Real Easy Question

[Lanse]

Its a long story, but the muffler was removed from my Wheelhorse. Can I run it with out it? How loud will it be?

 

[Ken Crisman]

No , its quick way of valve damage . God bless, Ken

 

[Lanse]

ok, thanks!!

 

[Bob]

Lanse,

Don't worry about that "old wivews tale".

All you'll hurt is your ears.

 

[Ken Crisman]

Lanse, my Dad was a professional mechanic & a friend of his was in the lawnmower business for all their lives & they both said valve damage can be caused by running the small engines without mufflers . So I tend to believe that even if that guy says its an old wives tale . God bless, Ken

 

[Bob]

Out here in farm country just about every old grain auger engine has no muffler, 'cause they've rusted off. You should see them throw fire at night, when pulling their guts out augering heavy wheat.

Valve problems are all but UNHEARD of. I rest my case.

These are 10, 12, and 16HP engines.

 

[BLinWMI]

Well you have gotten 2 different sides, my experience says if it is a Briggs, you WILL have problems with exhaust valve, never seen any problem with intake. Now if you are talking Honda, doubt it will be a problem but why take a chance, even if it doesn't hurt a valve, it can't be good for the life of an engine.

 

[huntingreen]

Raced Briggs engines for years on karts and never had any valve damage from running open exhaust.

 

[BLinWMI]

That may very well be true but how many hours a day do your engines get run, maybe they will be ok if a person only ran them 3 or 4 hours a week, I run them 6 to 8 a day in my landscaping business. Trust me, Briggs will have problems. I have yet to have a valve problem on my Honda but have 2 10 hrse Briggs in my shop right now with exhaust valve problems. And one of them is a new engine in April this year. I have 5 of them and everyone has had issues.

 

[Iowa_tire_guy]

And there you go, it will either hurt your valves or it won't. An easy question indeed.

 

[Tim in NB]

I like your answer tire_guy! Best answer to the problem yet!

 

[Coloken]

Sorry Ken. With all due respect to your dad and his friend. I have run many small engines without mufflers with no problems to valves. I can think of a lot of things that my dad told me that may have been right then, do not apply anymore. Two cycle engines may, may, need a muffler, like a tuned exhaust, to help evacuate cylinder and run at maximum.

 

[Coloken]

Are you saying that the new briggs does not have a muffler?????? If it has problems new, why blame no mufflers for causing problems.

 

[john d]

Open exhaust - no muffler, just a pipe - will NOT hurt your engine. It WILL damage your hearing.

There is a SMALL chance that running your engine with NO pipe whatsoever - right out of the block into open air - could POSSIBLY let cold air on a REALLY cold day get back to the exhaust valve when the engine was SHUT OFF hot, and THEORETICALLY cause a valve to warp. Not likely, though.

Even if it did damage a valve, engines can be fixed, your hearing cannot. You won't notice any hearing damage until the damage is already done.

 

[GeneMO]

Run lots of engines all my life without mufflers. I sure like these computer forums cause I can communicate by typing since I am now deaf as a rock!!


Gene

 

[buickanddeere]

As long as the muffler removal makes the engine run too lean.
If too lean the engine runs too hot and valve life will shorten. The engine will tend to knock or detonate lean where the same octane gasoline didn't knock when run rich.

 

[dave guest]

Had more cars, trucks, motorcycles, mowers with no mufflers than with. Never knew any problem. Do all my own wrenching. Heard the warning, though. When I could hear.