Firstly before you weld stainless steel to mild steel you need to consider the properties both metals have.
Welding stainless to mild steel exhaust.
Since its just a crack on a car exhaust i think 308 or 316 would be fine to use but it s up to you.
They make a 309 wire this is for welding carbon steel to stainless steel only.
So the quick bottom line is that you can weld together with either mild steel filler wire or stainless wire.
Tig welding is ideal for doing weld exhaust pipe properly.
All the way up to series 309 stainless steel.
Focus on the properties of the metals you intend to weld.
Its definitely not a good idea.
Is it ok to weld stainless steel exhaust tubing with carbon steel mig wire.
But for much thicker stainless steel a faster wire feed speed is required to create a larger welding pool.
You can perform welding on stainless steel mild steel titanium aluminum exhaust pipes.
You can weld a wide range of stainless steels from 300 series stainless steels.
The welds will rust more if mild steel but strength wise no concerns.
Either way to get the best service and longest life out of a.
Stainless exhaust is sometimes made from 304 stainless but there are also quite a few exhaust components that use 400 series stainless like 409.
316 stainless is approx the same basic chemistry as plain steel except the 300 series stainles has additional 18 cr and 8 ni which is what makes it stainless.
309l is ideal to join your stainless steel to mild steel because this welding wire is made to weld both metals.
We have proof right here.
I would get some 3 32 and some 1 16 wire i don t know the material thickness or if their is a gap but these two sizes should cover it.
These include the mechanical properties chemistry and ability to resist corrosion as taking the right decision can prevent any trouble that might creep in overtime.