iracemine
black and tan
WOW, not looking forward to this. is this somthing thats just a maintenance thing or mainly for moders???
Up-pipe donut replacement Early 99??
- Thread starter Got Diesel
- Start date
Got Diesel
Engineering College Boy
Alright here goes for all those that have been awaiting a reply.
I did it took the plunge and did it. I pulled the turbo off the truck, this was a piece of cake to do. I had the turbo and pedestal off in about an hour maybe a little less. Then came the hard part of the whole damn thing. I couldn't get the bolts out of the baby butt connector. I was gonna try and do it with out removing the up-pipes from the manifold.
I ended up having to take the up-pipe off the passenger side manifold. Then I was able to remove the whole baby butt connector. After that the bolt came out easily.
I did as others have suggested and slathered everything in anti-seize. Then I started putting stuff back together I thought I left everything loose enough but I didn't and it became a royal PIA to get the baby butt connector to match up to the turbo again. Leave everything loose when putting back together.
I still have a problem though, the drivers side has not sealed up properly, so it still leaks. I have to figure out away to try and get it sealed up. Just need another couple of free hours.
Get yourself a 10mm universal socket and at least 36" of extension and you will be in good shape. A 10mm ratcheting wrench will come in handy also. Those would really be the only important things to have.
If you have any other questions let me know. I was kinda vague and will right edit some details when I get the chance.
I did it took the plunge and did it. I pulled the turbo off the truck, this was a piece of cake to do. I had the turbo and pedestal off in about an hour maybe a little less. Then came the hard part of the whole damn thing. I couldn't get the bolts out of the baby butt connector. I was gonna try and do it with out removing the up-pipes from the manifold.
I ended up having to take the up-pipe off the passenger side manifold. Then I was able to remove the whole baby butt connector. After that the bolt came out easily.
I did as others have suggested and slathered everything in anti-seize. Then I started putting stuff back together I thought I left everything loose enough but I didn't and it became a royal PIA to get the baby butt connector to match up to the turbo again. Leave everything loose when putting back together.
I still have a problem though, the drivers side has not sealed up properly, so it still leaks. I have to figure out away to try and get it sealed up. Just need another couple of free hours.
Get yourself a 10mm universal socket and at least 36" of extension and you will be in good shape. A 10mm ratcheting wrench will come in handy also. Those would really be the only important things to have.
If you have any other questions let me know. I was kinda vague and will right edit some details when I get the chance.
Tail_Gunner
CRJ & ERJ A&P Mech.
Thanks for the info.
Which do you think would work better:
1- Mount the up-pipes and baby butt, install turbo and then hook baby butt to turbo---or
2- Mount the baby butt to the installed turbo and then slip the up-pipes into the baby butt and hook up to exhaust manifold?
Also, what did you use for donut gaskets?
Got Diesel
Engineering College Boy
I used the 350 chevy gaskets from Napa. Though I think this may be one of the reasons why my drivers side is still leaking, the gasket just didn't crush.
Put the baby butt on the up-pipes and start the bolts in the baby-butt but only tighten them about three threads. Then from there mount your turbo, put the marmon clamp on and tighten it down not final tight but definetely snug. Make sure that the clamp is on the right way, don't ask me how I know.
Put the baby butt on the up-pipes and start the bolts in the baby-butt but only tighten them about three threads. Then from there mount your turbo, put the marmon clamp on and tighten it down not final tight but definetely snug. Make sure that the clamp is on the right way, don't ask me how I know.
Tail_Gunner
CRJ & ERJ A&P Mech.
WOW, not looking forward to this. is this somthing thats just a maintenance thing or mainly for moders???
It's a "sooner or later" maintenance thing.
Tail_Gunner
CRJ & ERJ A&P Mech.
OK, It's My Turn!!
Well, I started my up-pipe project today. I got the pipes & baby's butt out of the truck, but it wasn't easy.
Due to the harsher weather conditions here in Da U.P.(winter & road salt), I had a problem with rusted bolts. Wrenches weren't gonna work on getting the pipes off the manifolds. So out comes the pneumatic cut-off wheel. Accessabilty to the passenger side was going to be an issue no matter how I got the rusted bolts off. Since I had already pulled the turbo out, the top of the down-pipe was already loose. All I had to do was remove a pipe clamp, push the exhaust system back and pull the down-pipe to the front and out it came. This vastly improved access to the right side manifold/up-pipe bolts. Getting the cut-off wheel in there was still tight, but it got the job done. After some careful positioning of the rotary cut-off, all four of the pipe to manifold bolts were cut. Then I just had to find wrenches that would get enough bite on the bolt stubs and nuts still in the manifolds, and they came out too. :wrench :wrench
On examination of the up-pipes and baby's butt, I found the tell-tale black streak of an exhaust leak on the passenger side. Actually, I'm glad I found the leaky donut gasket. It means I have something of a repairable, less serious nature I can blame my performance isuues on than a more serious problem.
I still haven't got the pipes out of the baby's butt. Those bolts are siezed hard. I have the entire assembly in the vise in the basement with PB Blaster doing it's thing as I type away.
My next day off isn't until Sunday, so I likely won't be able to re-assemble everything until then.
Stay tuned. -popcorn
p.s. wanna know what sucks about doing truck maintenance in the fall?
Dropping that occasional nut or bolt on a driveway covered with dead leaves.
Well, I started my up-pipe project today. I got the pipes & baby's butt out of the truck, but it wasn't easy.
Due to the harsher weather conditions here in Da U.P.(winter & road salt), I had a problem with rusted bolts. Wrenches weren't gonna work on getting the pipes off the manifolds. So out comes the pneumatic cut-off wheel. Accessabilty to the passenger side was going to be an issue no matter how I got the rusted bolts off. Since I had already pulled the turbo out, the top of the down-pipe was already loose. All I had to do was remove a pipe clamp, push the exhaust system back and pull the down-pipe to the front and out it came. This vastly improved access to the right side manifold/up-pipe bolts. Getting the cut-off wheel in there was still tight, but it got the job done. After some careful positioning of the rotary cut-off, all four of the pipe to manifold bolts were cut. Then I just had to find wrenches that would get enough bite on the bolt stubs and nuts still in the manifolds, and they came out too. :wrench :wrench
On examination of the up-pipes and baby's butt, I found the tell-tale black streak of an exhaust leak on the passenger side. Actually, I'm glad I found the leaky donut gasket. It means I have something of a repairable, less serious nature I can blame my performance isuues on than a more serious problem.
I still haven't got the pipes out of the baby's butt. Those bolts are siezed hard. I have the entire assembly in the vise in the basement with PB Blaster doing it's thing as I type away.
My next day off isn't until Sunday, so I likely won't be able to re-assemble everything until then.
Stay tuned. -popcorn
p.s. wanna know what sucks about doing truck maintenance in the fall?
Dropping that occasional nut or bolt on a driveway covered with dead leaves.
Got Diesel
Engineering College Boy
Hey Kent when you round off the bolts in the baby butt, which I am guessing you will do to at least one of them. I know I did. Then drive a 6 point 3/8's socket on there and remove the bolts that way.
Tail_Gunner
CRJ & ERJ A&P Mech.
Going back together, I'm past the hump point.
I got the bolts outta the baby's butt flange, well, 3 out of 4 anyhow.
One of the bolts broke off flush. A little voice told me a couple weeks ago, "Get a new baby's butt". Which I did and glad I did. The only reason I needed to get the bolts off was to get the donut flanges off. I got some replacement bolts which have a 13mm size head, so there is more to get a bite on.
I picked up some exhaust donuts at NAPA along with some Ultra Copper sealant. I thought I'd use it to help seal the up-pipes going into the baby's butt, the stuff is sometimes used on exhaust manifolds and such.
One thing I did notice was some excessive slop when I test fitted the old up-pipes into the new baby's butt and exhaust donuts. I picked up a exhaust pipe expander and streched the pipes just a tad, enough to reduce the excess play. Between the tighter fit and the Ultra Copper sealant, I hope to ensure I get a real good seal.
The two hardest parts I think were getting the loose baby's butt attached to the turbo and getting that flange clamp on, and tightening the bolts for the donut flanges. They were a real PITA. But I think I came up with a tactic that helped.
On each side there was one donut flange bolt that was easier to get to than the other. What I did was apply a "leverage or see-saw" approach to the problem. I left the more accessable bolt quite loose and thightened the harder to get to bolt as tight as I could get it using whatever it took to do the job. ( A combination of long arms from the bottom side and a 1/4" drive ratchet and socket worked on the hardest one.) Then I went back to the more reachable bolt and torqued the livin' snot out of that side. My hope is that approach got the harder to get to side tighter than I could have doing them evenly at the same time.
All I have left to do is the misc. stuff under the hood. Maybe another 1 to 1.5 hours. The late day temps were dropping and my left thumb cramped up doing those damned donut flange bolts, so I'd figure it was a good point to call it a day.
So hopefully, tomorrow I'll have it running again and will have a test drive report for y'all.
I got the bolts outta the baby's butt flange, well, 3 out of 4 anyhow.
One of the bolts broke off flush. A little voice told me a couple weeks ago, "Get a new baby's butt". Which I did and glad I did. The only reason I needed to get the bolts off was to get the donut flanges off. I got some replacement bolts which have a 13mm size head, so there is more to get a bite on.
I picked up some exhaust donuts at NAPA along with some Ultra Copper sealant. I thought I'd use it to help seal the up-pipes going into the baby's butt, the stuff is sometimes used on exhaust manifolds and such.
One thing I did notice was some excessive slop when I test fitted the old up-pipes into the new baby's butt and exhaust donuts. I picked up a exhaust pipe expander and streched the pipes just a tad, enough to reduce the excess play. Between the tighter fit and the Ultra Copper sealant, I hope to ensure I get a real good seal.
The two hardest parts I think were getting the loose baby's butt attached to the turbo and getting that flange clamp on, and tightening the bolts for the donut flanges. They were a real PITA. But I think I came up with a tactic that helped.
On each side there was one donut flange bolt that was easier to get to than the other. What I did was apply a "leverage or see-saw" approach to the problem. I left the more accessable bolt quite loose and thightened the harder to get to bolt as tight as I could get it using whatever it took to do the job. ( A combination of long arms from the bottom side and a 1/4" drive ratchet and socket worked on the hardest one.) Then I went back to the more reachable bolt and torqued the livin' snot out of that side. My hope is that approach got the harder to get to side tighter than I could have doing them evenly at the same time.
All I have left to do is the misc. stuff under the hood. Maybe another 1 to 1.5 hours. The late day temps were dropping and my left thumb cramped up doing those damned donut flange bolts, so I'd figure it was a good point to call it a day.
So hopefully, tomorrow I'll have it running again and will have a test drive report for y'all.
Got Diesel
Engineering College Boy
Sounds good Kent, I haven't gotten around to fixin my drivers side leak. Gonna do that next weekend. Good luck getting it finished up. Let us know if you experience any difference in boost. I believe I gained about 3 lbs, which puts me to 30psi. And that is all i got to before the SES light came on cause of overboost. I still haven't gotten a regulator on the map line.
Tail_Gunner
CRJ & ERJ A&P Mech.
At least the driver's side is the easier to get to. You may think about expanding the end diameter of the pipe just enough to match the inside diameter of the donut. The donut will seal better that way.
My boost dropped about 3 psi after rebuilding my turbo, but I think it may have been due to wrenching on the engine causing the up-pipe leak. On a 80hp to 100hp chip setting, my boost dropped from about 28psi to 25psi. I'm not sure what sorta boost I get in the OMG setting, I gotta get out of it too soon for high EGT's.
My SES light is usually due to too much injector and chip
and not enough HPOP.
