I have an interesting question. After installing Kooks longtube headers, I have one exhaust leak located where the Y-Pipe conncts to the I-Pipe. The air leaks out at the band clamp. Can I put exhaust gasket material under the band clamp and have it seal without blowing out? Does anyone have any other ideas?

 

Take it to a muffler shop and have the shrink the outside tube or expand the inside tube to make them fitter tighter.

 

I am trying to avoid that as I have already taken it in once. I want to know if anyone has experience using a gasket secured by a band clamp. I was hoping that someone had tried it!

 

If you want a ghetto repair try taking some header wrap and wraping it around both ends and put the band clamp over it. Should help.

 

It should work I think. I was planning on doing it too, and the guy at my exhaust shop said it would be ok. Just get the highest temp rtv you can find.

 

If you just need it to clamp tighter, get some short pieces of exhaust pipe maybe 2"-3" that are the same same diameter as the pipes your connecting, 3" I guess. Take them and split them along their axis with a hacksaw so you can bend them open. Take off the band clamps and wrap the piece you just made around the section of pipe that the clamp wont tighten down on. Put the clamp back on and the piece you just made should have taken up enough slack to get things to seal. Did this where my y-pipe and intermediate pipe connect, works great and doesn't even look ghetto'd.

 

A coke can split open and laid over then the band clamp might work.



David

 

Go to NAPA and pick up some stainless clamps normally used for diesel truck exhausts. Jegs and Summit both sell them, but they are cheap right at a local Napa (only place I've found them locally). They will deform under the clamping pressure and seal the joint up tight. Regular horseshoe looking band clamps are crap once you use these things. You'll never use anything else again, I guarentee it.

Good luck

Dave C.

 

I have these band clamps with my setup and they still leak.

FASTFATBOY, are you saying a regular 12 oz. aluminum can cut and wrapped around the pipe will seal it? What's the diameter of a coke can? If you have 3" exhaust will it wrap completly around?

 

If your still getting leaks with this type clamp, then you might wanna consider what the others said as well. Your either need to resize the pipes so they fit together tighter, or add material to fill in the space. Then there's always the MIG solution..

Sorry man, thought I had it there

Dave C.

 

Well, the slip fit is pretty tight, at least in my opinion. Maybe I just don't know what tight is.

I agree that those clamps are nice in design. They are easy to use. I know mine leaks because where the band comes together and the piece of carved metal stock fits, on each side of the exhaust piping there are carbon/black leak spots.

It's not a MAJOR leak, just buzz's anytime the car is around 1,500-1,800 RPM's. I have drove the car for like 15 min. and then get out and go into the store for about 15-30 min. and hop back in and the buzz/leak be gone completly. Did the band heat soak and tighten up? I don't know. But I do know that I just might be crazy and tired enough of them leaking to give the coke can a try.

 

I used these. No leaks as of yet. http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

 

That is what he has, I have the same thing and the leak where the clamp actually CLAMPS together.

Where it is leaking...do the pipes slip over each other or butt up to each other?

I am gonna try the Coke can on mine, use 1/2 the can and slide it in where the bolts come together on the clamp, about 1/2 the diameter of the pipe. I have a 3.5 inch y pipe. Course my car is SO freakin loud I can't hear the leaks...but I see them.

David

 

Exactly, I have the same clamp shown in the above post. I started the car up on blocks of wood and sure enough, I can feel the exhaust shooting out where the clamp actually tightens.

The coke can seems like an excellent idea. I am going to try that next.

 

I will ask again, do the pipes slip into one another or butt up to each other?


David