Protecting Sports Exhaust Valves and Exhausts nuts and bolts

[CadmannUK]

Morning All,

With winter and salt on the roads, what is the best way to protect the PSE valves and the exhaust nuts and bolts from corrosion, and how often to apply it?

I use ACF-50 on my Buell motorcycle and was going to give those areas a spray with that, but thought I'd see what other people use. Car is used in the winter, but not every day, but is outside in all the elements.

Thanks

Cad

 

[SpyderDavid]

I use Copper grease for the moving joint on the PSE - needs something that can cope with the heat.

 

[JohnCRS]

I have used ACF 50 on all the underside of the car. As you will know, it is a beggar to remove and tends to get coated with road grime and look less than pristine, but underneath stays rust free. So does the garage floor - the stuff gets everywhere.

Copper or other high melting point grease can help the exhaust valves, but my own preferred route is to regularly (say once a month) work the valves by hand to check for free movement and give a quick spray with teflon lubricant. Using the valves regularly is the best way to keep them operational!

The other exhaust flange and trim bolts are difficult to protect. Replacing them with stainless steel equivalents is the only way to ensure that they can be undone in the future. Manifold bolts are pretty much a lost cause unless you change the studs and bolts. Most don't bother as, if you need to undo them, it will be for something major and you will probably have engaged an engineer anyway.

John

 

[ralphmusic]

John,

How about copper nuts and bolts for exhaust fixings?

 

[JohnCRS]

I have no experience of them Ralph. The trouble these days is getting a reliable supply. Many ‘copper’ nuts and bolts are in fact copper coated mild steel. These may actually be an effective compromise, but just using copper grease must produce a similar result. I have exhaust bolt replacement on my own task list and was planning to use stainless steel. But you again have to watch the quality and grade. T 304 used to be the choice for exhausts, but I need to check if this is still the case.

(I believe that some of the bolts on my car’s exhaust are past the point of no return! Do I get the angle grinder out now and swap them, or do I just leave them until such time as they have to be removed? However rusty and crusty they get, they seem to hold together ok)