thrasher
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2006
- Messages
- 708
- Reaction score
- 63
- Points
- 928
- Location
- Ottawa Valley, Ontario
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- 06 Vector RS ER
Just something to inspect when changing exhaust donuts or have the suspension out. Have 06 Vector with 40,000 kms . So, on a week long tour last winter, when on the morning of our third day my exhaust was gradually becoming quite loud. A cold -40 cel morning, just starting out, assumed it was my exhaust donuts again. Figured that I would change them out when I got back home. However, used the copper ones last time I changed them, at about 25,000 kms. Lasted twice as long as the graphite ones. Couldn't see anything from under the sled, full of ice and snow as usual. Sled now getting extremely loud with what seemed to be backfiring at lower rpms. The younger crowd seemed to like it, wanted to know what kind of can I had on it. I just smiled.
Anyhow, turns out that I had more of an issue than I thought. At home, went thru the normal routine of taking things apart to change the exhaust donuts. That's when I found that the bracket holding the y-pipe from under the tunnel had pulled all 8 rivets thru the tunnel and was just hanging there. When it became loose, the y-pipe dropped and broke at the weld where 3 pipes go to 1. Now the hanging pieces were get getting caught in the track, which caused one of the flex pipes to break in half as well. This also melted a number of centre lugs off my track too. My ice attack track also had just about worn right thru y-pipe itself as well. So had to drop the suspension and replace the y-pipe, one of the flex pipes, and reattach the y-pipe mounting bracket to the tunnel. Also found that the tunnel protector rear rivets had also pulled thru, such that the protectors were loose as well. Fixed permanently with some bolts. On the positive side, the copper exhaust donuts showed no real wear at all. However, since I had everything apart, I replaced them with new ones, but had to actually cut and pry them out of the flex pipe collars.
Moral of my storey. Check those rivets in the tunnel, when accessible, for being loose as they will eventually wear thru. Also make sure that you always carry ear plugs with you. It was frigg'n loud.
Anyhow, turns out that I had more of an issue than I thought. At home, went thru the normal routine of taking things apart to change the exhaust donuts. That's when I found that the bracket holding the y-pipe from under the tunnel had pulled all 8 rivets thru the tunnel and was just hanging there. When it became loose, the y-pipe dropped and broke at the weld where 3 pipes go to 1. Now the hanging pieces were get getting caught in the track, which caused one of the flex pipes to break in half as well. This also melted a number of centre lugs off my track too. My ice attack track also had just about worn right thru y-pipe itself as well. So had to drop the suspension and replace the y-pipe, one of the flex pipes, and reattach the y-pipe mounting bracket to the tunnel. Also found that the tunnel protector rear rivets had also pulled thru, such that the protectors were loose as well. Fixed permanently with some bolts. On the positive side, the copper exhaust donuts showed no real wear at all. However, since I had everything apart, I replaced them with new ones, but had to actually cut and pry them out of the flex pipe collars.
Moral of my storey. Check those rivets in the tunnel, when accessible, for being loose as they will eventually wear thru. Also make sure that you always carry ear plugs with you. It was frigg'n loud.
