Aftermarket Muffler Needed By stefanelli (Read 1,790 times)

[stefanelli]

I've got a 150cc Automoto, pictured below. It has about 650 miles on it. Problem? The weld on the muffler cracked, causing me to have to rewire the harness and heat up/straighten out the engine cover. I can get a replacement, OEM, from the manufacturer, but this seems to be a recurring problem with this particular vehicle.

Does anyone know of a place where I can get an aftermarket one? I've searched the web, but couldn't find a place.

[FACE PLANT FOR LIFE]

Yikes, that's unfortunate. The muffler must not be supported and it's causing the self to break..either way, I'm not entirely sure what exact muffler should go on that particular bike. It could help if we had a picture of the entire muffler (bend in the pipe, size of the actual muffler, mounting bolts, etc).

[stefanelli]

Yeah, it is unfortunate, and from what I understand, it is very common on this scooter. Apparently it's a design flaw, but the trike is out of warranty, so if I have to get the OEM, I might consider taking it to a metal shop and seeing if the weld can be reinforced. It attaches in multiple places, but given the fact that the the engine unit is on a separate suspension (two wheels) and the front/top part both leans and goes up and down with a shock absorber, the twisting action more than likely contributes to the failure of the weld. Design flaw... I'll take a picture of the entire exhaust unit next time I am in the garage and post it. Thanks for the help.

[stefanelli]

OK, here are four pictures of the muffler, put back together best I can. It's pretty much spot on:

[Alleyoop]

BUMMER, that thing will cost a lot to replace, Now the muffler should be attached to the same place as the motor is so it moves with the motor, otherwise it will keep on breaking someplace. So If you plan to keep the scoot for a long Several things you can do :
1. Get a muffler and have a welder make a pipe and mount it to a place where the motor is mounted to. The pipe does not have to be as long as that one also the muffler does not have to be as big. My muffler is only 13" long on my trike and never a problem because it is mounted to the swingarm that the motor is mounted to so it all moves as one. 2. Have the pipe welded back on and it actually will be stronger there. If it is mounted so that it does not move with the motor(which causes something to break) then I would buy a flex piece of muffler pipe and cut the pipe where it will flex with the motor and not move the muffler. Some of the ICE BEAR trikes come with a piece of flex pipe just for that purpose.
Alleyoop

[tvnacman]

stress is causing this , when you bolt the muffler up something is not lined up perfect . When you tighten it up it causing stress . I worked on one of the automotos and the muffler mounts to the engine behind the dipstick and then near the final drive shaft on the swing arm .

John

[stefanelli]

Alleyoop, the muffler will cost $75.00 plus shipping to replace, which in the grand scheme of things is not really that much. However, getting another muffler will likely end up having to, well, get yet another muffler. I think I will try your second suggestion, if I can find a decent welder here in town. Other than it being broken in half, it's basically a new unit.

I checked the mounts, and they all appear to be on the bottom part of the frame, so perhaps one of the mounts was loose? I'll keep everyone posted.

Thanks for the advice. Much obliged.

[stefanelli]

John,

After inspecting all the mounting points, I think one of the bolts may have been loose, as all the points are on the engine compartment area. Alleyoop suggested (among other things) to have the muffler welded, and since it is basically new, I might try and have that done, then remount it and make sure everything is snug and lined up correctly.

[tvnacman]

The trick is to mount what you have , then spot weld it . This way everything is in position without stress . Remove it and complete the welding , I would imagine the welder will need some filler material . I bet it went together with some stress or a mounting hole was stripped or as you say loose .

John

[Deleted]

fwiw.. have you considered that the ball & socket joint (where the springs are) is rusting and binding? If you have a muffler shop reweld the muffler, then disassemble the joint and inspect it. If it is too tight they can open it a little with their "Pipe Bender". Then clean it with a wire brush and maybe even some sandpaper to get a smooth finish. Allow it to air dry, then coat both the ball and socket with a light but thorough film of antisieze (the Copper type NOT the Aluminium type) and reinstall.

Then every 6 months check and or recoat to keep it moving.

[Deleted]

Aug 9, 2014 15:03:32 GMT -6 stefanelli said:

OK, here are four pictures of the muffler, put back together best I can. It's pretty much spot on:

neat scooter.
probably best to have it welded and figure out whats causing the stress. may have to make your own bracketry to hold it instead of the original stuff.
im trying to envision how this even attached and what position its mounted in. have you got a back shot of the scooter?

[stefanelli]

Aside from the obvious, the muffler is in excellent condition. The trike has only 650 miles on it. I am considering a custom exhaust at this point, using the engine pipe and ball socket unit, then attaching a cannister muffler.

[jct842]

I think the trick is to have a short light weight muffler securely mounted to the engine block with no possibility of rocking back and forth or any movement. Ally has a super trap, I made an adapter to screw briggs and stratton muffler to my old 150. The longer and heavier the more the muffler is, the more it is going to want to do a dance.

[stefanelli]

Well, all I can say is, "Damn... JB Weld is freaking strong."

I decided there's no point in buying another muffler from the same manufacturer, as I'd end up buying a new one frequently. However, the integrated mounting included bushings that I didn't feel like hacking off, then figuring out how to mount an after market canister.

So, I JB Welded the sucker, using the old-school version that sets over night. Then I wrapped it with high-end muffler tape. Aside from it smoking like a barbeque grill (the oils in the muffler tape - normal) it's holding strong.

Now, I have to readjust the carb, which is no biggie.

Here's something I didn't know, having ridden motorcycles for the last four decades but never a scooter; that apparently there is no alternator, so when the battery died, I figured out what that charger was for.

We're up and running, again!

Thank you for all your advice. You guys rock!

[Alleyoop]

It does have a charging system, It has a Stator(Magneto)on the side of the muffler behind the cooling fan. The stator is bolted to the case and the flywheel which has magnets locks onto the crank shaft and as the crank is turning it produces electricty(Vac) then it goes to a Regulator/Rectifier which turns some of that juice into DC VOLTS and a wire goes to your battery to charge it. If your battery is not charging when you ride it then one of those parts is bad or the battery is shot. In your instrument panel you should have a volt meter, if when riding it is registering 13+ volts then your charging system is working.
Alleyoop

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