Cleaning Your Pipe (Expansion Chamber)

Okiewan

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Dec 31, 1969
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Texas
Pipe Cleaning
By:CanadianDave

Over time the inside of your KDX’s pipe becomes coated with carbon, oil etc from the exhaust exiting the cylinder, Like your KDX’s KIPS valves the pipe needs to be cleaned on occasion to keep it in the best possible operating condition and deliver the best possible performance. The header section of the pipe can often be scrapped clean. It’s easily accessible and often has the thickest build up of crud. How the heck do you clean beyond that point though? Here’s a simple cheap tool that when combined with non-heat activated oven cleaner does a pretty decent job of cleaning a pipe.

Building the Pipe / Expansion Chamber Cleaning Tool

The tool is basically a miniature chimney sweeping brush that you can attach to your drill and run through the pipe to scrub the deposits from the pipe’s inner wall.

Materials:There isn’t anything here that you shouldn’t easily be able to round up at you local hardware store. What you’ll need:A - a one meter/yard length of wire rope. The maximum size I can use in my drill is 3/8" so I got the next smaller diameter wire rope. Some ropes are made up of smaller gauge strands that others. The smaller the gauge ( smaller being thicker ) the better the tool will be able to scrub so have a good look at the selection.B– 4 to 5" length of pipe between ½ and ¾ " diameter. Copper pipe, a length of conduit, the end off a bent handlebar will all work fine. If you use a length of handlebar install an old grip for more comfort. C– a small hose clamp.D– Solder, flux and a propane torch.E- Bench vice and a hammer.

Putting it all together:You’re basically making a miniature chimney sweeping brush and if you keep that image in mind you wont have any problems.


    • First– Install the hose clamp about an inch from one end of the wire rope and clamp it in place.

      Second- Insert the wire rope into you bench vice until the upper edge of hose clamp is even with top of the bench vice. Your goal here is to hold the rope in place while you unwind the first inch of material to form a brush. The clamp will prevent the wire rope from unraveling any further. Depending on the rope it’s easier to do this by hand. Once you have it unwound evenly distribute the strands in a circular pattern and use the hammer to bend them flat ( to the surface of the bench vice ) so they are at a 90° angle. You now have the basic brush shape.

    • Third–Remove the hose clamp. Using your propane torch, solder and flux solder the "brushed" end of the wire rope to prevent it from unraveling and solder the but end of the rope to prevent it from fraying. Reinstall the hose clamp.

      Forth –Slide the length of pipe over the end of the brush. Attach the brush to your electric drill and your ready for action.

Cleaning That Pipe / Expansion Chamber :

Step One: Grab a face shield, protective gloves etc and put them on. They aren’t going to protect you if they are sitting on the bench! Wrap a shop rag around the pipe and clamp it in you bench vice. If you don’t have a large enough bench vice place a sand bag on the floor place the pipe on the sand bag and then place a second sand bag on top. Your goal is to immobilize the pipe. Insert the brush into the header section of the pipe. With one hand on the drill and the second on the length of pipe run the brush in and out of the pipe? Use the length of pipe to support the wire rope and prevent it from whipping around. The brush will whip around the inner wall of the pipe and loosen some of the deposits.

Step Two: Install a rubber stopper in the stinger ( silencer ) end of the pipe and spray half a can of non-heat activated oven cleaner into the header end of the pipe. Rotate the pipe to completely coat the all inner surfaces with oven cleaner. Continue to rotate pipe periodically to redistribute the oven cleaner as it pools to the low spot of the pipe. Uses the recommended time on the oven cleaner instruction as a guideline. After the time has elapsed remove the plug and rinse the inside of the pipe using hot water and a high-pressure washer. Repeat step one and two.
 
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