Anyone else had an exhaust leak?

Exhaust leak?

I got up this morning with the intention of fixing an exhaust leak I noticed the other day with some RTV silicone. It's where the header collector meets the cat by-pass. After taking the heat covers off it looks like I'll need to take the whole exhaust system apart from the header back. Since the manual doesn't show it with a cat by-pass, how does the exhaust mount by the starter motor come off as there are no bolt heads on it? I'm hoping to hear "don't worry about it", but how important do you think it is that I correct the leak?

There is actually one bolt that secures that part of the exhaust, it's on the right side behind the chrome triangular trim cover. The other side (left side of the bike) is supported by rubber grommets in a bracket attached to the exhaust part. The grommets slip over "male" studs on the frame.

If you do plan to seal the connections on the exhaust, I recommend using "exhaust sealer" rather than RTV. The silicone might not burn, but that area gets very hot and it's near the O2 sensor (if you still have one). Even though the connection is behind the sensor, the gasses from the RTV can damage the sensor. And it probably won't do a very good job of sealing the connection under pressure ... the exhaust putty is made for that application and hardens when heated.

If it's just a little carbon blacking and you can't feel alot of air rushing out, I wouldn't worry about it. If you can see and feel the leak as well as having excessive exhaust "popping" or backfire under deceleration ... then the wire mesh used to seal up the connection could be misaligned or damaged. You might be able to just loosen the clamp and reposition the mesh if that's the case.

Thanks HellFire, you've answered all my questions in one post! Now on an unrelated problem, my low idle issue has turned into a fast idle issue. Time to go back to search engine.

There can be a few causes of fast idle .... Mine was from an ignition switch just starting to fail. The switch caused several problems just prior to it leaving me along side the highway when the bike shut off and wouldn't restart. High/low idle, intermittent power loss, no battery charge, dim headlights and intermittent no crank. The ignition switch failure can be hastened by simply installing accessories like fog lights or GPS without a using a relay and separate circuit. The problem can be avoided by removing the headlights from it with a kit from Eastern Beaver or by making a relay harness yourself.

I've read other causes being the TPS, bikes prior to 2008 (I think) had a defective throttle Position Sensor in that when the first one eventually failed they were replaced with an upgraded new part.
Some others simply adjusted it and solved their problem. There should be lots of info in here on the topic since it's a fairly common problem. Good luck, hope this helps.

Funny how I always thought that my Rocket being a Southern California bike, that is always garaged and never in the rain, would be immune to the ignition switch problems. I like the idea of having the headlights switched regardless and will order the harness soon. You're right about there being plenty of info. out there for what ail's my Rocket! Thanks again.

My exhaust leaks all the time!!!!specially when i eat beans

mexican said:

My exaust leaks all the time!!!!specially when i eat beans

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I can relate to that.

mexican said:

My exhaust leaks all the time!!!!specially when i eat beans

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I always try to blame it on something, but my wife blames it on BREATHING AIR!

bertb said:

Funny how I always thought that my Rocket being a Southern California bike, that is always garaged and never in the rain, would be immune to the ignition switch problems. I like the idea of having the headlights switched regardless and will order the harness soon. You're right about there being plenty of info. out there for what ail's my Rocket! Thanks again.

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The headlight relay mod is a must. Unfortunately, simply garaging the bike will do nothing to prevent the ignition switch from failing.

Your high idle issue is most likely the Primary TPS failing since you have an '05. The old sensor has a black innards whereas the updated sensor is blue inside. Of course, you can't tell which one you have until you remove it.

My 08 suffered from both a bad tps and ignition switch. The switch failed from my slow learning curve on controlling wheelies. Letting the front wheel back to the ground gently takes practice. Rough landings will take its toll on the ignition switch and other important components. My switch had the guts jarred loose.