Thanks for the info, guys. Can't wait to get these on my 48. I expected to have them on there by now, but no dice.

 

Hi all,
It's my first post here, so please bear me being rookie.
I have just fitted on my Iron the Blackout 2 into 1. I really like the exhaust, the way it sounds and looks, however I have a huge exhaust leak where the header gets connected to the muffler. Is this a common problem? I went back to the garage where it has been fitted and they told my there is not much they can do about it as they have tightened the clamp as much as they can and they said it was common for V&H to have this kind of problem. I'm really unhappy with that answer.
I don't think that's the end of it, as I can even see some light if I look down the pipe.
Does anyone have any idea how I might be able to fix this please?

 

take it apart and coat both tubes with an exhaust gasket sealant that Permatex makes.That should solve it.

 

I'd be calling and asking V&H for replacements if they are brand new, or a credit towards something else they make if you think it's a manufacturing flaw. You shouldn't have to use gasket sealer or crank down on the bolts past the proper torque to get a seal. Could it be an installation error? I thought mine seated correctly until I took a closer look, which explained my leak. Are you using the standard gaskets or the SE ones? Both of the parts guys at my dealer say that more times than not the standard ones seal better. They showed both to me, and the standard ones are definitely thicker. They easily could've tried to sell me the SE ones at about double the cost.

 

I'm running this exhaust with the se gaskets. No issues. There is a slight difference in gasket thicknesses between OEM and SE but nothing that would cause your pipes to not fit. I would recommend removing the muffler, loosening the headers till the nuts are almost fully off then reattach the muffler. It should seat properly. Line up the two bolts for the muffler breacket, get them started then fully tighten the muffler clamp. Now tighten the headers. Then tighten the muffler to the mounti
ng bracket. Test it for leaks. You should be good to go.

 

I agree that the SE gaskets should work just fine. The OEM ones may allow for a smaller margin of error when seating them though, and that's the main reason I chose them (plus they were about half the cost). I ended up having a pretty good leak on the front pipe with my Short Shots. As it turned out it wasn't seated flush when I torqued it. It was more apparent when I pulled out the gasket. Also when I removed the nuts, I noticed that a couple more threads were showing through the clamps on one stud versus the other telling me it definitely wasn't sitting square to the head. I would definitely consider remounting them before doing anything else. You might want to think about replacing the gaskets too since the others have already been compressed. Make sure you tighten them down equally, going back and forth between all of the nuts until they are all torqued to the proper amount. You don't want to tighten one pipe completely and then do the other one.

 

Love it!

 

As stated above by back again, Permatex makes a few great products for this. They have Black and Ultra Black gasket maker/sealer, they also have muffler and tailpipe sealer that is good to 1000*. You can probably find a couple other items that will work for sealing your slip/compression joint if you search around on the web, but plenty of folks have been using the black and ultra black for this application with great results for a long time.

 

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I have the V&H Blackout 2 into 1 on my 2009 nightster...I like the sound, dont really like the look much. I absolutely hate this exhaust system, however! Bought the bike from a private seller with about 7k miles on the bike and the V&H Blackout 2-into-1 exhaust already on the bike. The first 6 months everything was great and in that time period, I wrapped the headers to give it some cooling around my right leg and give it a look. After awhile, the coating on the muffler started fading fast, then the DAMN baffle rattle came on. I tried pretty much everything to stop it and everything I try just brings the rattle back every month or so. Pieces inside broke after awhile and an Allen bolt snapped on me when I was trying to tighten the baffle a little harder so it wouldn't rattle. I fixed the end of it but the inside where it joins the headers started rattling. I can't wait to get rid of this piece of garbage exhaust system and get something else!!! I would not recommend this nor will I ever get another system by Vance and hines until they get their sh*t together!!