So I removed my muffler and tried re-installing it because it was developing a small leak. The hitemp steel I used for shim was beginning to break off. I re-shimmed with aluminum can, however my clamp does not crush down the muffler enough. It started to slide off on a ride today. I was told to use permatex ultra coppter and this happened.


I have tried to tighten that clamp to the point where my hands hurt and still that muffler wont squeeze shut thus I resorted to the permatex instead and now I have a nasty mess.. Any suggestions? Time for a new muffler?

you have a few options.... most positive seal is with an automotive type clamp(u-bolt and base, 2 nuts type), ugly as sin though, and it damages the nipple and pipe(crimps a groove in them)there are single bolt car clamps as well, and they are supposed to out-perform the u-bolt type, but ive never used 1, and cant speak from experience.... if you cut 6 or 8 shallow slots in the face of the muff nipple(1/2 inch deep or so) you can get a better "bite" with your clamp... if that's the stock clamp, a harley one is supposed to be a much better clamp... lastly, exhaust pipe sealer... it's a grey ceramic slurry that comes in a toothpaste tube, available at just about every auto parts store on the planet... it MUST be used VERY SPARINGLY!!! Diamond Jim calls it "amish pipe welder" because he didnt...lol (it has made his headpipe and longshot a permanent assembly)... just enough so that the sealing surface looks wetted by it... about 1/2 of the volume of toothpaste you would put on a toothbrush will seal a 2 1/2 inch auto muffler nipple... dont gob it on... just wet.... id say do the slits, switch to a harley clamp if yours is stock suzi, switch to a steel sheetmetal filler(aluminum expands more than steel when heated, thus, it loosens your joint every time it heats up), and if that combo alone doesnt give complete satisfaction, then try sealer...

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1242698227/45  
first post on that page has a pic of a local brand in its packaging.. ive seen it called everything from "muff-sealr" to "ceram-seal", really just about every name but philip... the tan stuff is resinous(like an epoxy, or 'glass resin), this stuff is grey and kind of smells like modelling clay mixed with solvent... ok, if you have a pre-existing shim that's just a little too thick for the muff nipple to get over it, take your muffler to an automotive exhaust shop and get them to use an expander on the nipple... ive stretched car pipes and nipples as much as 1/8 inch without damage (the exhaust shop guy also will be able to tell you what local brandname the ceramic sealer has, if he's an empathetic kind of guy, he might just give you an almost empty tube)... the sealer gets applied to the inside face of the muffler nipple, just the thinnest of coats for about the first inch of depth into the nipple... a similar very thin application to the inner face of your shim would be ok too... a little goes a very long way, and if you use too much, you will have to use a torch to seperate the parts glued together by it... a tube is enough to do hundreds of joints, ive never been able to empty a tube of it(it dried out long before then)....

edit: as to shim thickness, it really depends on the actual ID of your mufflers nipple... id figure something about .030 inch (.75 mm)... something a little thinner could be cut with tinsnips, and wrapped around the pipe as require to get enough OD (a thin coat of sealer on the inside face of the wrap would insure a good seal, even with a couple of layers of shim)....

Rustbucket wrote on 05/30/09 at 15:06:18:


Thats the stuff that cracked on me after a day lol. So, I am in the process of filing down the nipple in order to make it more pliable for clamping down and prying open. I am half way there. I wont be riding for a few days.  I will be repainting the muffler tuesday night and taking off the the whole exhaust to make mounting easier. Thanks for the info guys.

Well I have filed down some more slits into the muffler opening. I have widened it with pliers. I lost my reducer lol so its off to a shop on tuesday to get a new one.

AngloSaxon wrote on 06/01/09 at 05:45:42:


copper flashing? What is it and can I get it in the plumbing section of say home depot? thickness? Diameter of the piece you used?Lenthg of the piece?How do I cut it if I dont have something to cut scissors?

Soooo, do I apply the goop with a popsicle stick as in the picture? lol

John_D FSO wrote on 06/01/09 at 22:07:05:


Well if scurvy is the issue then I will just eat some oranges and get some vitamin c before applying this stuff. As for cancer and blindness, I will use rubber gloves and not rub my eyes with it lol. Although I would like to make clear that scurvy, blindness and cancer are not laughing matter.