Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Hey guys, looking for some tips on how to get these pesky baffles out! the middle one turns almost a quarter, but I can't seem to get any in/out movement. The other two don't move a mm.
I tried degreaser wash and many hours of penetrating oil.

I've overly cautious, because I don't want that little steel post to snap
And there isn't really any good place for leverage...

ideas? tips?

THANKS!!

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running... '78 KH400, '07 KLR. In a state of repair.... '72 S2.

Only half joking...ride it around for a while without the screws, they'll come out. The hard part is retrieving them B4 a car crushes them!!

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"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.

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Answers are here: http://kawatriple.com/

Yeah, I saw that in the resource guide.... If I only had a slide hammer!


I wish i could ride this around! This bike is a pile of pieces. It's going to be a while before I'm able to kick this one over!

I have a sneaky suspicion that the center muffler is completely clogged/ rusted out - so I hope all my effort isn't wasted. we'll see.
Short of getting a slide hammer for this one thing, though it is the right tool for the job, I'll keep chopping away at it the old fashioned way-- lots of oils and pulling! ahha

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running... '78 KH400, '07 KLR. In a state of repair.... '72 S2.

I have an alternative that has worked for me quite a bit. What is holding the baffles in place in most cases is wet carbon, still oil loaded, and like a partially cured cement. The carbon is a bit larger diameter than the separator plate holes in the muffler. so, the expanded "goo" doesn't allow the baffle to slide out easily, as it should.

Here is where it gets tricky. I use a propane torch down the baffles, to dry the carbon out, making it a lot easier to manipulate off the baffle tube, as it is being twisted and pulled out of the muffler. If the carbon gets dried out, using the slide hammer should become an easy task, if needed.

The main issue is, if the cross bar gets bent, it usually comes out of the baffle, then, the real problems start.

Once the baffle is out of the muffler, an oxy/acetelene torch heats the carbon on the baffle to dry it out, and then the carbon is easily removed from the baffle tube. I bead blast them, but wire brush works, other measures.

The key is to do what Kawasaki outlined in its maintenance and tech bulletins, turn the oil pump output down, set the check valve relief pressures, run a good oil, and take the baffles out, clean them, reinstall, done at the recommended service interval, 5,000 miles maximum.

UPDATE:

Slide hammer worked!! Hardest part of the process was securing the pipes to the table, so when slide hammer'd, the pipe didn't fly away!
Sprayed some degreaser on the baffles, rinsed, soaked in evaporust for 16 hrs, then a quick hit on the bench wire brush-- voila, they look ok.




the middle one, taken from the pipe with the long hanger, was the most affected by rust. The baffle 'lost' a bit off its top ((probably still in the pipe))! But the rest isn't brittle, so it should work ok.


My followup to all of this.
Each muffler pipe has some rust inside. I hear it rattlin' around in there. How do I get that out?? How much should I worry about the insides? Maybe I can fabricate an extension to the shopvac, so as to get deep in there?! I thought about buying a cheapo "endo-scope" off of amazon to look up in there. But then again, I've never looked inside any muffler before, so I'd have no benchmark!

Thoughts?


S2 mufflers

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running... '78 KH400, '07 KLR. In a state of repair.... '72 S2.

Not an expert, but I'd shake out as much as you can, maybe degrease internally to a degree after that, pack the baffles nice and tight using thin wire to keep it that way, and then run it!

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"Only cheat the cheaters, boy - you can't cheat an honest man!" Mordecai Jones - The Flim Flam Man.