I have been trying to figure out for a while now if my exhaust is running too hot on my 99, and if so, what can I do about it.
Background: I pulled the carpet and herc'd the interior a few summers ago. Love it, but sometimes when the Jeep is running hard the tunnel and floor on the pasenger side would get hot enough to "melt" the herc, or at least soften it up so it smelled.
Set up: For a number of reasons, including smashing the entire exhaust, I just ended up redoing my exhaust. I added a new cat (generic one from Summit) and welded in an 02 bung. I stepped up to 2.5" tubing now versus the 2.25" stock. After the cat I have a glass pack muffler and then 2.5" tubing out to the back. I added some floor/tunnel shield from DEI under the floor for the whole length of the exhaust.
After finishing this on Saturday, I drove it around and ran up a few hills pushing it a bit. Everything sounds great, seems to run fine, no CEL, so I assume everything is hunky dory. It smelled funny though, so I hop out and see that the muffler is smoking. I assume it's just stuff burning off the new parts, but it seems to be REALLY hot. The end of the muffler attached to the cat has turned black and the stainless steel band clamp looks like it has changed color too. I happened to touch the tail pipe at the rear near the bumper and burned my finger.
So with all that said, how hot is too hot? I can get access to a IR thermometer, so if I get temps, what is a normal operating temperature (on the outside) for the cat, muffler, and piping? I have read that running rich will cause this, but I assume the computer on the 99 will automatically adjust the fuel/air mixture. I pulled a plug out and they still look brand new after 10K miles. Is there anything else I should check?
Help would be greatly appreciated on this!
Background: I pulled the carpet and herc'd the interior a few summers ago. Love it, but sometimes when the Jeep is running hard the tunnel and floor on the pasenger side would get hot enough to "melt" the herc, or at least soften it up so it smelled.
Set up: For a number of reasons, including smashing the entire exhaust, I just ended up redoing my exhaust. I added a new cat (generic one from Summit) and welded in an 02 bung. I stepped up to 2.5" tubing now versus the 2.25" stock. After the cat I have a glass pack muffler and then 2.5" tubing out to the back. I added some floor/tunnel shield from DEI under the floor for the whole length of the exhaust.
After finishing this on Saturday, I drove it around and ran up a few hills pushing it a bit. Everything sounds great, seems to run fine, no CEL, so I assume everything is hunky dory. It smelled funny though, so I hop out and see that the muffler is smoking. I assume it's just stuff burning off the new parts, but it seems to be REALLY hot. The end of the muffler attached to the cat has turned black and the stainless steel band clamp looks like it has changed color too. I happened to touch the tail pipe at the rear near the bumper and burned my finger.
So with all that said, how hot is too hot? I can get access to a IR thermometer, so if I get temps, what is a normal operating temperature (on the outside) for the cat, muffler, and piping? I have read that running rich will cause this, but I assume the computer on the 99 will automatically adjust the fuel/air mixture. I pulled a plug out and they still look brand new after 10K miles. Is there anything else I should check?
Help would be greatly appreciated on this!