Baffle packing gone

[lhanscom]

I looked in my muffler earlier this year, probably 2 or 3 thousand miles ago, and the packing around the baffle was mostly good, had about an inch and a half hole in the packing. I then put it back in and figured it as fine. Well I just opened it up again today, and to my surprise, there is no sign that the packing was ever there. Is that normal? Does it mean any thing? TIA

[Anonymous]

Re: Baffle packing gone

I looked in my muffler earlier this year, probably 2 or 3 thousand miles ago, and the packing around the baffle was mostly good, had about an inch and a half hole in the packing. I then put it back in and figured it as fine. Well I just opened it up again today, and to my surprise, there is no sign that the packing was ever there. Is that normal? Does it mean any thing? TIA

is it possible that you had some fiberglass in the place of the regular muffler packing that was not intended for that purpose. My muffler packing gets dirty and black but does not disappear. I use the white hesay stuff sold in most supply houses just for muffler packing.

[lhanscom]

I remember having a pretty bad backfire once (doing something stupid). would that cause it?

[Anonymous]

I remember having a pretty bad backfire once (doing something stupid). would that cause it?

Its hard to believe the packing is gone IF it was the proper stuff to begin with. Maybe someone put some household insulation in the baffle. Is that a possibility???

[Anonymous]

Re: Baffle packing gone

I looked in my muffler earlier this year, probably 2 or 3 thousand miles ago, and the packing around the baffle was mostly good, had about an inch and a half hole in the packing. I then put it back in and figured it as fine. Well I just opened it up again today, and to my surprise, there is no sign that the packing was ever there. Is that normal? Does it mean any thing? TIA

is it possible that you had some fiberglass in the place of the regular muffler packing that was not intended for that purpose. My muffler packing gets dirty and black but does not disappear. I use the white hesay stuff sold in most supply houses just for muffler packing.

I used stainless steel wool to repack my megaphone. It doesn't retain moisture on short runs or blow out if packed right. You'll need about a dozen packs and it's not expensive.

You can get it at a supermarket. Make sure it's stainless. There are two types available here. The first is fine and looks much like ordinary steel wool. It's usually impregnated with soap which should be soaked and washed out - unless you want to smell like a laundry. The second is much coarser with flat bright fibres in palm-sized round pads.

Put some coarse stuff at both ends and pack the bulk with the fine stuff. A bit of experimenting will determine the right amount of pack for noise and back pressure. I think you could use the coarse stuff only, but it might be a bit loud for my taste and upset tune.

rgds
David
1982 GS850G

[Billy Ricks]

Luke,
It was just typical insulation I used in the canister. I just replaced it every so often when the old stuff would start disintegrating. Either wrap it first with some stainless wool as has already been suggested or wrap it with a few layers of screen wire then insulation. I just didn't have a local source at the time I was using the Kerker for the proper insulation so I made do with what I could find.

[oldschoolGS]

It is normal and BTW, What do you need packing for? I run my V+H Supersport with no packing and just the endcap in place. It is not that much louder (maybe it is) and is legal for inspection with the endcap in place. It may not be politically correct but I am a Republican anyway and the extra amboniance (noise) lets all the cell phone talkers know where I am in traffic. Ride On, Ed.

[lhanscom]

Thanks Everyone!