manleywc

How do I clean out the black sludge building up in my 3W-140 stock can mufflers? I've tried several solvents and oven cleaner. I think the baffle holes are becoming clogged, restricting airflow.

Thanks,
Cliff Manley

Carlos Murphy

My Feedback: (72)

The best method I've used for cleaning mufflers and engines is "antifreeze in the crock-pot".
Put your parts in a crock pot or "all day cooker", cover with fresh coolant, cover, heat on high for 6 hours to over night.
Remove parts with hotdog tongs or have strings tied to the parts to lift them out of the pot and rinse in water.
Anything left on the parts should wipe off with a towel or brass brush very easily. Do not reuse the pot for food!

For other methods, do a search for "engine cleaning".

bob_nj

My Feedback: (62)

I also have a 3W 140 that seems to produce more than usual sludge. Out of the three 3W engines I own, it is the most troublesome. I've only flown the plane about a dozen times. Each flight I lean the low end a little, but the plane is always sprayed with the oily black residue and is becoming permanently stained. The plane and engine are relatively new, but it was broken in when I got it. Does the 140 take some sort of special care, or is the technology just a little behind the two newer engines I have? I read a post somewhere about a product I think was called "Goo B Gone" or something that was supposedly the trick cleaner for planes in situations like this. Anyone remember the post or cleaner name? Here's a shot of the plane on my site. Click on Barbs' legs for a seperate page
Click on the Cap

manleywc

Thanks for the replies.
I guess I should also tell on myself. I took some bad advice and cut-off, then capped the front stacks on these mufflers. The engine is very quite, but does not seem to reach full speed. It is also slow to throttle up. It runs smooth, and still has unlimited vertical on a 39 lb plane. Cleaning out the sludge is just a last ditch effort to avoid un-modifying the muffler.

Cliff

bob_nj

My Feedback: (62)

What exactly did you do?

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

While I have a black soot in my muffler, I don't have a sludge. The only time I have a sludge is when I have a loose connection! Make sure you have the proper gaskets and that all your connections are tight.

manleywc

I cut off the front two stacks, leaving about 1/2" of pipe protruding from the main can. I then brazed two .030 aluminum disks of into the pipe ends. I attached a picture with the cowl on. I'm getting 5900 rpm with a 30 x 10 3W prop. I wish I had run the engine before capping the pipes, and then I would know how much I'm loosing.