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Post by ashley on Aug 16, 2007 0:33:34 GMT -5
I have a P250, and I noticed something as I started the scooter up when I was leaving work to go home. When I started it up, I hear the exhaust was about twice as loud as it normally is. It seemed to be coming from the front of the large piece of the muffler, but upon further inspection, I noticed absolutely no holes, loseness, or leaking of air of any kind anywhere in the area. It had to have happened on the highway as I was going to work that day. I have it on the interstate 20 minutes a day, from 70-80mph. I have noticed that there is no performance difference since the loudness started, or mpg variance. And I also noticed that when I get home from the 20 minute drive, the loud noise is gone, and the exhaust sounds completely normal and quiet. I have narrowed it down in guessing that something is going on inside the muffler when it is cool and not at operating temperature...Any thoughts on what this could be? Oh, I only use premium gas, and I have just hit 15,000 kilometers on it, and it's due for an oil change... Thanks guys!
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Post by slowscootin07 on Aug 17, 2007 22:12:56 GMT -5
Does it do it every time now on a cold start? If so, then I would take a light rubber mallet or my hand and tap lightly and squarely along the muffler. If you hear rattling, the odds are that the baffles inside have come loose and you'll need to replace it.
I've blown a muffler before on a scooter I used to have and it was loud all the time. I did notice a slight power increase and it sounded cool:) Well what wasn't cool was when it finally blew and blocked the tail pipe thus leaving me pushing a few miles. Lesson learned.
If you have found no obvious leaks, I'd say your muffler itself is the problem. Since you are on the highway a lot, I wouldn't chance it and examine the muffler; take it off if you can.
Hope this helps ya-Jeff
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Post by ashley on Aug 18, 2007 12:56:39 GMT -5
Yes it only happens when it is cold, or just cooled off for a few minutes. I am on the interstate a lot...How many baffles are inside and how much can they run?
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Post by slowscootin07 on Aug 18, 2007 15:06:05 GMT -5
Going by the fact that I am an Auto Mechanic and with my experiences with mufflers; I've never known of one that can be internally repaired, only replaced. When your muffler is/gets cool, the metal is contracting and a seal is compromised, when it heats up the metal expands and re-seals. This isn't the way a muffler is supposed to work and something inside is broken.
I'd replace it in haste and stay off the highway until you do. I did forget to mention I was at high speed when my muffler blew, the gas kept pumping in and I severely flooded the motor and darn near locked it up. I did bend a valve and had to replace it. It was a Honda motor so it was able to take a beating. If the same thing happened on a cheaper Chinese motor, I doubt the engine could've taken it.
It should be simple enough to replace the muffler and in my professional opinion, I would do so as soon as possible. At absolute minimum, take it off and examine it. Don't become a member of the "lesson learned" group.
Hope this helps-Jeff
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Post by ashley on Aug 18, 2007 18:39:55 GMT -5
Great, sounds like a load of fun...but how much would replacing this muffler cost? I'm guessing over $200 because that's my luck...
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Post by slowscootin07 on Aug 18, 2007 20:25:53 GMT -5
I'm not even sure what a P-250 is, you have to be more specific. look in google for your make and model. Again don't do what I say because it sounds good, but get it looked at if you can't do it.-Jeff
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Post by ashley on Aug 18, 2007 22:12:15 GMT -5
Kymco People 250. I have looked online for almost hours and no one is directly selling stock parts. I'll probably just have to check in with my dealership in the city...
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Post by ashley on Aug 28, 2007 0:54:28 GMT -5
What if I just took the muffler off all together? How would these machinese run without a muffler? Besides being illegal, would they hurt the engine or anything, just in case the muffler goes and I can't afford a new one right away?
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Post by Dennis D on Aug 28, 2007 6:26:49 GMT -5
It could hurt the engine to take the muffler off. They're designed for a certain amount of back pressure and run better with a certain length of pipe at least(usually longer than just a motorcycle header). You could seriously burn your valves by running with just the header and no muffler.
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Post by ashley on Sept 29, 2007 0:03:52 GMT -5
Well I finally took it to the dealership and they took 20 seconds to figure out that behind the chrome shield in the small exhaust pipe is a small crack. That's why it's been a little louder and have been smelling exhaust when starting up. My father is a welder of 35 years and I will see if he can patch it up, which they said should work fine. A new muffler for a people 250 costs around $115, which is better than I expected, and that's for the whole thing. I'm glad it's not the baffles, since I at least have a cheaper alternative in fixing this problem instead of replacing. Just hit 17,000km and still going strong! Bought a new halogen bulb since my high beam didnt work, cost me $13, plus I got a free dealership t-shirt and free license plate adapter. Awesome people.
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Post by ashley on Oct 6, 2007 12:41:58 GMT -5
My father came by the house yesterday and helped me take off the whole exhaust and sure enough it had a crack and a pretty big hole where the cover bolt was. He had a portable welding torch and grinder and within 30 minutes, it was good as new. It sounds perfect, and runs like new! Welding job will hold up nicely, for he's been a welder for over 30 years...Good cheap fix too!
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