Cleaning Out Spark Arrestor on RTVX Models

Ohio_Pawpaw_Grower

Member
Site Supporter
The maintenance guide for our x1120 calls for cleaning out the muffler/spark arrestor by removing the clean out bolt on the muffler and running the engine at various RPMs.

For those of you who have done this, do you remove the cleanout bolt and drive it around a little or perform this maintenance sitting still?

My instinct is that you would vary the engine RPMs better while driving it but just like to know how others have handled it.

I can't imagine it being really cruddy with only 12 hours service on it but am still a little new to diesel.

Thanks
 

bczoom

Senior Member
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
I don't have the RTVX but my old RTV also has a clean-out plug.

I pull it when I'm doing yard work. I put it back in before heading to the woods or other places where a spark arrester is really needed.
 

aurthuritis

Well-known member
Site Supporter
I have a RTVX1100 with the plug in the side of the muffler. i have removed it several times and even tapped on the side to get out the carbon. hardly ever do i even get out a speck of carbon so now i am going to wait a year before i try it again just to see if any comes out. i think the arrestor is supposed to allow the carbon to expel out from the muffler but only after it has had time to cool enough not to start a fire.
 

628pm

Active member
Site Supporter
I take the bolt out and drive it for about 5 miles down a country road. It seems to help.
 

aurthuritis

Well-known member
Site Supporter
when i first got my RTV i did quite a bit of research on spark arrestors in the forestry industry. what i learned was the centrifugal arestor rarely needs cleaning because the design has no restrictions or screens. but in cases of wet stacking diesel engines or engines with a lot of wear and smoke issues sometimes the inside of the muffler can build up with soot and cause the arrestor to be less effective. so the addition of a port to allow the soot to escape when the muffler is tapped on. the other type uses a screen to break up any glowing soot or sparks and all of the exhaust has to go through the screen. this design was much more dependent on maintenance.
 

BiffNH

Well-known member
SUPER Site Supporter
I have a RTV-X900 with the bolt clean out. I've taken it out several times and driven around but I've never seen anything come out. The first time I took it out I had another person sit and rev the engine while I held a paper towel over the hole and nothing came out. I think the centrifugal design is highly effective. I now have over 5,000 miles and 800+ hours on the machine.
 
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