| Author | Message | ||
     Ezblast |
Either - in that some heavy ss fencing, cut down and rolled and twisted together could be the baffle and then add oven/furnace fiberglass for packing - use bolt to hold in place. EZ | ||
| Reuel |
This whole thread is becoming quite baffling! | ||
| Garlic_sauce |
So put that fencing into my V&H with the repacking glass I already have should quiet it down? | ||
| Ezblast |
I think the difference between a quiet baffle and the regular baffle is that the quiet one has a smaller Id to accept more packing. So your just really making your own quiet baffle. EZ | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Just tightly repack your V & H. It probably doesnt have any packing left. Now, if you pull it apart and it still has lots of packing and was still too loud, then maybe you should look into modifications. Jardine will probably just sell you a can or perhaps we can split an exhaust-I'll take the headpipe and you take the muffler. | ||
| Robi |
Apologize if this is answered already, but trying to multi-task at work. My exhaust is rattling a lot. From looking at it, it looks like it's rattling in the back bracket. The bolts hold the bracket to frame, but don't seem to affect the "snugness" of the bracket around the exhaust. Has anyone had this problem? Any ideas for a ship? Any thoughts on a temp material I can "wrap" around exhaust where the bracket holds it? Thank you as always. | ||
| Johnnymac |
I've had that rattle before too, but remounting the exhaust always seemed to take care of any looseness. I have thought of adding thickness around the muffler where the rear bracket goes but never got around to it. My last muffler was rather worn where the bracket goes and I figured that didn't help with the rattling in that area. I would recommend exhaust pipe wrap between the muffler and the rear bracket. It's plenty temp resistant and one layer should tighten things up nicely. | ||
| Robi |
Thank you. | ||
| Robi |
So it looks like the exhaust is actually getting "chewed into" by the bracket. I'm guessing the continued vibration w/o it being snug contributes to and compounds the problem. The wrap is pricey, so I'm looking now to see if I can just get another stock exhaust. Anyone have one to sell? | ||
| Ezblast |
Brackets are cheaper and that is the issue. EZ | ||
| Robi |
Just replacement brackets, or new ones? I'll take a pic when I get home. The brackets look snug. I thought about trying to bend them so the hug the exhaust better, but then I noticed that the rear muffler strap was cutting into the muffler. If I replace brackets, would the muffler just flop around in the new brackets too? Or do you suspect that the current brackets are warped? | ||
| Ezblast |
I suspect the current brackets. EZ | ||
| Robi |
I didn't get a chance to take pictures. However, I might have found someone who may be able to sell a stock exhaust w/ 50 miles on it. He's planning on selling it w/ his bike; but he'll entertain a proper offer. I will take pictures this weekend and upload them. I trust your knowledge EZ, but you need to see how the muffler is getting grounded into. Even with new brackets, it's hard to see how I wouldn't need a new muffler. I'll get the pics up soon. In the mean time, does anyone know how much the stock exhaust weighs? | ||
| Crackhead |
are the brackets turn the wrong way? | ||
| Robi |
With me, that's a good question, but I'm 99.999% sure they are. I'll be 100% sure once I post the pics and get the clearance on here. | ||
| Ezblast |
Yeah - 24 lbs, then add a shim to the current straps to make them tighter. EZ | ||
| Johnnymac |
I recently had my muffler replaced under warranty and had the rattling looseness develop in the rear bracket. I tried tightening it but it was hard against the spacers and no room to tighten. I resolved it by removing the right-side bolt and spacer (longer of the two) and grinding 1/8" off of the end of the spacer. Mounted it back up and problem solved without shims falling out. I have an appointment to have my third muffler installed under warranty in August. New one they just installed cracked in just over a week. Fortunately I have a friend that welds and he repaired the pipe for me until the replacement came in and they could fit me in. | ||
| Robi |
I need some guidance with the shims idea. Johnny - grinding, welding; don't know if I can pull that kind of work off. No tools, but I will check with my brother to see if he's able to help. Thx | ||
| Ezblast |
Johnnymac - A good idea - Robi give that a shot! EZ | ||
| Johnnymac |
I can't do any welding either (yet!) but a couple years ago I did pick up a cheap bench grinder from Harbor Freight. Less than $30 and you can use it for anything for pretty much the remainder of your life. Only took a minute to grind down. Can't tell it's not stock once reinstalled. | ||
| Robi |
Johnny, by right side you mean when you're riding, correct? From the parts manual, it looks like the left side is longer. Or should I not trust that? EZ - lesson learned. Should get my hands dirty before asking questions. 1. bracket strap needs replaced. The holes where the bolts go through are warped. One side is even cracked. That probably allowed a little bit of the play. 2. the muffler is rubbed so much that it sliced through it. There is about a quarter inch long, but thin, slice. Can even fit a small flat screw driver in the hole. Here's my plan. I'm going to order new bolts, washers, brackets, nuts. Because the muffler is worn so much I either shimmy it or buy a new one. At $400 bucks, I think I'll live with the small hole and shimmy it. I'm thinking of just using the old strap as the shimmy. I'll have to borrow a grinder from some one to work it down from the holes. Any thoughts on this? Do you still suggest I shorten the longer spacer? | ||
| Ezblast |
Yes, also pay a welder 20 bucks to weld that hole closed, and fix the cracked bracket. EZ | ||
| Johnnymac |
Reading through this I was gonna suggest you get a welder to seal the muffler back up for you. I paid my guy $20 the last time he welded my pipe for me when it broke. The first time he did it gratis. Anyway, I suggest you replace the old mounting strap as intended. Throw the old one away. Don't even use it as a shim. As for which spacer to grind, I would pick the longer of the two. I thought the longer was the one on the right (as you sit on bike) but I could easily be wrong. The spacers are an exact fit for the muffler when new with a fresh coat of paint and a painted strap. Once you run the bike though, vibrations cause the strap to stretch a little, mounting holes to widen and paint to rub off not only the mounting strap but the muffler as well. Once it gets to rubbing around it begins to wear through the metal of the muffler itself. Shortening a spacer (or splitting the difference between both spacers if you are really persnickity) allows you to take up all the slack in the strap and keep things tight so they no longer wear like they did. Johnny | ||
| Robi |
the new exhaust port gasket I got doesn't quit fit. It just about fits, but it's a little too wide. Is this normal? I can use a little force, but want to check first. same part number except ends in B, rather than A. Would it be ok to wipe a little oil or grease on the outside to slide it in? | ||
| Ezblast |
It fits, you may have to strong arm it a tad. EZ | ||
| Robi |
thx. how about the retaining ring? does it come off from the end of the pipe? w/ plyers I guess? My concern is that when I put a new one one I'll bend it. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
WEAR SAFETY GLASSES. You probably wont break the retaining ring but.... Yes the gasket takes some work getting it in, try not to disfigure it too much. | ||
| Robi |
thx. right now the exhaust is hanging w/ 2 coats of high temp black paint. took a wire wheel to it, another coat in 48 hours. | ||
| Robi |
got the gasket in nicely. use a seasoning jar from the kitchen. pushed nice and evenly against the outer rim of gasket. next question. the retaining ring should sit flush against the engine right? it's starting to get tight. guess it's bushing itself into that gasket. want to check on flushness before risking stripping bolts. thx. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
The retaining ring should not sit flush against the engine, it is usually hidden by the exhaust flange. Tighten the bolts according to the manual with a torque wrench. If you've got antisieze put that on the bolt threads that the nut will thread down onto. After its tightened, you can put red loctite on the nut and bolt threads that extend past the nut. That will keep the nuts from seizing and also keep them from unscrewing (but its tricky to do). | ||
| Robi |
I think I'm way beyond the 6-8 ft lbs called for by the manual. I was just assuming the thing was pushing into that gasket. Maybe I'll take the whole thing off again and start over. get a new gasket if I ended up totally warping it. the new strap fits nicer. had the muffler welded and painted it. there's still some day light where the strap touches the muffler, so I might wrap w/ exhaust tape. | ||
| Robi |
I went to get exhaust tape, to learn there are a bunch of products available. There is a putty like exhaust repair material. I was thinking about taking the exhaust off, lining up the bracket to it and filling the parts of the strap where I see light. Then let the strap set for the amount of time to cure. I'm thinking this will help snug it all up. My concern is that I've never used anything like this. One product says it cures with heat. I'm concerned it will bond the strap to the muffler. I really do want to make it snug to avoid future rattling. My concern about shortening the longer spacer is that there will still be light at the bottom and near the top brackets because of the wear to the muffler. Any thoughts? Or screw it. Try it and see what happens? | ||
| Ezblast |
Shorten the long spacer. EZ | ||
| Chiznoca |
Hello, I could use some help/suggestions... My 2003 Blast is having a recurring issue where the vibrations in my exhaust crack the downpipe and when I weld it, the main studs that hold it to the header will shear or strip. When I have that fixed, the downpipe cracks again!? Any suggestions...I was thinking of biting the bullet and putting on a Vance and Hines as the Stock Exhaust appears to be heavy. | ||
| Krjoseph |
Some folks will tell you it was mounted incorrectly. But I had 2 stock mufflers do it, and I'm pretty sure I followed the instructions to the letter. I think the stock header is just weak (must not have gotten any *ruthless* engineering). After 2 cracked stock headers, I got a V&H and am very happy with it. I guess it's possible you could get too much vibration if your motor mounts are broken or damaged, but mine are good and it still cracked the header. | ||
| Chiznoca |
Hmmmm... So its entirely possible that weight of the stock exhaust coupled with the vibrations is too much for the header (this is my second header and second stock muffler). Last I checked...my motor mounts are good (I replaced one of those last year). I think I'll go with the V&H... where can I get one? Thanks. (Message edited by chiznoca on July 29, 2009) | ||
| Britchri10 |
Chiznoca: Before you "go with" the V&H, check out the Jardine RT1. I switched to this about 4 months ago. I added the "quiet module" (QMI) to it and the bike really appreciated it. The stock muffler weighs 16 Lbs. It's heavy. The V&H is a great exhaust. Personally, I prefer the RT1, although it is like $50.00 more than the V&H. I would post what mine sounds like but wav. files are beyond my computer skills. You can just Google the V&H and follow the links for the best price. Good luck with the upgrade. Aftermarket pipes really improve the bike. Chris C |
