Rear Caliper Stopper Bolt Problem

[Herb]

Another question... I'm not worried about looks and sound at least temporarily until the new muffler arrives. Will this crack effect my O2 sensor and the EFI functioning. Of course, I can just put it on and test it out but thought I'd see if there was any knowledge out there before hand. Will it be difficult to weld without messing up the O2 sensor?

This is reminding me of my radiator replacement only this one I'm seeing more personal responsiblity. I don't think I properly tightened the muffler bolts the last time I removed the muffler hence the rear bolt falling out and causing this stress fracture. Oh, well...live and learn.

 

[karl]

Herb that can be repaired. The sensor needs to get taken off and the pipe welded. you will never see the repair when you are done. Find someone that does tig welding. Good luck with your adventure.

 

[Chucksklrst]

Herb that can be repaired. The sensor needs to get taken off and the pipe welded. you will never see the repair when you are done. Find someone that does tig welding. Good luck with your adventure.

Yes I agree, you can remove the sensor and get the pipe welded. A good muffler shop should be able to that, or an Auto Custom shop or just a good welding shop. If you live in the farm and ranch country there should be one, as those folks are always fixing farm and or ranch equipment. Probly cost about 75 bucks? vs $700. Please let us know what you decide to do.

 

[karl]

You may be best off unplugging the sensor and take the entire assembly to the welder. They can probably tack the crack to facilitate removing the sensor. The contact area in the bung is fairly large and will hang on pretty tight.

 

[Herb]

Muffler shops said they couldn't do it. Suggested I contact a welding shop. Two questions- 1. It's stainless steel, right. 2. In the meantime, I put the muffler on as is and took it for a spin and it seems to work fine. I either ride this bike about 10 miles as is or borrow or rent a car. Anything problem with driving it today as is that you see?

 

[elizilla]

I think if you were going to damage it by driving as is, it would already be damaged - because have you not been driving as is, for a long time?

I haven't used this stuff but maybe it would work for this repair: http://www.por15.com/FIRE-SEAL-2000/productinfo/FS2/
(I can report that I have used this company's gas tank coating kit, with great success, so they do some things right, at least.)

 

[Warren]

Muffler shops said they couldn't do it. Suggested I contact a welding shop. Two questions- 1. It's stainless steel, right. 2. In the meantime, I put the muffler on as is and took it for a spin and it seems to work fine. I either ride this bike about 10 miles as is or borrow or rent a car. Anything problem with driving it today as is that you see?

I would get some J-B Weld. You can find it at Walmart. It is good to 500?F

 

[mikesim]

Doesn't look all that difficult to weld to me. Most any competent welding shop should be able to do the job for you in a short time. I definitely would leave the O2 sensor in place while it is welded as to try to remove it in its current fragile state will likely cause further damage. Yes, the air coming in thru the crack will very much affect the O2 sensor reading causing your ECM to enrichen the fuel mixture. Long term, the extra rich fuel mixture will damage the catalytic converter so I would attend to this as soon as possible.

Hope this helps!

Mike

 

[ARKNT]

Herb,
Yes the pipe is stainless steel. I verified with mine and a magnet. The sensor is carbon steel. I would look for a good welding shop that does stainless tig welding. It is fairly thin metal so I would want a welder used to that type of matierial, not ironworker size stuff. Should not be too difficult to find.
I would want to remove the O2 sensor to prevent damage while welding but I'll bet it doesn't come out easy. If you try to get it out be sure to back up your wrench with a small pipe wrench or channellocks on the welded in bung. You might price a new sensor first so you know what you are dealing with.

Brad

 

[RedLdr1]

Since this fractured at the O2 sensor, which is part of the Federal Emission System, I would be visiting my Honda dealer to see if it is eligible for coverage under the Emission Warranty... It can't hurt to ask and it just might work...if not a good welder is called for...

 

[Herb]

Looks like I can get some of that Fire Seal 2000 at a local store tomorrow. Given the tricky issue of removing the o2 sensor in order to weld this would be a much easier and less expensive fix if it works. The only concern might be the long term strength/integrity of the muffler. Do I need a weld to keep it from getting worse or is it stable enough for a simple cover up patch like Katherine suggests?

 

[karl]

Herb boat yards deal with stainless a lot in you area you should be able to find a few and ask for a shop that can TIG weld. The adhesive solutions will most likely poison your cat. Even if they didn't it would not be something I would recommend.
Keep riding it will keep tearing. Your choice.

 

[Warren]

Looks like I can get some of that Fire Seal 2000 at a local store tomorrow. Given the tricky issue of removing the o2 sensor in order to weld this would be a much easier and less expensive fix if it works. The only concern might be the long term strength/integrity of the muffler. Do I need a weld to keep it from getting worse or is it stable enough for a simple cover up patch like Katherine suggests?

Herb
I would go with the Fire Seal 2000. If it fails over time you can decide on another course. I would also drill a hole at each end of the crack to stop it from traveling further and then fill with the sealer.

 

[bicyclist]

Herb boat yards deal with stainless a lot in you area you should be able to find a few and ask for a shop that can TIG weld. The adhesive solutions will most likely poison your cat. Even if they didn't it would not be something I would recommend.
Keep riding it will keep tearing. Your choice.

Yeah, I agree with Karl. Cats are susceptible to poison by all kinds of stuff as are O2 sensors. As painful as it may be, I think you're better off getting the thing welded.

 

[ARKNT]

Since this fractured at the O2 sensor, which is part of the Federal Emission System, I would be visiting my Honda dealer to see if it is eligible for coverage under the Emission Warranty... It can't hurt to ask and it just might work...if not a good welder is called for...

I would also look into the warranty aspects also. Might be a longshot but your pic makes it look like it cracked around the original weld so the original welding may have weakened it.

Brad

 

[Herb]

Thanks for all the advice. Took it to a local shop this morning for a TIG weld(never heard of that one before) and had it back home and on the bike by 12 noon and a brief spin indicates all systems go. $43 vs. $800 for a new one. I'll take that. Feeling good.

A couple of weeks ago, when I took a spin on Buckeye's Silver NT in Hawaii, I noted how much quieter his bike seemed than mine. At the time I thought that it was due to the well established fact that the Red is faster and has more power, but alas it was just the muffler!

Here's a picture of the weld.

 

[elizilla]

Yay! I like the welding solution better, too. I just posted the putty idea in case you could not get anyone to weld it.

Did you take the sensor off for the welding, or did they weld with it in place? If you took it off, was it difficult to remove?

 

[Herb]

Did you take the sensor off for the welding, or did they weld with it in place? If you took it off, was it difficult to remove?

I was reluctant to attempt given the compromised situation of the "bung" (another new word for me) so I left it for them to do which they did. So can't speak to how difficult it was. It was only $43 total, so it couldn't have been too hard.

 

[RedLdr1]

At the time I thought that it was due to the well established fact that the Red is faster and has more power, but alas it was just the muffler!

So now we know that the Maroon NT only sounds faster than a significantly speeder Silver NT...but only with a hole in the muffler of the slower Maroon NT to make it sound faster!

Glad to see you got her welded up, that weld will probably last longer than the rest of the system!

 

[Warren]

Looks like a nice tig weld. Should be stronger than the original metal.