Ask The Editors: Red Glowing Pipes Ever Normal?
Going nuclear.
Took it to the dealer and when I finally got it back and I’m being told there is nothing wrong with it! They said they fired up all the ones they have and they all did the same thing, they also said they spoke to Kymco and there’s nothing to worry about.
I am worried that because the head pipe is glowing red like that I’ll end up with a thrown rod, warped pistons and so on. Any input?
We have to side with the dealer – it’s probably normal. Why? The ATV’s computer would have registered if there had been a significant overheat event – especially one that would potentially throw a rod or warp your piston. The red pipe by itself isn’t cause for concern alone, it’s whether or not a damaging event is taking place within your machine’s engine causing the red pipe that you need investigate. And it sounds like the dealer did exactly that.
So why then is your pipe glowing red? There are actually many possibilities, many of which are completely harmless. Let’s look at a few of the real common ones.
1) Pipe Material – Stainless for example is known for turning red quicker than any other material.
2) Ambient Lighting – Many of us are riding around with red glowing pipes in the day without even realizing it. It takes a night ride to reveal the color.
3) New Machine – Oftentimes machines have to reach max operating temperature to “glaze” the raw material of the pipe. In time the reflective metal will have developed a coating of oxidization that will cure the glowing.
4) Standing at Idle – All ATVs, regardless of method of cooling, require airflow to maintain temperature. Letting a quad sit idling for a few minutes can often be enough to get the pipe hot enough to glow.
So does that mean a glowing pipe is always good news? No- there are potentially damaging scenarios too. For example an engine running too lean can cause this condition as can incorrectly set exhaust valves. These situations can very easily be ruled out, though – improper valve tolerance should result in backfires and knocking. The spark plug lets you know if you’re running lean by a dry, almost white tip. Similarly a faulty thermostat would have registered as an overheating event as discussed above. Your dealer would surely have checked for all of these things before giving your machine a clean bill of health.
