Aww.... nuts....

[NMills]

Well... i would have put a better line in the subject box... but i don't even know what to put... have a couple issues... all related to each other.. but i'll try to make it short....

I've noticed that that past couple times running my bike it smokes... but i don't lose any oil....

Today.... the tone of the exhaust changed... A LOT...


Very loud... Very snappy... and i thought maybe my pipe was coming off my head pipe... but nope... still together... but anyways... i did eventally discover that i must have blown out all my packing... and now I need to get new packing... but here's a series of questions....


1. Where is the smoke coming from? did not smoke a bit today..

2. I can not seem to find packing from White Brothers... found Moose racing.... but what about the proper stuff?? anyone know?

and the next question is... how do i get inside my muffler??? i took the screws off the tip... the tip... the screen and the washer came off.... but am not able to get the baffle out.... and i can see the cans empty... do i need to pop the rivets???

Thanks guys...

[honda400ex2003]

any 4stroke packing will work. what kind of muffler do you have, i am assuming WB since that is the packing you were looking for. anyway, i am not sure but believe WB to be riveted together so you would have to drill the rivets out toward the back of the pipe opposite the end cap. not sure about the smoke since you did not give any place or even what color it is. It could have been the tape inside the canister burning. it could be a bit on the lean side causing some white smoke to occur from not having any packing in it any more too. probably would be that i guess. maybe your valve seals are wearing out or your rings are starting to let some through. hard to say, it is tough to see a couple of drops here and there on a dipstick. gonna need a bit more info and when it is burning oil to diagnose anything there. steve

[NMills]

sorry i did not mention what Muffler... it's a WB R4...

but anways... oil wise... not bad... the other day i had none on the stick... but the last couple of rides my oil had not moved...

the smoke... was only yesterday... lasted a few minutes... till she was warm... then was fine...

I don't want to think engine work needed... as it may be a 04.... but it does have low hours...

[honda400ex2003]

what color? probably not needed if white it could have been packing cooking, blue- rings or seals. probably nothing to worry about till it gets worse. just get your packing fixed and see how it does. steve

[NMills]

It was white.... well....looked it anyways.

[honda400ex2003]

either moisture or lean then. probably will be alright once you get your packing fixed. could be time to go up another main size for the cooler weather also or at least it could be a possibility. steve

[rubbersdown]

If it only smoked at start up im guessing your valve seals are bad. not going to hurt it riding like that but best to get it fixed before your piston gets lots of carbon built up on it. Most people cant tell the difference between white smoke and blue smoke. unless you have actually seen both and been told what each one was by someone who actually knew odds are you didnt realize what color it was. All smoke looks white to most people lol.

[honda400ex2003]

agreed with rubbers lol steve

[NMills]

Well.... it smoked friday... just after starting...
Yesterday... no smoke...
but i do it it was white... i've seen blue smoke and white smoke and black...
But now that i need the packing..... where to do i get it?? is aftermarket packing good to use?

[honda400ex2003]

aftermarket packing will be the only stuff you can use. you can either get a canister setup already for you to just slide on or you can get some strand stuff to pack in there yourself. I was very disappointed in the moose packing i got this last time, it hardly made a difference so i will be looking for something different for sure. there is some pretty good stuff around though just make sure you get the 4 stroke stuff and you will be good to go. steve

[NMills]

That figures... the only one i've found so far was a moose racing packing kit... and now you are gonna tell me it was good... hmmm... who else does packing??

[honda400ex2003]

i think fmf has some, and will be what i try next time i do my t-4. the moose may still be ok, it is a bit on the expensive side and did nothing imo to keep it quiet. although it seems like there are 2 different style of moose stuff. I get a range of it even after ordering for my t4 all the time. sometimes it comes sewn together and all i have to do it slide the whole thing on and then just pull the cardboard out. this stuff seems to be ok, it is the stuff that is not sewn together which has trouble all the time. i am not sure if it seperates apart or what but it is much louder than using the pack that is together already. if you can find that stuff you could try it, anything will be better than no packing at all. just my experiences with it. We have some dnr up here that like sport machine pipes so i have to try to beat the dB meter if i am using my t4. lol at 96 dB with crappy packing it would be a tough chore. lol my q4 on the other hand could run no packing and beat it so i am good there. steve