Mud guard for engine
  • MetricMuscle
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    Mud guard for engine

    by MetricMuscle » Tue Apr 08, 2014 4:36 pm

    I'm curious what any of you have done to keep mud off of the engine, particularly the front of the head?
    I went riding last week in a huge riding area, Royal Blue, north of Knoxville, TN. There was just a little bit of mud left around from rain a few days before. About half way through our full day ride, I noticed alot of mud had collected on the front of the head, surely limiting air flow. I'm thinking about making or buying some sort of guard that will keep mud off of the head and even the cylinder below but would also duct air from above, maybe using the nifty faux radiator scoops. Interfering with air flow to the head can be a mistake but if it is gonna get packed with mud anytime I ride thru some, I may as well address the issue and come up with a solution.
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    crfsonly
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    by crfsonly » Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:16 pm

    haven't seen one. the concern would be accomplishing your goal without restricting air flow to the head.
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  • MetricMuscle
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    by MetricMuscle » Tue Apr 22, 2014 6:59 pm

    crfsonly wrote:haven't seen one. the concern would be accomplishing your goal without restricting air flow to the head.


    Exactly. I've been thinking about this some.
    - The scoops on the gas tank aren't right to direct air downwards.
    - I think a plate the width of the head mounted to the front of frame that extends high and low enough to keep mud off the front of the engine will be the most direct route.
    - Vertical scoops running along the outside edge of the plate to divert cooling air to the head and some to the cylinder to make up for the blockage. Might actually divert more air over the head than it gets now.

    A guy I work with has an older Honda ATV and he said he noticed burnt oil in the cam galley area when he tore it down for a rebuild some years ago. He said is was on a part of the head that would always get mud and debris stuck in the cooling fins. He said it always ran fine and he never really pushed it and figured with all of the aluminum up there to wick heat away, the rest of the head just made up for it, not to mention the oil running down and thru to pick up and transfer heat.
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    jlstoo
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    by jlstoo » Mon Jun 23, 2014 11:30 am

    Whatever you come up with assuming you'll diy fabricate something yourself, try to take photos and post here your project and work and the how to's.

    Airflow being blocked some from a head shield? I would think that some kind of air ducts, maybe one on each side of shield, or over the top, fabricated out of PVC? pipe made of a decent size/diameter to channel air to the head/fins area. You can bend PVC pipe heating it in boiling water or heat gun to curve it. Or use regular fittings for the duct bends.

    Since this thread starting gives me the idea that I am going to buy, or make, some kind of stiff brush and tools designed and shaped just for the purpose of brushing mud out of the fins of the top end. Maybe a toilet cleaning brush till I get a specialty brush made. Bungee tool to rack to use out in the boonies.

    Most of my riding is just easy trail stuff going around the mud holes so never thought too much about mud in my fins/head till now now so thanks for giving me something to think about.
  • MetricMuscle
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    by MetricMuscle » Mon Jun 23, 2014 1:34 pm

    Thanks for the input, JLSTOO.

    I just finished installing a CRF450R front fender which hangs down lots lower so the mud guard plate won't have to extend up as high from the top edge of my skid plate.

    Image

    I'm thinking a flat plate mounted to the front of the frame downtube, just wide enough so any roost the front tire throws up will get blocked and not hit the engine.
    Then vertical plates from the front corners of the head to just outside the left and right edge of the frame mounted plate.
    I'll have to get creative around the headpipe otherwise it's a pretty square design.

    The more I look at the head and the cooling fins, the less critical any high volume ram air flow looks to be. The fins are pretty deep, around an inch or so, but the area between them is filled up at the front and rear of the head which prevents maximum airflow thru them. If this is all this engine needs to keep cool then a more direct flow of air from scoop plates will be more than enough if not too much.
  • MetricMuscle
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    Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 7:43 am

    by MetricMuscle » Mon Jun 23, 2014 1:44 pm

    I just had a moment of clarity. Mud is directed towards the head from the front tire, primarily from the six o-clock position upward and to the rear for maybe 90 degrees of rotation. If I were to draw a line from the perimeter of the front tire anywhere along this 90 degree arc to the head, this is the path the mud will take. A horizontal plate the width of the head extending from the bottom edge of the head forward would block this mud attack and not block air flow, it would actually direct more air flow towards the head. Adding sides to this to act as scoops to catch air the fender is blocking will direct even more air.

    Airflow to the cylinder must also be considered but is much less critical than the head.
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    jlstoo
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    by jlstoo » Mon Jun 23, 2014 2:38 pm

    I'm listening, seriously listening.

    I just happen to be in the middle of dolling my 230 up for her 10th birthday and have all plastic off and Plasti Dip dipping all plastic Olive Drab.
    And gonna High Heat VT Matte Black the engine. Plasti Dip aluminum forks, rims, matte black.
    So while I'm at it and doing all that, with the mud guard ideas, why not. Doesn't cost anything the way I will do it anyway.

    In fact I have my rear fender totally off and unused because I DIY'ed a nice wide PVC 1/2" pipe rear rack for camping gear and soft saddle bags and your 450 fender idea caused me to try to think of a way to fashion that unused (still red) rear fender into a mud guard for the engine.

    I hate to butcher that rear fender up so will look for a used trashed fender off of something else and try to whittle something out of it to work as a mud guard. Might even find a heavy duty kitchen trash can or waste basket, etc, at the local Dollar General to chop up and repurpose.

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