[Rohnsman]

OK...



We join this story as I've just received a replacement Yamaha muffler purchased off Ebay. It seems solid enough, but after the incident with my previous muffler, I'm hesitant to do this. My original muffler developed a rattle after a minor crash and so I attempted to remove the screw that holds the end cap on the muffler. (See diagram below.) That in itself was an adventure, (as is removal of almost any of the &^%$**^%!! phillips head screws on this bike.) I finally bought a "Pro-GrabIt" a screw extractor which I -highly- recommend as it does exactly what it claims with minimal fuss.

After removing the screw, I attempted to pull off the endcap (as shown in the diagram above) so I could remove the arrester, clean it, and peer inside the muffler with a flashlight to see what might be rattling inside. Again, rust had done its work and getting the end cap off was a real chore. Finally, when it did come off, it was without the arrester attached (as the diagram shows it should be. Instead, it was rattling around inside the muffler.



Fast forward to today. I have this new/used muffler and before installing it, would like to clean the arrester. But... again, the cap screw is rusted and will likely require the GrabIt to pull out. Then...here's my fear...will it be deja vu... the arrester in this one will again fall off and into the muffler? Should I take that chance?



I could just shake the loose crud out of this new muffler, maybe blow it out with some compressed air, paint it with some high-temp flat black paint, and put it on the bike, forgetting about cleaning the arrester. What would you do? Have you cleaned the arrester on your bike? Is it important this be done? How easily did it come out?



Stop me if this is a bad idea...I don't want to commit a second offense as an "arrester molester!!"

 

[eviee1973]

Tried this on my parts bike, tab holding arrestor mounting screw collasped. No way was the arrestor seperating from the muffler. Beat it apart with an air hammer, arrestor was intact and complete, muffler had completely fallen apart inside, lots of rust and baffles floating around. If I ever got a new muffler, I would take it apart to see if it actually comes apart as it is supposed to, and replace the screw with a bolt. Would not even try it on your "used" muffler.

 

[Rohnsman]

Tried this on my parts bike, tab holding arrestor mounting screw collasped. No way was the arrestor seperating from the muffler. Beat it apart with an air hammer, arrestor was intact and complete, muffler had completely fallen apart inside, lots of rust and baffles floating around. If I ever got a new muffler, I would take it apart to see if it actually comes apart as it is supposed to, and replace the screw with a bolt. Would not even try it on your "used" muffler.

Thanks for the input. Looks like you must've hit the Post button a couple of times.

(Doh!)

 

[Boret]

Thanks for the input. Looks like you must've hit the Post button a couple of times.

(Doh!)

He was just making sure we got the point!!

 

[ATXthumper]

i too am a registered arrester molester! i tried to pull mine and clean it and i stripped the screw in about 2 seconds and broke 3 drill bits in less than thirty minutes! its pretty ridiculous that the screw stripped out so fast but i broke drill bits trying to drill it out... i eventually chewed out the screw but the end cap doesnt budge. i was thinking about tapping it out with an air hammer but after reading all this i think im going to just leave it...

 

[Rohnsman]

i too am a registered arrester molester! i tried to pull mine and clean it and i stripped the screw in about 2 seconds and broke 3 drill bits in less than thirty minutes! its pretty ridiculous that the screw stripped out so fast but i broke drill bits trying to drill it out... i eventually chewed out the screw but the end cap doesnt budge. i was thinking about tapping it out with an air hammer but after reading all this i think im going to just leave it...

On the used muffler I bought and started this thread about, I decided I would try and remove the screw and clean the arrestor after all. Well, the screw wasn't gonna budge with a phillips head screw driver. Tried an impact driver. No joy there either. Finally mounted up the trusty aforementioned GrabIt and promptly broke that off in the screw head...*&%^^%$#@!!!

Do those of you with newer bikes still see Yamaha using phillips screws on this bike? That should be outlawed! These cheap-azz screws should not be allowed to be used on a motorcycle - especially in a spot like this that is gonna be exposed to extreme conditions. If your bike is new enough to easily remove this cap screw - Do it now and immediately replace the screw with a hex head or something appropriate. If it is already crusted/rusted in there... don't bother. Take the muffler off, blow it out with a good shot of compressed air, and call it good. There's nothing in there to really "clean" anyway and dealing with this little screw will only make you wacky..

 

[qwerty]

Close to 44,000 miles on tdub and never cleaned the arrestor. Maybe I will some day. Maybe not.

 

[vuldub]

Close to 44,000 miles on tdub and never cleaned the arrestor. Maybe I will some day. Maybe not.

What's a spark arrestor? (just kidding around...)

 

[Muletanna]

OK...







Stop me if this is a bad idea...I don't want to commit a second offense as an "arrester molester!!"

I bought my tw used from a friend and he has a little bit of Harley in his blood and was running the bike without the arrestor or end cap.

On top of that the bottom of the muffler was starting to thin out and had a couple of small rust spots. As you can imagine, the bike was extremely loud and sounded like a TT500 uncapped. I wrapped the tail pipe with fiberglass to repair the thin spots and retrieved the end cap once he located it. He could not find the arrestor but I was able to reinstall the tail cap with no issues. I used an 8 or 10MM bolt and it holds just fine. Bike is now much quieter and only loud at one particular rpm/throttle position. I can ride it without being too annoying and hopefully I will find something like you did on EBAY and be 100%. If your bolt is worn out I would not try to remove without having another ready to go. The Bike is extremely loud and only a Harley person or teenager would appreciate it

PS I just saw your reply..No I didn't use a phillips but a hex bolt- Also fWIW..you don't have to use the exact size if your threads are messed up. I went slightly larger and it is holding just fine. HTH's....

 

[tw2019yam]

On the used muffler I bought and started this thread about, I decided I would try and remove the screw and clean the arrestor after all. Well, the screw wasn't gonna budge with a phillips head screw driver. Tried an impact driver. No joy there either. Finally mounted up the trusty aforementioned GrabIt and promptly broke that off in the screw head...*&%^^%$#@!!!

Do those of you with newer bikes still see Yamaha using phillips screws on this bike? That should be outlawed! These cheap-azz screws should not be allowed to be used on a motorcycle - especially in a spot like this that is gonna be exposed to extreme conditions. If your bike is new enough to easily remove this cap screw - Do it now and immediately replace the screw with a hex head or something appropriate. If it is already crusted/rusted in there... don't bother. Take the muffler off, blow it out with a good shot of compressed air, and call it good. There's nothing in there to really "clean" anyway and dealing with this little screw will only make you wacky..

yes my 2019 tw has that phillips screw..& I stripped it then tapped it with a punch then hammered a p3 phillips bit in the screw then I got it out. end cap wasn't fun vice grips on the tip pb baster small hits with a rubber hammer finally came out & pretty rusty for a newer bike.

 

[TW_in_BC]

One of the FIRST things I do on any bike I've ever bought...was to remove all the "heated" fasteners; anything that experiences exhaust temps.
That includes the fasteners holding the valve caps...the fasteners that attach the exhaust to the engine...and that cursed arrester screw.

Use heat if necessary...extractors if you wish...but once you get them out, give them a good dose of anti-seize, or replace them altogether (and give the new ones a coat of anti-seize) for future removals.
Chasing the female threads with a bottoming tap wouldn't hurt either.

 

[Fred]

Considering how many warning stickers are typically on new bikes I am surprised the TW does not come with one stating that the cross point fasteners on TWs are not Phillips but rather JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) and that only proper JIS tools should be used on JIS fasteners.
The JIS fasteners look like they should be removable with a Phillips driver but quite often are not resulting in stripped screw heads. The profile of a Phillips driver does not match the matching recessed profile of a JIS screw.
Fortunately the TW factory tool kit features a JIS screwdriver. Use it if you do not have access to other JIS tools.

 

[ThumperATX]

That is very true about JIS fasteners. Took me awhile to learn this “the hard way”

also, It’s weird to see a post (#5) I wrote 10 years ago on an account I obviously forgot the password to....

 

[Ski Pro 3]

Many of us use a street 45 1/2" copper fitting on the end of the pipe for quieting. Perhaps sticking a 1' long pipe into that end would provide enough leverage to work the inner arrester off the muffler. Or use a full 90 degree fitting and extension?