I've cleaned out the rear silencer on my 2004 Rev3 for the first time......blow-lamped the inner pipe to burn off the crap and then repacked it.

But can I blowlamp the front silencer box, or is there some packing in there that I would destroy ?

The Midpipe is packed with wire wool and the pipe itself being ally will melt with no real warning so using a blow torch is a big NO. my method is to plug one end (I find a potato works well) and fill the pipe with fresh petrol leave it in a corner of the workshop and give it a good shake every time I walk past it (or when I remember to) leave it for a good week if you can, changing the fuel every couple of days, then flush it out with a degreaser, get the blowtorch on your front pipe you will be amazed how much carbon builds up in it

It used to be caustic soda same routine but quicker...but it is caustic so in these days of H & Safety etc. it's possibly not allowed to be sold any more.

caustic soda still available in local hardware shops.

It used to be caustic soda same routine but quicker...but it is caustic so in these days of H & Safety etc. it's possibly not allowed to be sold any more.

Don't use caustic soda to decoke your aluminium mid box, it will eat through it in no time!

John Doe is correct.

Do NOT use any strong caustic on your aluminum muffler. The best way is to burn it out using a propane torch. Contrary to what was said, it would very difficult to melt the thing unless you have a huge torch. The method I have used 6 times on my 2004 Rev3 is to clamp the unit vertically with the large end down. You MUST do this outdoors. Use the torch to ignite the residue. After it reached a certain temperature, the chimney effect will aid in the combustion. Keep at it until the residue stops burning. After letting it cool, you can reach inside with a piece of folded metal banding (shipping strap) or anything else that might help scrape out the ash. The packing appears to be Kevlar fiber. Mine has remained undamaged through all of these cleanings.

An alternate method would be solvent or a less aggressive cleaner. If you use solvent, you have to buy it and dispose of it, and it probably doesn't work as well. Ditto for the cleaner, but more so.

BTW, this should be a regular maintenance item on a Rev3. The cleanout will make such a difference to power and clean running that you will be amazed.

Edited January 9, 201016 yr by RonM

As a metal worker I hear blowtorch and think oxy-acetylene, So yes you would struggle to melt the pipe with a small Propane mixed gas plumbers flame, but until I could identify the packing (Looks a lot like wire wool on my 2000 rev3) I would be hesitant to burn it out with a flame.

Gday, talk to your local Car engine rebuilder/machinist. They often use a cold parts cleaning solution, safe for aluminium. Get them to soak the pipes etc in that overnight and it will be like new. I have my own tank for jobs like this, however my local guys dont charge me if they do it for me. Remove any plastic/ orings etc as they will not survive the bath. Paint also will not survive.

Cheers,

Stork

I just drop about 10 inches of jack chain in, cover both ends and shake away. It works fine. I hear people also using bicycle chain.

The packing is wire wool. I cut mine open, removed the wool which was absolutely caked with gunk, replaced it with new wire wool and re-welded the ali skin.

Is it necessary to reinstall the wire wool in the midbox considering there is packing in the silencer? Or does the wire wool help with silencing the motor.

Is it necessary to reinstall the wire wool in the midbox considering there is packing in the silencer? Or does the wire wool help with silencing the motor.

The middle silencer has an effect on quitening the bike down. When I repacked mine it was significantly quieter.

Just talking about the front pipe here. Just had a great result using a blowtorch. Starting at the back of the front pipe heated it up until oil goo started to burn eventually started to glow red then I used a garden pump up sprayer to blow air through. To my amazement the carbon started to glow like a barbeque. Slowly a red ring of heat travelled all the way along the pipe cleaning it out totally. Bit of blueing to the pipe but looks good and hopefully will sound good. By the way this was an Akropovic pipe as well. Currently soaking mid box in fuel then will flush with degreaser, back together for the weekend I hope.

On 1/14/2010 at 7:38 AM, anotherfive said:

Just talking about the front pipe here. Just had a great result using a blowtorch. Starting at the back of the front pipe heated it up until oil goo started to burn eventually started to glow red then I used a garden pump up sprayer to blow air through. To my amazement the carbon started to glow like a barbeque. Slowly a red ring of heat travelled all the way along the pipe cleaning it out totally. Bit of blueing to the pipe but looks good and hopefully will sound good. By the way this was an Akropovic pipe as well. Currently soaking mid box in fuel then will flush with degreaser, back together for the weekend I hope.

Do you put  the flame on the outside of the pipe, or do you just keep blowing the flame into the pipe? What did you do with the actual silencer? Thanks

 Flame on the inside, just to get the carbon burning. You have to feed it oxygen to keep it going.