Truck Exhaust System

[JATO_RaT]

I am sure many of you guys have discussed this before, I did not seem to come up with much info on a quick search regarding truck exhaust systems.

I have a 1993 Ford F250 non turbo diesel. Banks offers a load of stuff from turbos to exhaust systems, but I am not interested in turbo charging this old IDI diesel primarily because of cost and the exhaust system seemed incredibly expensive for some bent pipe and a muffler. Would a larger exhaust be beneficial or is it a waste of money/time for the slight ( I presume) increase in performance? I go up a fairly steep grade up to just over 7000' routinely. At about 5000', the diesel is out of air as is evident by the increased black smoke. I have a K&N air filter, standard exhaust and automatic transmission. Any suggestions or recommendations to where I could purchase a exhaust system via mail order or is this pretty much a take it to a muffler shop and have them do it? Thanks, Mark

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Don't know where you hail from but if you have a good custom shop they might help you for question about diesels i'd try looking at either a local RV shop or on the web try the diesel stop they seem to have an active site. I go to a Jeepster site at offroad .com its not as active but they have a ford only forum also

it not much help but maybe a start

Cheers
Tony

 

[BobinCols]

Rat-I don't think a performance exhaust system will help. I believe Banks to build a quality exhaust system, but the cost is too much. If your truck has over 150,000 miles, a rebuilt injection pump or having yours rebuilt could help as the advance in the pump wears out. They can be taken on and off in under 4 hours. The turbo would be nice but is cost prohibitive on a 10 year old truck. Start saving for a powerstroke or Cummins. Turbocharging wakes up a diesel engine that is naturally aspirated.

 

[cowboydoc]

We've owned alot of those trucks Rat. Still have four or five on the ranches. An exhaust is a waste of money without doing the turbo as the perf. you get from just the exhaust will be minimal. I'm not a big fan of Banks. We've always used ATS.

 

[dmccarty]

Mark,

I don't think this really applies to your truck question but FYI,
I saw a truck show on TNN this weekend that was modifying
a diesel PU. I forgot the name of the show, but its one of
those shows with two guys who work on cars/trucks on TNN.

I missed the first part of the show but they where putting on
a exhaust system.

The rest of the show was putting in a Propane and NOX
system to get more HP. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I think they where using Bull Dog equipment.

The truck was a Chevy.

FYI,
Dan McCarty

 

[MikePA]

Hi Dan, you have your TNN shows mixed up. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif The show was Trucks! and Stacey David was installing Bully Dog parts. It was a Chevy, though!

 

[JATO_RaT]

Thank You for the opinions. I suspected that such was the case. While it would be nice to have more power particularly at the higher altitudes, it's just not that important. The thought of adding a turbo charger to this old IDI non turbo Navistar just is not very appealing especially when you know that there are far nicer diesels out there today. I'll stick with what I have and perhaps down the road consider rebuilding the injection pump. I have about 150K on the truck. Thanks, Rat...

 

[cowboydoc]

If the body is in good shape and you only have 150k I would do it. They aren't hard to put on. You can get the kit for less than $2k and an exhaust can be had for around $400. If you plan on keeping the truck for any length of time I would do it. You will be amazed at the increase in power.

 

[RobertN]

Mark,
What kind of condition is the exhaust in? If it is getting worn, then you might as well replace it with a bigger exhaust. It certianly won't hurt, and may give you some noticeable improvement. While I agree with Richard and the others that it will not be a major improvement, it certianly would not hurt.

I would look at a local shop in Auburn or Sac to do the work. There is a place here in Shingle that does that type of stuff. I have looked at a 4" setup, but with barely 30k miles, just can't justify the $$$ right now. In talking to the shop over here, they seemed knowledgable about what they were doing.

Have you checked out any of the Ford sites? I know there is info about tuning Dodges, from the simple to the extreme. Every little bit will help perforamnce and mileage, even if it is just a tiny bit. A lot of tiny bits add up in the end...

 

[JATO_RaT]

Richard, Robert, the truck and the exhaust are in great shape. Replacing the exhaust now would be throwing away a perfectly good looking exhaust system, at least on the outside. I see I actually have 135K on it. Richard you mentioned you don't like Banks and do like ATS. I know little about either but the advertising at Banks certainly makes the Banks appear to be the only way to go. Someone mentioned the Ford or truck forums as a great place for info but frankly, I went to one and it was just not for me. I'm not into my vehicles much, not like tractors. It's nice just to get some opinions here at TBN from folks that certainly seem to know what they are talking about. Thanks again, Rat...