What's going on with this Super-hot exhaust???

[Michael211_2000]

Started my 2012 up to run a short errand down the street last week, felt a LOT of heat from my right side behind my leg. Engine seemed really weak and sounded strange... got back and parked it but left it running and looked up the tailpipes of the muffler and saw this! Great balls of fire!

Any thoughts what's going on here? I haven't seen or read of this before. :banghead: Thanks!


- Michael

 

[ARtraveler]

Heat issues from the 998's were a common issue.

The fireballs shown are above my paygrade. Answers to come I am sure.

 

[Michael211_2000]

No no, this is new and NOT normal. The engine now doesn't want to start even, it fires up then dies. So something has definitely gone amiss here I don't know what though. Maybe the injectors are stuck? But both at the same time... seems improbable. The heat issues you are referring to were on certain years and models, but not the 2012 RS or RSS models. And that heat issue was on the LEFT foot, not the right leg as I just experienced. This is not that, my entire muffler was super hot!

- Michael

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

IMHO, for some reason your system is running super rich... Smarter folks will chime in..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[ARtraveler]

Just a thought. Did a mouse or two build a nest in the exhaust. :dontknow:

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Michael. On your exhaust system, the two header pipes from each cylinder come together into a common pipe, and then enter the muffler. So, it would only take one injector to be screwing up to get an overly rich mixture, not both of them. The muffler simply has two exit holes. They are not specific to each cylinder.

If this is the OEM BRP muffler, the catalytic converter is part of the muffler - up in the front part. Appears you could be overheating the cat section, which results in damage and plugging of the cat flow path. An overly rich mixture does just that. However, not to rule out a critter related issue, also. Plus, a stuck exhaust valve or mis-fueling.

Did you have a Check Engine Light on, indication that you had a fault code for something?

I would start by removing the muffler for a complete inspection of it and the rest of the exhaust. See if there is any indication of overheating upstream. Investigate for foreign material or mis-fueling event as causes. Of course, with the muffler removed, you’ll be tempted to start it up to see how it runs. Just cover your ears.

Two issues to correct. One is the ROOT cause, and the other is the resultant damage. Both need addressed.

 

[Woodaddict]

this is engine 998 twin. is there a problem with the extra gas going into vent air chamber?

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

this is engine 998 twin. is there a problem with the extra gas going into vent air chamber?

Not at all sure what you are referring to Wood, unless you are thinking about the intake airbox. If so, that was a legacy issue with oil carry-over from the crank case breather. It would accumulate in the airbox, run down all over the place and make a mess, and could be ingested by the engine with minor issues, or gum up the throttle body. Nothing like this. It was not a problem by the time a 2012 998 was produced, and it was not a gas problem.

PS - Although thinking about it further...Over the years I've seen Purge Valve failures and vacuum line failures go either way - lean or rich - depending on other circumstances. So, I guess Michael can't rule out some of the other genetic issues with the 998, either. It's just that, he's the first one I can remember, that has had the idea to look up the a$$ of a Spyder and take a picture.

 

[BajaRon]

I'm thinking clogged cat. But other suggestions could also be contributors. Something is definitely going wrong in a big way here.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The 998 motors had notoriously bad exhaust gaskets - the fix was to use HONDA gaskets. I forget the part number, but someone will chime in ..... Mike :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[Coloradodonkey]

You may want to remove the muffler/cat assembly but leave the rest of the exhaust intact and see how it runs then. If you are dumping excess fuel for some reason, you should be able to tell. I have seen excess fuel cause a melt-down in car/truck catalytic converters before.

 

[Allen42]

Cleveland's a "fer spell" from Dallas, or I would offer to let you borrow my OEM cat (if one from a 2019 RTL would fit your bike) to rule that out.

I do recall a few years back stopping a truck in front of me who's entire catalytic converter was glowing red to yellow-white hot, and throwing sparks. I really didn't want to watch an explosion.

 

[Fvee3]

I concur with BajaRon my 1st thought was cat

 

[Jackhartjr]

On my 2013 RTL, I took off, very little power, my right foot got hot, I had driven it 3 miles. It actually cut off coming to a stop. I cranked it back up, drove it back to the trailer, as I was unlocking it, the dash started flaming!
It was suspected that it was a fuel problem!

 

[Hypurone]

Don't forget the problematic vacuum lines these are known for as they will cause a lean condition to which the ECM will ADD FUEL...

 

[Allen42]

On my 2013 RTL, I took off, very little power, my right foot got hot, I had driven it 3 miles. It actually cut off coming to a stop. I cranked it back up, drove it back to the trailer, as I was unlocking it, the dash started flaming!
It was suspected that it was a fuel problem!

This also sounds like the overheating issue for that year, that caused the invention of the add-on intake vents as a recall modification.