Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Exhaust Right exhaust feels hotter than the left

My right exhaust pipe feels hotter than the left one,to the touch. Can anyone give me some insite as to why this is and could it be harmful to anything. I had it checked at the dealer and he adjusted the pilot jets and checked the temperature of the exhaust at the first curve out of the engine,with a laser looking heat sensor. Said they were the same temperature to within 2 degrees but I can still feel quite a difference with my hand toward the back of the pipe. Any input would be appreciated.

Terry

Provided your dealer knows how to use it, a heat sensing device is far more accurate that feel. From time to time i I've noticed more radiating heat on the right side. I've checked with a gun and found no difference. Here's my take - The right side is the off-set side that sticks out the farthest. As the radiant heat disapates, some of the left side heat takes the path of least resistance - To the right and up. That doest mean you are or are not ok. If still in doubt try to find someone with access to a heat gun. A lot of people who have ties to industrial maintenance or mechanical engineering may have access to one. They're very simple - most are just set the range and shoot. My guess is your ok.

If you know any stockcar racers in your nieghborhood they should have one. We check tire,brake and just about everything else including the cutie in the concession stand :}
Mike Sr

Thanks fellows. I just might be able to get use of a heat gun. I know a couple of stock car drivers. Then I can check the temp at the front and the back of the pipes.

Terry

Have you checked if the air/fuel mixture screws are balanced? One of mine were almost the whole way in when delivered.

I have a Sears non-contact infra-red thermometer as well. Probably $40 - $60 bucks, I forget.
I also have access to a $1200 version where I work. Guess what? Neither one is very accurate on chrome... The shiny stuff tends to scatter the beam.

Check the joint under the engine where the crossover pipes mate together. If you see a lot of soot, there is a leak, and if there is a leak, the right side is sucking air.

My bike does the same thing. One of my mufflers runs a bit hotter than the other. I have not checked my header pipe temperatures but I would bet they are running the same temperature. I messed around checking everything I could think of then I came to a conclusion. I decided that it was probably the packing inside the mufflers that was causing this. If the packing is not configured exactly the same way in both mufflers it could let some exhaust heat up on of the mufflers more than the other. Thats my theory. It might be lousy but its the only one I've got.