Cleaning out a muffler

[sundance]

I've got a Stihl BR420C blower. Wasn't running very well. Cleaned up the exhaust screen (if was really clogged), running well now. While I had the muffler off found the exhaust port on engine somewhat built up. The muffler is a sealed unit (and catalytic).
Looking for thoughts on how to clean out the muffler. Or should I just replace? If I replace can I install a non-catalytic as that's most of what I see advertised.
TIA for any thoughts and ideas.

 

[m21bmr]

I've had good success with either using a propane bottle with a torch attachment to heat the muffler enough to burn out the deposits, or to place it over the side burner on my gas grill for about 15 minutes to let it burn the deposits out of the muffler.

 

[RedFir Down]

Throw it in the wood stove for a bit.

 

[North by Northwest]

Either the propane or if required butane torch and wire brush is efficient usually , the side burner of the barbecue is a interesting concept . P.S. What oil or fuel are you currently using , they may be contributing to your problem ?

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

I used a coarse sanding drum for the dremel followed by a split mandrill for the first time, very pleased. Normally I use a wire wheel but they don’t seem to last. I then soaked it in evaporust, sanded it and painted it.

 

[vhmtach38]

So you just needed AS approval.!...

 

[s sidewall]

Did you burn out the crud in the muffler?

Steve from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk

 

[KASH]

Maybe he got scared off this one could turn into another oil thread.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

Sealed mufflers get the propane torch until it stops smoking and flaring up, then i wheel it, heat to about 200 and paint to reduce rust.

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[2broke2ride]

I like the throw it in the wood stove idea. We used to do that for mouse nests in snowmobile pipes.

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[North by Northwest]

I used a coarse sanding drum for the dremel followed by a split mandrill for the first time, very pleased. Normally I use a wire wheel but they don’t seem to last. I then soaked it in evaporust, sanded it and painted it.

View attachment 867192View attachment 867193View attachment 867194

Nice job , your hired !

 

[North by Northwest]

Maybe he got scared off this one could turn into another oil thread.

Say it ain't so !

 

[sundance]

Either the propane or if required butane torch and wire brush is efficient usually , the side burner of the barbecue is a interesting concept . P.S. What oil or fuel are you currently using , they may be contributing to your problem ?

It's 20+ years old. I've used Stihl, Stihl synthetic, Mobil 1 2T, Woodsman Pro synthetic and maybe others. Mostly with local Exxon 93 octane with ethanol. Nothing pure available near me.

 

[sundance]

I used a coarse sanding drum for the dremel followed by a split mandrill for the first time, very pleased. Normally I use a wire wheel but they don’t seem to last. I then soaked it in evaporust, sanded it and painted it.

View attachment 867192View attachment 867193View attachment 867194

Thanks. My concern is the internals and clearing them out, not the outside. I'll give a propane torch a try when I'm done with leaf blowing.

 

[North by Northwest]

It's 20+ years old. I've used Stihl, Stihl synthetic, Mobil 1 2T, Woodsman Pro synthetic and maybe others. Mostly with local Exxon 93 octane with ethanol. Nothing pure available near me.

It was time for a good cleaning then . The oils you were using not an issue , the efuel will breakdown any accumulation of carbon quickly that may occurred over the yrs which is normal , once it was introduced . If your carb is tuned properly you should be good to go . A little smoke upon startup then very little once up to temp will be a good indication . Good luck

 

[Mad Professor]

I like the throw it in the wood stove idea. We used to do that for mouse nests in snowmobile pipes.

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Does PETA know about this?

When we used to burn HUGE brush piles, we'd have shotguns and beagles for the flaming rabbits, that got roasted later on a spit over the coals.....

 

[kevin j]

Not sure if this will work on a small muffler, Or if it might overheat the catalytic material, but for steel motorcycle pipes I would hang them vertically and run an acetylene torch into the bottom with a little bit of extra oxygen. It created a chimney effect. Once it got hot, go quite rich on the oxygen and the internal carbon would start to burn. Have to be really careful not to overheat it, but it would have a red spot on the outside of the pipe working its way upward as it burned all the carbon out. Took about 15 to 30 minutes, created huge volumes of white smoke so you may not want to do that in a city neighborhood. Basically I was creating a controlled chimney fire, and could reduce the rate of burn by reducing the excess oxygen in the acetylene flame