Muffler replacement

[JPul]

I recently discovered that I need a new muffler. My truck with just 30K miles was getting louder which wasn't so much of a bother but it began to drone at around 2100 rpm. This was hardly noticeable unloaded but with the trailer hooked up, it seemed like a lot more time was spent at around 2100 and the drone has become unbearable. If this is what a straight piped truck sounds like, no thanks.



I am thinking that a repalcement with a Donaldson 4" muffler will do the trick but am thinking about a cat back system. Alittle bit more rumble across the board doesn't bother me but drone sure does. Does the quieter Donaldson have any drone? Any issues with replacing an offset inlet/outlet stock muffler with an inline muffler. Any aftermarket system out there that does not drone on a quad cab short box?



I appreciate any assistance in making this decision and may just muffler tape the muffler until I decide and then get parts.



Regards, John

 

[ABennin]

My muffler on my 2000 rotted out about 6 years ago and the drone was very noticable in the cab. I installed a silverline with a straight pipe and it cut down on the drone quite abit as it wasn't coming out under the truck anymore. I prefer straight pipes and am use to a little drone now that I don't notice it. I did read about a downpipe I believe silverline offers with a resonator in it for your year truck. That couple with a muffler should be effective. I read it in one of the diesel mags. I will have to see if I find it.

Edit: I found and its made by diamond eye.

 

[EMAC2]

Here's another one to consider:

http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/ftediesel-com/288173-resonator-ii-comparison-thread.html

 

[SRay]

Hello Jpul, this is Sray from Linwood Ontario, I used to work in a muffler manufacturer plant in Elmira. We have sold magnaflow mufflers to dodge truck owners. They're straight through 4" and quiets the truck down. Also we have 5 dodges, all straight piped. We have a 2003 CTD and it sounds better, better mpgs and it's quiet in the cab despite being louder. It doesn't have a drone noise and it's cheap with just a 4" pipe in place.

You can try that first and see how it sounds. Droning noises can happen even with after market mufflers. So it can be cheap if you find what you like or be trying several different mufflers which add up in cost.

It's all personal preference.

I did have droning when I went straight piped with my auto which I installed a muffler to fix that, but back to straight pipe as the drone was gone with the manual transmission.

Different things can cause droning besides mufflers etc.

Shawn

 

[JPul]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. Maybe its just the exhaust leak under the cab that is contributing to the drone, but I've read enough comments on the various exhaust threads that I'm wary of darn near everything. Still pondering.



SRay, I grew up in Palmerston and went to UofWaterloo and have gone close to Linwood many a time. Is there still a restaurant there that serves pigtails and kraut.



Regards, John

 

[6speed]

I had the drone also, but with a BD exhaust. When I rerouted the tailpipe to come out in front of the wheel I had to move the muffler forward about 6". Doing that I thought for sure the drone would get worse. But to my surprise it went away. The exhaust noise went up but the drone is gone. It worked for me.

 

[Regcabguy]

Hello Jpul, this is Sray from Linwood Ontario, I used to work in a muffler manufacturer plant in Elmira. We have sold magnaflow mufflers to dodge truck owners. They're straight through 4" and quiets the truck down. Also we have 5 dodges, all straight piped. We have a 2003 CTD and it sounds better, better mpgs and it's quiet in the cab despite being louder. It doesn't have a drone noise and it's cheap with just a 4" pipe in place.



You can try that first and see how it sounds. Droning noises can happen even with after market mufflers. So it can be cheap if you find what you like or be trying several different mufflers which add up in cost.



It's all personal preference.



I did have droning when I went straight piped with my auto which I installed a muffler to fix that, but back to straight pipe as the drone was gone with the manual transmission.



Different things can cause droning besides mufflers etc.



Shawn

I helped a friend install a 5" turboback Magnaflow ss system. That setup lasted all of two weeks as the drone killed him. Do to emission testing here,he spliced in his cat and has reached an acceptable noise level. He didn't feel any loss of performance or increased pain at the pump by reinstalling the cat. Guess it's all up to the individual.

Coming out of a 2nd gen 24v,I appreciate the relative quietness of my '07.

 

[SRay]

Jpul: The Linwood Tavern is long gone. Too many stupidities with owners over the years which eventually closed the place down. It's now a veterinary clinic.

I go to Palmerston sometimes for the tractor pulls.

I have done some trucking trips that took me near Blenheim a few times.

Maybe someday we could meet and have a friendly chat.

Regcabguy: Yeah, every change can make a difference in sound or cause or fix droning. Mine was swapping to a manual transmission that fix the drone. My 3 friends all have straight through 4" on their 12v's and they sound better than my 3" stock 12v

 

[BIGNASTY]

This is the company that I bought my exhaust system from and "WOULD" do it again in a HART BEAT!!!!!!!!





http://www.stans-headers.com/

 

[JPul]

Well, I discovered yesterday that its not just a rip in the muffler, the tailpipe has become disconnected so I'm going to have to move a little quicker. Given the shortened timeframe and Ontario location, I think I'll proceed with finding an Ontario dealer that can sell me the Donaldson 51" muffler. I'll get the quieter one and that should do the trick.



I think part of it is to get the exhaust out the back but Ithink an expansion chamber at approximately the right location is needed as well to remove the drone and some of the aftermarket mufflers don't have much expansion around the 4" in and out.



Thanks for the help guys.



Regards, John



PS, SRay, it looks like I'll have to get my pigtail fix at Ye Old Heidelburg then.

 

[SRay]

Jpul: sure, that'll work. The inn is still in Heidelberg.

 

[JPul]

I crawled under the truck yesterday to pull out the dangling tailpipe as it was completely separated from the muffler. It still appears to be in good shape. I was wondering how badly the muffler was cantilevered off the front pipe and found that it has 2 hangers, one on each end. I'm sure a stock replacement would have the same hangers and I suspect that the aftermarket systems have at least one of these hangers. But for those that have installed the 51" Donaldson or similar, waht did you do about the muffler hangers? And I suspect that the Donaldson is longer than the stock muffler so which pipe gets shortened? I suspect the front one. As well, I expect that there is enough movement in the in and out joints that the misalignment between the center oulet on the muffler and the desired lowere location of the tailpipe can be rearranged. I think I'll go look at some of the many past threads about that to learn further.



Regards, John

 

[Prairie Dog]

Good question John, that is what has kept me from installing the Donaldson. I would like to see how folks have worked around this hanger issue.

 

[mwilson]

I have the drone with mine, it is very pronounced while towing.



However, as time has passed the wife just talks a little louder and the grandkids smile everytime we climb a hill... ... ... we are all good with it now.



At that magic point of maximum torque vs. maximum drone the buttons on the Edge display vibrate, then the grandkids laugh and say "Do it again, Beemps"... ...



Don't fear the drone... ... ... I used to drive 8V-71 Detroit Diesels with dual exhaust and this drone thing ain't nuthin' compared to that.



Mike.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Unlike many of my brethren here I wan't my truck to be as quiet as possible and have gone to great lengths to ensure this. Also, I have driven it with the drone completely eliminated (Fluid dampener - removed, long story) and it was a near religious experience!
I'm looking to make my truck as refined as possible and that means no clouds of smoke or annoying noise.
I guess it's one of those "to each his own" things

 

[SDrake]

I have the drone with mine, it is very pronounced while towing.

However, as time has passed the wife just talks a little louder and the grandkids smile everytime we climb a hill... ... ... we are all good with it now.

At that magic point of maximum torque vs. maximum drone the buttons on the Edge display vibrate, then the grandkids laugh and say "Do it again, Beemps"... ...

Don't fear the drone... ... ... I used to drive 8V-71 Detroit Diesels with dual exhaust and this drone thing ain't nuthin' compared to that.

Mike.

Reminds me of a motto where I used to work, --- "If you can't fix it, feature it. "

 

[mwilson]

Unlike many of my brethren here I wan't my truck to be as quiet as possible and have gone to great lengths to ensure this. Also, I have driven it with the drone completely eliminated (Fluid dampener - removed, long story) and it was a near religious experience!

I'm looking to make my truck as refined as possible and that means no clouds of smoke or annoying noise.

I guess it's one of those "to each his own" things

Exactly, and my two motivations for the 5" Turbo Back Stainless System were reduced EGT's (done) and no more 2 year tail pipes from road chemicals (done).

I knew that the drone would be a risk and had decided to put up with it before buying the system.



I would like it a little quieter in a perfect world and if I ever sell the trailer I will put something on there to calm it down.



I don't blame you one bit for wanting it quiet, just in my case the two issues above took priority.

I am anxious to see what you try and your experiences with it.



Mike.

 

[mwilson]

Reminds me of a motto where I used to work, --- "If you can't fix it, feature it. "

That's nice, I like that one!!!!!!:-laf



Mike.

 

[JPul]

I am still pondering what to do. Searched the threads on droning and found a bit more info. I crawled under the truck again and did some measuring. The stock muffler is 26" long at the can, 9x12 oval with about a 6" offset between inlet and outlet. There's about 14" of staight pipe forward to the cat and about 8" of staight pipe in the tailpipe before the bend. So I don't believe that a 51" is going in there without cat removal which I really don't want to do and there is the 6" offset which may be able to be taken up by bending at the inlet and oulet. Hangers would need to be fabbed. AH64ID indicated to me that he used the Geno's muffler delete pipe and the cat was replaced by a 40" Donaldson. This took care of the offset and hangers but, again, the cat was gone. He pointed out that Donaldon has offset mufflers and a link to their site gained access to a pdf with full muffler specs. They have several offset mufflers with about a 5" offset but the flow numbers are'nt quite as good as some of the straight throughs. They are available in 10 and 11" diameters which should certainly provide a decent expansion chamber and some of the attenuation numbers look pretty good but that is accompanied by lower flow numbers. I'm wondering were the stock flow numbers are wrt the various Donaldson offerings. They have various lenghts that should fit into the stock location with perhaps some pipe shortening. And hangers will need to be fabbed.



A little closer but still pondering!



Regards, John

 

[mwilson]

I am still pondering what to do. Searched the threads on droning and found a bit more info. I crawled under the truck again and did some measuring. The stock muffler is 26" long at the can, 9x12 oval with about a 6" offset between inlet and outlet. There's about 14" of staight pipe forward to the cat and about 8" of staight pipe in the tailpipe before the bend. So I don't believe that a 51" is going in there without cat removal which I really don't want to do and there is the 6" offset which may be able to be taken up by bending at the inlet and oulet. Hangers would need to be fabbed. AH64ID indicated to me that he used the Geno's muffler delete pipe and the cat was replaced by a 40" Donaldson. This took care of the offset and hangers but, again, the cat was gone. He pointed out that Donaldon has offset mufflers and a link to their site gained access to a pdf with full muffler specs. They have several offset mufflers with about a 5" offset but the flow numbers are'nt quite as good as some of the straight throughs. They are available in 10 and 11" diameters which should certainly provide a decent expansion chamber and some of the attenuation numbers look pretty good but that is accompanied by lower flow numbers. I'm wondering were the stock flow numbers are wrt the various Donaldson offerings. They have various lenghts that should fit into the stock location with perhaps some pipe shortening. And hangers will need to be fabbed.



A little closer but still pondering!



Regards, John

I might have found pre-fabbed hangers. I took a few minutes this morning and started checking vendors. Walker had nothing but Arvin/Maremont show these hangers as part of a Cherry Bomb kit for Diesel Dodge Trucks. A 4" and 5" kit are offered. I could care less about Cherry Bombs BUT the hanger/clamp thingies are the cats ***.

I cannot break the kits down so I will contact Arvin for a breakdown after I get payroll done.



Have a look at my screen shot.

Mike.