The one thing I didn’t mention is the mounting brackets that are welded to the muffler tend to rust at the weld point. That is on the outside of the muffler and it will rust through from the outside.
Mike’s right.
Beyond that, wire brushing the surface may even promote more rust. The reason regular steel rusts through is because the outer layers falll off as they rust. Surface rust that remains intact can actually act as a preventtative coating to protect the underlying iron.
On what do I base my crazy theory? Lightpoles, copper roof flashing, the U.S.S Constitution, and the statue of liberty.
Many of the lightpoles you see on highway medians are made of an alloy that allows a low-porosity coat of rust to develop and then keeps it in place as a protective coating. Look carefully and you’ll see the rusted surface.
The Statue of Liberty is similarly protected by a cating of oxidized copper. Copper roof flashing protects itself in the same manner. Copper flashing survives even on ship bottoms below waterline in the same manner, although its use on saling ships was to prevent the buidup of barnicles and such.
Leave the surface there. It’s doing on harm.
I would leave the muffler alone and not worry about it. I have done a lot of exhaust systems on Hondas, but none on an Accord newer than a '97, and I live in central IL, right in the salt belt. In 1998, Honda went to a full stainless steel exhaust system that is really quite bulletproof, and rustproof. You may have to start thinking about a new muffler in about ten years, so I would look for new ways to extend the life of your car, maybe an occasional drain and fill of your transmission is up your alley?
Also, your factory muffler already has a weep hole, so I wouldn’t worry about that either. Just don’t worry about your exhaust system!!!
and I live in central IL, right in the salt belt.
For clarification…central IL is NOT considered the salt belt. You need to be MUCH MUCH closer to the Great Lakes for that distinction.
As a fellow Honda owner, I like to stick with OEM parts too…when they will affect the performance of the car. But a muffler does not qualify in my opinion. An aftermarket muffler will work just fine. In fact, a low cost muffler with a lifetime warranty would be a good idea. Then you won’t have any reason to worry about rust on the new muffler. However, I think your are jumping the gun. Your muffler just has a little rust. It isn’t time to replace it yet.
There is a reason they don’t paint mufflers. Be careful of the fumes that come from the paint when it gets super heated. Even if fumes aren’t the issue, the paint will peal within hours of your first drive.
Oh, and drilling a hole in a good muffler will cause you to fail vehicle inspections in many states, but don’t let that stop you from drilling away or punching a hole in a soft spot on your muffler with a wire brush.
I just love it when people come here for advice and then completely ignore it. There is no reason to take any action, and the course of action you are planning will only cost you more money than doing nothing and replacing the muffler when it really needs replacing. But, like I said, drill and scrub, and paint away. Let us know how it turns out so we can have a good laugh at your expense.
You’ve an 04. You know I’ve owned alot of cars over the years and worked with many car lots and detail shops…not once did I ever have muffler/rust problem. If you don’t have holes, noise or other problems related to the exhaust system…what goes on under the car should stay under the car. If you are having it regularly maintained, whatever shop you are using should let you know if something is out of the ordinary.
I guess I don’t know what would be considered the “salt belt,” but regardless, when the weather forecast calls for any kind of precipitation and high temps below 40, they cover the roads with salt so everyone can still go 80mph to get to work in the morning. It’s excessive, IMO, and results in a lot of rust on aging cars. I even see substantial rust on five year old cars around here. I’m about two hours from Chicago, and Lake Michigan.
I used to replace parts on our '95 Civic exhaust very often . . . if it wasn’t one piece it was another. Seemed like at least once a year, maybe more. And I used good quality parts. But my wife has a 5 mile commute to her job, so the car never really warms up enough to get rid of the moisture in the exhaust. So in addition to treating her maintenance as severe (oil changes and so forth) I opted for an after-market exhaust (a Pacesetter) system, from the CAT back. The steel is much thicker than original or any other aftermarket and hasn’t rusted as much (appearance-wise) as the previous parts. And it was priced LESS than the other replacement parts. It looks really nice and the sound is not loud, just a bit over stock. The system is now on the car a year and a half, no visible signs of failure. I’m happy, because exhaust is one of my least favorite repair jobs. Rocketman
There’s a significant difference in snow fall the farther you get away from the Great Lakes…Where I grew up and where my wife grew up in upstate NY…only 20 miles apart…Her town averaged 120" snow a year…mine averaged 230" of snow. Just because your area uses salt doesn’t mean it’s in the salt belt…We get snow and use salt here in NH…but it’s NOT considered the salt belt. That name is reserved for the “Real Snowy Areas”…where a small town of 20k uses 2-3 times the amount of salt as Boston.
Well thanks for all the advice. I don’t intend to brush and paint my exhaust. I was just throwing that out there to see what kind of reaction I would get. I’ll keep an eye on it but it’s ok for now.
Do you spend a lot of time under there?
Think about maybe thinking about a muffler when the noise gets so loud you can’t hear the radio.
Or when you need to replace it to pass smog to re-license the car.