That sucks. Hopefully I won't have that problem. Whether or not I can successfully use the flexible exhaust pipe without it breaking again, I'll need to make an additional support for the exhaust. Currently it's only supported where it attaches to the engine, and all the way at the other end near the outlet of the resonator. The middle of the pipe is free to wiggle, and I'm pretty sure it vibrated until the metal fatigued and broke apart.

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Since my FS40 is out of commission while I wait for the replacement flexible exhaust pipe to arrive in the mail, I decided to take the time to install crankcase ventilation on the engine. Even though I've only run the engine for half a tank, I already see oil spray on the chassis in a line just behind the flywheel, meaning that oil is being pushed out past the crankshaft bearings by pressure inside the crankcase. This doesn't surprise me, because I've also run a 49-PI rotary engine and I've seen the crankcase ventilation tube slowly siphoning droplets of blackened oil out of the rear counterweight housing on that engine. Anyway, I didn't say "PCV" because the ventilation isn't "positive", meaning there isn't a one-way valve to guarantee that air never flows back into the crankcase. I'll add that later if I determine it would actually be useful, but since I don't need a guaranteed supply of vacuum to operate any accessories like a car engine does, adding a one-way valve to the crankcase ventilation hose is just unnecessary complexity for now.