Patched a radiator line that way once myself, held up all winter long.