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Hello there!
I was going to use some silicon sealant (marine) on a leak that i have in the drain under the cowl of my car. It is rusted where two pieces of metal are welded at a 90 degree angle. This leaks into somewhere else, so it goes.
I was wondering, since i NEVER want to do this again, is there anything better than just plain old silicon sealant (GE marine silicone clear)?
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Either 3m super silicon sealant or 3m ultra pro seam sealer. clean the rust out best you can. spray with a rust convertor. after 24 hours apply the sealant. then you can apply a rubberized under coating over the sealant . if that doesn’t work , well can’t think of anything else ( btw- how big is the hole ? )
I would also look at using a seam sealer too that is available at your local auto parts store.
As stated above, make sure you prep the area.
ok thanks. I will see what is available at the store today!
the crack is hairline. not a hole. although when i scrape the rust away perhaps there will be a hole 😛 deal with that when i get there!
Surface preparation as Dreamer and 619DioFan mentioned is key. You can do several things once you have a good surface especially since the crack is hairline. 1) Go all out and TIG weld it. 2) Use a good grade of weather silicone as you mentioned, don’t go for the cheap stuff, pick up something that’s paintable, and expansion resilient like . 3) Grab some JB weld to go ahead and do a cold weld on it. I’ve used it on multiple applications and if the surface is flat and not apt to movement it’ll do a hella of a job. 4) Use a Clear Silicone RTV sealant like permatex makes, or something as simple as SeamerMate (what they use for gutters).
Hell I’ve seen people use different types of putty to varying degrees of success, and even things like Liquid Nails. There’s more brands and kinds than I care to name and some are application specific but most of all the aforementioned will get what you need done and do a decent job, though if you are going for the long haul (as you say you are)… Then use JB to do a cold weld… or TIG weld it.
I agree with the sealants mentioned but I also think it’s worth mentioning that if it’s rusted out that badly and you don’t address the rust your problem will come back in the not too distant future as the metal under the sealer rusts away, it will either leak in a place that you didn’t seal or the metal under the sealant will rust away and the leak may come back.
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