When my engine is running rich, the fuel/oil that makes it into the muffler runs out of the mid-muffler joint. Wondering if there would be any issues with sealing this with some blue gasket RTV?



When the fluids leak out of this seam it runs back towards the engine and covers the side of my plane. if this gap were sealed, the majority of the fluid would come out of the exhaust port which would make for a bit of a cleaner plane I am thinkin.

somegeek

I cant see any issues. that joint should have been sealed by the manufacturer I should think. most mufflers should have an oring there but as long as you don't cover up the exaust hole and you should be okay.

No, there isn't an o-ring. It's just a tight fit. Sometimes it does leak a little bit, but it's usually no biggie. Just make sure that the bolt holding the halves together is tight and you'll be fine.

Ken

i have never seen an oring on any mufflers for the 2 strokes,if it has been leaking you can use the rtv that wont hurt at all between the joints.i would use a nylon tiewrap around the muffler make it as tight as you can if the screw comes loose at least you wont lose half of your muffler i started to do this on all my mufflers wrap it around the exhaust and where it bolts to the engine.and like RCKEN said tighten the screw and nut use some fingernail polish on the nut providing it uses one most i have seen do.hope this helps some....

Sorry, most mufflers DO NOT have an O ring. If you want a really good seal (permanent), clean the area thoroughly with a good oil remover and use JB weld on it.

Dr.1

This muffler did not ship with any o-rings/gaskets, etc. Thanks all for the suggestions. I used Blue Silicone RTV to seal up the muffler seam as well as the bolt entry points on both ends of the muffler. Down the road if I use this engine in another plane and need to rotate that back half of the muffler I can do so.

somegeek

I mentioned in an earlier post to tighten the bolt holding the muffler together, and this brings up a modification that I do to OS mufflers. When I started flying I had 2 bolts holding the muffler together break while flying, and the back half of the muffler falls off in flight. Trust me, they are impossible to find when they fall off. You cannot purchase just the back half, you must purchase the entire muffler assembly. So I have a couple of modifications that help prevent this from happening.

The first modification is to use lacing wire to retain the back half of the muffler. As you can see in the pictures attached that the wire goes around the muffler. Very very important is to twist the wire so it is TIGHT around the muffler body. When you do this it prevents if from rubbing on the muffler. Then take the wire down twisting it along it's length and wrap it around the exhaust manifold. Then twist on the other side, cut off, and fold the piece under the manifold. What this does is hold the muffler half on until you can land if the bolt does break while in flight.

The second modification is to totally replace the bolt. I use 6-32 all-thread to replace the bolt. You will have to drill out the holes on each end of the muffler for it to fit. I use METAL self locking nuts (DO NOT USE NYLON, they will melt) to bolt the muffler together. If you can't find metal self locking nuts you can a double nut on each end of the muffler. The double nut will lock in place, put a little blue locktite on to keep it in place. By using the all-thread you won't have to worry about it breaking.

I hope that this helps others from losing half of their mufflers.

Ken

After the maiden flight today and further engine work the seals I added using the blue RTV on the muffler half seam and the bolt entry points worked. The excess glow fuel/oil is making it's way out of the tube and I have much less fuel/oil deposited on the side of my plane as a result. [sm=thumbup.gif]

somegeek

I use clear or white (depending on what's open) silicone sealant after wiping surfaces with acetone. J-B Weld will work, but could "weep" if there is enough vibration and a poor clean-up job prior, and if you ever do want the pieces apart you're S.O.L. Any liquid "gasket eliminator" compound will do. It's a non critical application.