What Causes the Exhaust Pipe to Glow Red?
2 Answers
Reasons for the exhaust pipe glowing red: 1. Some of the combustible gas in the cylinder enters the exhaust pipe and continues to burn; 2. Excessive valve clearance or overly soft valve springs causing delayed valve opening; 3. Improper valve timing with early opening and late closing; 4. Delayed ignition timing and excessive carbon buildup in the exhaust pipe or muffler. During maintenance, adjust the air-fuel mixture concentration, inspect and adjust valve clearance, and correct ignition or fuel injection timing. Remove the exhaust pipe and muffler, disassemble the muffler, then clean carbon deposits by soaking in kerosene or scraping with a blade. Alternatively, the muffler core can be dried over an open flame before final cleaning with a wire brush.
I've encountered this before - a glowing exhaust pipe is serious. It's likely due to late ignition timing, where the air-fuel mixture that should burn in the cylinder escapes to the exhaust pipe and continues burning there, causing extremely high temperatures. Another possibility is an imbalanced air-fuel ratio - too little fuel injection with excessive air intake can make combustion temperatures skyrocket. It could also be a completely clogged catalytic converter, causing exhaust gases to accumulate and burn inside. I remember driving continuously for 4-5 hours on highways in summer with the engine under heavy load can cause this too. I strongly recommend immediate professional inspection - use OBD to check ignition timing and air-fuel ratio data. Don't hesitate to spend the money, as this could lead to vehicle fire if neglected.
