[Diy_efi] Can constant WOT operation destroy a muffler?

[Jim Butterfield]

Hello Andy, 
  There are a few of us in our club that have cars only for racing... and that means WOT for `1/4 strip... none of our mufflers wear out... have your good supports on the exhaust system???
   
  jim
  

Andy Harvilla <higrafey at gmail.com> wrote:
  Hey guys,

I have an unusual "problem" (if you can even call it that) with my 
Jeep Wrangler that I think can be attributed to near-constant WOT 
operation. Every year, no joke, I have to install a new muffler on 
my Jeep because the old one cracks underneath in exactly the same 
spot. Even after only a few hundred miles of use, you can see the 
metal casing begin to warp and swell, presumably from high heat.

It occurred to me that this might be happening because of the way I 
drive the vehicle. The little four-cylinder engine has no power 
(considering the 33-inch tires it's pushing) and I'm nearly always at 
full-throttle just to get the sucker to move... going up hills, 
highway driving, etc. Do you think the computer is enabling WOT mode 
and richening up the mixture, which in turn heats up the catalytic 
converter and slowly melts the muffler? There's always a constant 
rich smell and the tailpipe is usually black. I had to install a cat 
due to inspection reasons (the previous owner hollowed it out), but 
before then, I never had an issue with mufflers blowing out. It 
seems like the converter might be the root of the problem. One of my 
friends owns a Wrangler, drives it the same way, and also replaces 
mufflers annually. We always thought it was "just a Jeep thing"... :-)

Andy
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