Exhaust leak at back of motor

[jherman]

Hello everybody, i have developed an exhaust leak somewhere on the back of motor ,but i can not find it,
its really annoying at speed and it seems to cost me some power

Does anybody know if the 7.3 has some historical issue with exhaust leaks somewhere around the turbo or rear of the engine area, and if so is this something i might be able to fix myself or should i take it to a shop .

The truck has 180K on it and is bone stock.

 

[iracemine]

yup, the up pipes go bad. search the site and you will find a god write up on how to change them over to the newer style. maybe use up-pipes for a key word and it should come right up.

 

[BJS]

the up pipes are the likely source, it can be where they join the "baby's butt" into the turbo or down lower at the manifolds.

As to if you can do it yourself that all depends on your level of mechanical inclination and your tolerance for bolts that require a triple jointed midget with 1000lb/ft of torque in his pinkie... In all reality it's not the end of the world for a job it can be a pain but be prepared for a seized, striped, or broken bolt/nut here or there and it will help your mental state notably.

 

[jherman]

I searched the forum under baby butt and down pipes and i can find alot of chatter about it but not any description or write up how to fix it, could you lead me a little closer to how to fix this. I'm not the most computer literate so i may not be searching correctly???
thanks in advance for your help.

 

[BJS]

when searching you want up pipes not down pipes.

the exhaust system on these trucks is relatively simple but there are a few pieces involved Here is a picture to give you a better idea of what you'll be dealing with

you see the exhaust that comes out of the manifold it goes into the up pipes on each side which are directly above the flywheel in the picture and these connect to the collector manifold or baby's butt. The collector manifold has a mounting plate that attaches to the exhaust inlet flange of the turbo.

each of these connection points is a potential location for a leak, leaks are usually identifiable by a soot deposit, to look for soot deposits you'll need a mirror and flashlight to do a comprehensive inspection.

 

[iracemine]

meh, here is a pretty good one with part numbers and all. and yeah use the international ones. Welcome to Pocket's International UP-Pipe Replacement Web Page

 

[jherman]

thanks to all for your help, because of the leads you gave me i have ordered the kit and will attempt this myself, i almost think i can pull it off after seeing the pictures, i have renewed confidence. I will let you know how it goes.