mgm52

Any ideas as to how and keep the back half muffler pieces when the bolt breaks or comes loose. When this happens the back half and the baffel are lost in flight . Looking for the pieces after the fact is like looking for a needle in a hay stack -- at 25-35 bucks each this could get expensive-they won't sell just the parts you need for replacement- It has happend to me and i have seen at least 3 others loose the baffel and the back half of the muffler. The bolts are too samll in dia. and also they seem to stretch and contract with the heat and sooner or later she'll break at the head or the nut, and ya got to repalce the whole thing -
thanks
Mike

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Here you go. Use lacing wire (or floral wire from the craft department at Wal-mart) and lace the back half of the muffler to the front half. If the bolt break your engine will usually die from the loss of muffler pressure, but you'll still have the muffler parts in place.

Hope this helps

Ken

ChuckW

I've seen people TIG weld the two muffler halves for a permanent fix. When the muffler on my Tower Hobbies .46 came apart in flight, I just bought a Macs one piece muffler. It's a quality piece and gave it a few more RPM too. Of course it is a little louder.

alan0899

G'day Mate,
If you are breaking bolts, do as Ken said, & also, only tighten the screw enough to stop the end of the muffler from rotating, then tighten the lock nut, nice & tight, with the proper spanner, ( wrench ).
It will allow some expansion, & not break the bolt.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I do like Ken does, only I use the copper wire I have for soldering. (What the heck is he doing in the craft dept.at Wallmart? Oh well, we ARE talking about a guy with a pink airplane)

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Ken

rc-sport

My Feedback: (12)

Switch to a four stroke

Villa

I know people who lose 2-3 mufflers per year and they take no corrective action. Since a muffler problem, like is being described, can cause a crash, I treat it as a very serious problem. Our 2 cycle engines vibrate tremendously (I have seen many 4 cycle mufflers fall off also); every bolted joint WILL get loose unless steps are taken to prevent it. IMHO, the thru bolt thru the center of the muffler is adequate for the job. If things get loose, the muffler parts will start rattling and higher stresses are put on the thru bolt and it snaps. IMHO, the key is NEVER to let anything get loose. I use blue Loctite on all threaded connections except the engine head. I use Silicone Automotive Adhesive Sealant on the muffler/engine flanged connection, and on the slip joint between the two muffler halves, and on both ends of the muffler thru bolt. At the first sign of a leak anywhere, I take everything apart, clean it and re-seal it. Probably 1-2 times per year. This is not a lot of work. We have the same people loose mufflers year in and year out. They spend hours looking for mufflers that have fallen off. Occasionally their plane crashes from a lost muffler. That to me is a lot of work.

bbbair

OK Guys;
I have a low tech solution, I remove the existing 4" Screw and replace it with a length of threaded rod.

Put a lock nut on the front with a dab of Heat proof epoxy, then thighten down TWO nuts on the back.
Cut the Threaded rod off about 1/2" long and Crimp the threads. This will allow you to loosen the back part to "AIM" the exhaust without ever loosing the nuts.

Cheap fix, works well - NO Problems!

bignasdy

this is funny stuff.
The rod is adequate indeed. You have to be smarter than the equiptment.
ballance the prop and make sure the motormounts are tight, and thats all.
Thread lock?
never.
BALLANCE THE PROP !
d

Charlie P.

Anything that falls off a plane yet still allows you to land take off again probably wasn't necessary to begin with.

I had one muffler that vibrated loose frequently (the center long bolt was mostly stripped) and I solved it by drilling two holes in the overlapping seam and putting #2 self tapping sheet metal screws dipped in epoxy in the holes. That one didn't have an internal baffle. I don't think even to begin with.

BillS

I use 4-40 threaded rod when necessary and double nut both ends.

Apparently Tower sells some muffler parts separately such as LXPTL9, LXPTL9 but don’t know how the correct size would be determined. Looks like there are about dozen.

Bill