Re: 02 maxima muffler replacement - muffler_fix_01.jpg (0/1)

common_ sense:

common_ sense@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 wrote:

  [...]
> Serious question here - how can a Stainless Steel muffer/exhaust
> system ever rust or corrode out?  It should be good not only for the
> life of the car, but for several hundred years more.



My '97 Max doesn't have a stainless steel muffler/exhaust system. The 
piping is steel and the muffler is aluminized steel.

You are right in that stainless steels do last a long time. Dissimilar 
metals, however, could cause corrosion of the stainless or plain steel 
due to the electromotive series.

One anti-corrosion technique that is used on boats to prevent submerged 
metals from corroding is to attach a zinc metal block to the metal 
parts, for example, to the outboard engine. The zinc corrodes and the 
boat metals that are electrically connected to the zinc and that are 
immersed in the same water [electrolyte] do not. Zinc attached to the 
exhaust system may prevent rust. The zinc blocks that are available at 
your marine accessory store may need to be replaced from time to time.

Attaching zinc blocks to the steel body may help prevent rust long after 
the thin zinc plating on the sheet steel has corroded away exposing the 
steel body panels to rust. That might be good for local areas subject to 
abrasion, water and salt.

On the replacement system that I have, I opted for a larger diameter 
Warpspeed brand single pipe system of plain steel. They say that, given 
the mileage and condition of the car, the plain steel should last as 
long as the car.


Ralph Hertle