DECARBONIZING

[Hloni]

Any of you folks able to give advice regarding the decarbonizing of a 2 stroke engine muffler for a motorbike? It is a complete type with 1 too many bends thus a wire brush null and void.

How do I go about removing the carbon out of the muffler?
What product(s) can I possibly use?
I will remove the muffler from the bike, however I do not have an oven big enough to fit it into in case that is one of the methods. The muffler has a chrome finish to it therefore please take that into account regarding the recomended product(s).

I have lost a tremendous amount of power on the bike over the past few months, and I have been told that suspect number one will be carbon build-up.

[Pine]

Try Zeb oven cleaner

[JamesD]

I have seen guys pour petrol and thinners down it and leave it in a container of petrol and then set fire to it, burn off the carbon. I dont know how successful but i have seen it done. Also i'm not sure how much your chrome will like it

[bugspray]

What pine said. And ja soak it in petrol and then throw some stones in it and shake emlike a polaroid picture.

[Dutch_Diver]

I can't believe that you can get enough carbon build up to have that much of an effect....but what do I know....My R1150R is running a titanium sports exhaust

If you are worried, can you disassemble the exhaust to remove the baffels? If so then you could maybe us a grinding stone on one of those micro tool things.....

[Hloni]

A bit of dat stuff affects a 2 stroke very much!

[Barry]

Only way I know involves heating with a torch while it's hot & running- not good for chrome. I'm guessing a forum focused on 2-strokes would be a better place to ask? ? ?
I know you can remove combustion chamber carbon by trickling water down the carb at medium revs - what comes out the exhaust is not pretty, and you want to make sure you don't get it wrong and hydrolock it

[fig]

Many years ago I worked as a mechanic in a motorcycle shop and I was taught to do a 2-stroke exhaust decoke as follows:

1. Remove exhaust
2. Using an oxy-acetylene torch, heat a point just inside the exhaust until it is red hot
3. As soon as the metal is glowing, turn off the acetylene and blow pure oxygen through the exhaust
4. This starts the carbon burning and will generate HUGE clouds of noxious smoke
5. Continue until no more smoke is produced
6. Be careful not to direct the oxygen onto one spot for too long, as that will overheat and burn a hole in the exhaust

This is the quickest and most effective way to decoke a 2-stroke exhaust, but it WILL piss off the neighbours and is probably illegal.

[Hloni]

This is the quickest and most effective way to decoke a 2-stroke exhaust, but it WILL piss off the neighbours and is probably illegal.

Luckily me closest neighbour is 1259m away from my door, thus doubt he would mind, especially if I did the whole thing during normal working hours. We are farmers you know, we respect noise during work hours.

[greasemonkey]

Old school fix is to take the pipe off,stand it upright.Plug the bottom end, pour 500g caustic soda into it and top up with water. Lean it against a wall(it gets helluva hot) and go have a braai. Come back in a few hours and pour the mess out. Should be a lot cleaner. If its still bad, do the same but fill with thinners first and leave overnight(softens the carbon ) and then do the caustic deal

[hitlers revenge]

Would this then work on an aircooled inlet manifold???

Or should this be under stupid questions???

[greasemonkey]

Would this then work on an aircooled inlet manifold???

Or should this be under stupid questions???

caustic soda kills aliminum,tends to make it black.Can be used but you have to use it carefully. The black can be brushed off

[splitfan]

I have always done it with a torch like fig says, take the baffel apart and replace all the clogged "wool" (cant think what its called now) a good bike shop sells these . Roll the new "wool" tight around the pipe that fits inside the baffel and use masking tape to hold everything together in order to get it back in the "can", then after you have put the baffels together and the pipe on the bike the heat will affect the glue on the masking tape the "wool" expands and baffel will be "packed" nice and tight/quite.