Selleys Knead It Saves the Day Victoria

How did Selleys Knead It save the day in the Great Victoria Desert?

This one comes from a four wheel drive club trip, in country where a breakdown is a serious problem rather than an inconvenience. In the driver's own words:

"I was on an extended 4 wheel drive trip with my car club in the Great Victoria Desert (which is actually in Western Australia). This is an extremely remote area.

I accidentally tore the tailpipe out of my rear muffler on a rocky creek bed. We used a corn tin, a few screws and 'Knead It' to make a very successful repair. This lasted 500km and more of off road travel plus 1000km on road back to Perth. The repair was still holding when I got the muffler replaced!"

A tin, a few screws and a roll of epoxy putty, and the repair carried the vehicle more than 1,500km — most of it corrugated dirt, and all of it on a component that runs hot and vibrates constantly.

Why the repair held

An exhaust repair is a harder problem than it looks, because it has to survive three things at once: heat, vibration and the mechanical loads of rough road travel. The approach used here dealt with each of them separately.

The tin took the load. Wrapping the joint with a cut-open can and fastening it with screws meant the mechanical connection between tailpipe and muffler was carried by metal, not by adhesive. This is the same principle as the Knead It repair to a hydraulic hose at sea, where a drink can and three hose clamps carried the pressure while the putty sealed the hole.

The putty sealed and stabilised. Forced into and around the damaged area, epoxy putty fills the irregular gaps that a wrapped sheet cannot, and stops the joint working loose as the vehicle moves.

The heat rating was adequate for the position. Knead It Multipurpose publishes a heat resistance of -40°C to +120°C continuous and -40°C to +140°C intermittent. A rear muffler and tailpipe — the coolest end of an exhaust system, well downstream of the manifold — sits within that. Nearer the engine it would not. Selleys' own high-temperature product for that end of a vehicle is Auto Fix Instant Gasket High Temperature Sealant, rated for continuous service from -40°C to 260°C with intermittent resistance to 343°C.

Knead It Multipurpose: the published figures

Property	Figure
Working time	3 to 5 minutes at 25°C
Apply to the surface within	2 minutes of mixing
Begins to harden	5 to 10 minutes
Initial cure — drillable, sandable, machinable, paintable	60 minutes
Full cure	24 hours at 25°C
Heat resistance	-40°C to +120°C continuous; -40°C to +140°C intermittent

Those first three lines are why this is a practical roadside repair. From the moment you cut off a piece and knead it to a uniform colour, you have a few minutes to get it onto the job — and about an hour later it can be drilled and driven on. Set time increases at temperatures below 20°C, and if the putty is stiff to knead, warming it to room temperature makes it workable.

It adheres to most surfaces including ferrous and non-ferrous metals, timber, concrete, masonry, ceramics, glass and most plastics. It is also approved for contact with drinking water at temperatures up to 85°C and complies with AS/NZS4020.

Figures are from the product's technical data sheet and are indicative results rather than a basis for preparing specifications.

Limitations

• It will not adhere to polyethylene, polypropylene or Teflon.
• It cures extremely hard and inflexible, so it is not recommended for filling joints and cracks subject to movement. On an exhaust, that is exactly why the mechanical wrap and screws matter — they stop the joint flexing so the putty does not have to.
• Set time increases below 20°C.
• Heat resistance tops out at 120°C continuous. Nearer the engine, use a product rated for it.

And the point the driver made himself: the repair was still holding when the muffler was replaced. It got him 1,500km to a workshop. An emergency repair on an exhaust is a way of finishing the trip safely, not a permanent replacement for the part.

What to carry for remote travel

The lesson in this story is less about the product than about the crew member who had it in the vehicle. A roll of epoxy putty takes up almost no space, does not need mixing equipment, tools or power, and works on the metals, plastics and ceramics you are most likely to break a long way from a workshop. Add something to wrap with — the tin in this story, a hose clamp, wire — and you have covered a surprising range of failures.

For repairs to damp, wet or underwater substrates, Knead It Aqua is the version to carry instead. It has a longer working time of 20 to 30 minutes at 25°C, suits water tanks, PVC and plastic pipes, leaking gaskets and boat hulls, and is also approved for drinking water contact to 85°C under AS/NZS4020.

More Selleys stories

• Selleys Knead It comes to the rescue on the high seas
• Selleys Araldite helps Wilbur the giant tortoise
• Selleys Shoe Fix with Fixer Upper
• All Selleys Stories

Common questions

What was repaired?

A tailpipe torn out of a rear muffler on a rocky creek bed, in the Great Victoria Desert.

What was used?

A corn tin, a few screws and Selleys Knead It.

How long did the repair last?

More than 500km of off road travel plus 1,000km on road back to Perth, and it was still holding when the muffler was replaced.

Can Knead It take exhaust heat?

Knead It Multipurpose is rated -40°C to +120°C continuous and to +140°C intermittent, which suits the rear of an exhaust system. Closer to the engine, use a high-temperature product such as Auto Fix Instant Gasket High Temperature Sealant, rated to 260°C continuous.

How long does it take to set?

Working time is 3 to 5 minutes at 25°C, it begins to harden in 5 to 10 minutes, and initial cure is at 60 minutes. Full cure is 24 hours at 25°C.

How do I use it?

Cut off the amount you need, knead it with your fingers to a uniform colour, and work it forcefully onto the surface within about 2 minutes of mixing. Wear gloves.

The putty is too stiff to knead — what now?

Warm it to room temperature. Set time also increases below 20°C.

What will it not stick to?

Polyethylene, polypropylene and Teflon.

Is an epoxy putty repair permanent?

Treat it as a get-you-home repair on anything mechanical. In this story the muffler was replaced afterwards.

What should I carry for remote trips?

A roll of epoxy putty and something to wrap and clamp with. See Glue Guide 101 for how the putties compare with the rest of the range.