Can the standard silencer be repacked? Yes it can see post #8!

[DJ.]

I have a track day coming up, and feel my silencer is more noisy than it used to be. I have a Roadsport 125 with the standard silencer which has 8 rivets securing the front cap.

Has anyone repacked one of these sliencers, and do you have any helpful tips?

Thanks

Duncan

This is the one I have: http://caterhamparts.co.uk/product.php?id_product=4597

 

 

[elie boone]

drill out the rivets and if you can remove the entry cap then yes you can repack it.

[DJ.]

Just a quick update.

My silencer was not easy to repack. After the rivets were removed the end cap was impossible to remove.

I have finally disassembled it and found the perforated centre tube, inlet pipe and end cap were all welded together. After some modification, I will be able to reassemble this so it can be repacked easily in the future.

However, be warned this is not a quick job and requires a lot of tools and time!

[Wrightpayne]

Having got it apart do you think it would be easier to cut a hole in the side and make a removeable curved cover panel to fit ?

Ian

[DJ.]

It would probably be easier, but I think a curved panel would be difficult to seal.

I managed to get it apart by using a cutting disc on a Dremel to cut through the perforated tube, but the end cap was still unbelievably tight. I had to remove it by drilling a 5/8 hole through the end of the inlet pipe for a high tensile bolt and then suspending the silencer from a tree by a rope attached to the bolt. It still took quite a few drops for gravity to release the end cap! My neighbours probably though I was mad.

[BlackSeven]

I cut a hole in the side of my silencer  big enough to empty and re-pack the silencer through, and then put some curvature on a new stainless sheet by hand and re fixed this with pop rivets around the perimeter sealed with a good quality high temperature sealant.

It works perfectly and does not leak at all. I bought a couple of different thicknesses of stainless sheet for a few pounds each from an Ebay shop and ended up using the thinner of the two (sorry I cant recall the thickness but think it was around 0.8mm). 

I may have a photo still on my phone of the completed job if you need it (hidden by hear shield now), but yes this is very do-able - cheap, relatively easy and effective.

Rob

 

[Jonathan Kay]

... and then suspending the silencer from a tree by a rope attached to the bolt.

i hope there are photos. Please. :-)

Jonathan

[DJ.]

I've got my silencer repacked and given the car a test run (to the local Seven Club meet ), so thought I'd post some pictures of how I did it.

Once the cap was removed by cutting through the perforated tube I was left with this:

And this:

Obviously the unsupported tube will vibrate without some form of support, so I considered the easiest way to create a supporting flange without being able to weld stainless steel.

I decided a hexagon would be the easiest shape to make so worked out the length of side required to give 6cm between the flats. This worked out as 3.5cm, so I got some 1.5mm stainless sheet and cut a piece 21cm long by 5.5cm wide. I decided to have tabs 2.5cm long and the collar around the tube 3cm. Using only a big vice, a chunk of steel and a big hammer I made this:

I then riveted it into the end cap using 4.8 x 9.5mm sealed stainless pop rivets:

the only external clue that I have altered the silencer is this ring of rivets on the front cap:

It was then straight forward to insert my Acousta-fil and rivet the cap back onto the exhaust.

It was quite a lot of aggravation, but I already had the Acousta-fil and only spent £30 on a long arm Faithful Pop Rivet gun from Amazon and £5.99 for 25 stainless sealed rivets from the same source. A lot cheaper than buying a new Caterham silencer or an alternative re-packable one.

I hope this will help another owner some time. Or if you have a better way of doing it please post some pictures!

Duncan

 

[Jonathan Kay]

Neat.

I think that would make a great Guide.

Jonathan

[Sean2015]

Duncan,

 

Excellent description and photos. Could I just add that some Roadsport silencers may not require the perforated tube being cut by dremel; on my car (2010 S3) the perforated tube has a swaged connection so does not require cutting.(you should be able to see the swaged connection if you look down the inlet pipe into the silencer).