Stopping tailpipe rust

[giro]

Stopping tailpipe rust???

Lately the tailpipe on my '92 has been rusting. We're in snow country, and they use some salt. It's also been parked outside most of the time. But the real killer might be the short trips it takes, thus not completely warming up, and letting the moisture in the exhaust take over.

I replaced the cat 9 years ago when the original was stolen, and had the muffler replaced about 5 years ago after the original rusted out. But the very end of the tailpipe is rusting now, and I'd rather keep it going than replace too much. The 4runner is only seeing about 3k/year these days.

Any suggestions? We don't have too much of a problem with rust here, though I did crawl under the truck last year and touch up any frame scratches with rustoleum or Ace branded rust preventer paint. I have some high temp paint from the wood stove that should put up with the temps of the exhaust system, but with moisture/rust coming from the inside it might be a loosing battle. A zinc based spray or a block of zinc could help, the good old "sacrificial anode" that I just barely remember about but that is common on ships.

Has anyone had much luck with any of these things or anything else? Thanks

(from another thread about frame and body rust, it looks like this stuff is similar to some of the Rustoleum products VHT SP229, VHT Rust Converter | VHT )

(I'm thinking either rust-stop paint, or even cold-galvanizing like this one at lowes that I've used at the in-laws Shop Rust-Oleum 20-oz Cold Galvanizing Compound Matte Spray Paint at Lowes.com )

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

Buy (or have a shop build) a stainless cat-back system for ya, or get a new, bolt-on system built for you, then remove it and have the whole thing ceramic-coated, that's about all you can really do to stop the rust completely.

I think it would be cheaper to just buy the stainless system from somewhere though, or save your money and have a regular one built every 5-8 years when it goes bad. Probably be only about 200 bucks at a local shop to replace it from the cat to the tip.

 

[Dropzone]

Buy (or have a shop build) a stainless cat-back system for ya, or get a new, bolt-on system built for you, then remove it and have the whole thing ceramic-coated, that's about all you can really do to stop the rust completely.

I think it would be cheaper to just buy the stainless system from somewhere though, or save your money and have a regular one built every 5-8 years when it goes bad. Probably be only about 200 bucks at a local shop to replace it from the cat to the tip.

^^This. Stainless exhaust or not running your truck is about the only options for keeping an exhaust from rusting that would be with in financial reach of the average old toyota truck owner.

 

[JeepKiller]

I used a wire brush on the extent of mine and 4 coats of a good high temp paint. That coupled with every time i drive around salt water or they salt the roads i spray out the undercarriage really well. A stainless steel would be ideal like the guys said above, but thats money you could use towards more functional things.

 

[giro]

I used a wire brush on the extent of mine and 4 coats of a good high temp paint. That coupled with every time i drive around salt water or they salt the roads i spray out the undercarriage really well. A stainless steel would be ideal like the guys said above, but thats money you could use towards more functional things.

Yea, I think that's what I did last year when touching up the frame. Sure, I could technically afford a stainless or even ceramic coated exhaust, but my 4runner isn't perfect anymore and there are things like fully fixing or replacing the pimpled hood (from when the fan exploded) that I would do far before putting too much money into this.

Has anyone tried the zinc rich paint or a block of zinc? It's going to rust out eventually, but this might slow it down enough.

 

[sisocraN]

...or save your money and have a regular one built every 5-8 years when it goes bad. Probably be only about 200 bucks at a local shop to replace it from the cat to the tip.

And there is a decent chance that your 4Runner will be off the road before that exhaust needs replacing. Why invest in something that will outlast your truck?

 

[giro]

And there is a decent chance that your 4Runner will be off the road before that exhaust needs replacing. Why invest in something that will outlast your truck?

Yep, and it's good to keep parts going while still feasible.

Looks like there's some rust at the back of the muffler. When I have to replace that again, I'm guessing in 3-5 years, I'll just replace the whole thing. Looks like Rock Auto has a muffler plus tailpipe for under $100. Add in a new cat for under $100 and it will be all done. But I need to do both at the same time, since the muffler installer cut off the cat to muffler flange.

The tailpipe has some soot inside it (Mmmm, protective coating!). Could be time for the O2 sensor, but it's probably those loose tipped platinum spark plugs, where I think one or two were not firing.

We're headed in to town, so I'll pick up some new coppers along with that cold galvanizing paint from Lowes.