Basalt Exhaust Wrap

[TNGP]

The heat from an under hood muffler, exhaust tube and headers is, well, hot. The heat radiates through everything near it and even cooks the hood to a point where you can't leave your hand on it. Thus I've decided to try that exhaust wrap you see on dragsters and other race cars. It costs $20 for a 2"x25ft roll and $11 for a pack of stainless steel zip-ties so what the heck.

I got to work and took off the header, muffler and exhaust tube. The exhaust tube and muffler are bolted together, so I tightened them up to keep their position and began the wrapping process. This process isn't difficult, but it's certainly time consuming. It took me about 3 hours to wrap everything and put it back together.

WOW was it worth it. The EGT has shot up, but it has made such a difference under the hood. At 2,000RPM with a heavy load, I can literally put my hand on the header/muffler/exhaust tube. Its not comfortable to leave my hand on it too long, but it certainly doesn't sizzle! I didn't wrap the flange, so I can feel what the actual heat coming out is (at the 2kRPM and a load it's untouchable and I'm sure we've all felt that sizzle before). Overall it's a very noticeable difference under the hood and well worth the $33 and 3 hours to do it. I'm now considering the same process with my other vehicles. I will 100% do this with any other tractor I ever have. I will put up pictures tomorrow when I get a chance.

The tractor is a Kubota B7500.

 

[4570Man]

What is EGT?

 

[TNGP]

Exhaust gas temp. I suppose it's more of an automotive term. In a diesel truck, if the EGT gets too high, you can cook off the oil flowing through the turbo, warp the turbo fins and metal parts/turbo housing/engine headers etc. Basically, the exhaust gasses are so hot they soften metal parts to the point of failure - but that is noticeable like glowing cherry red metal. I don't think that is a tractor problem - but please correct me if I'm wrong. I believe it is more of a race car problem and for towing heavy loads with a modified diesel truck.

 

[TNGP]

I got the Titanium color because it's the closest to OD I could find.

 

[prevent]

Used this stuff all the time on turbocharged subarus, works great for keeping heat in and reducing heatsoak to engine. Did you soak the wrap before hand to make it easier to wrap?

 

[TNGP]

I did soak it. I cant say that it expanded it at all, but it did keep the fibers from going airborne easily. I've read it is supposed to shrink when dry, but that wasn't my experience. It just stayed exactly as I wrapped it. Does the brand you use shrink?

 

[The Fred]

Get rid of it as you will ruin the exhaust, particularly right at the pipe after the 4 bolt flange.

Mild steel can't take that heat, only 304 stainless (not 409) will take that kind of abuse.

I ruined a new set of headers in 3 weeks by wrapping them like you did. The metal will crystallize then crack.

Regards, Fred

 

[TNGP]

I was worried about that. I figued motorcycle engines get much hotter than a tractor and they live through it.

Was your header cast iron? I wonder if a stainless upgrade after the breal would help with power output?

 

[stuckmotor]

Would relocating the muffler be an option?

 

[The Fred]

I was worried about that. I figued motorcycle engines get much hotter than a tractor and they live through it.

Was your header cast iron? I wonder if a stainless upgrade after the breal would help with power output?

My headers were on a Chevy 350 in an old Volvo and they were mild steel junk.


The pipe next to the 4 bolt flange will get the most heat and since it supports the whole muffler you'll first notice it droop as it heat cycles after some hard running. The idea under the hood is that the rad fan pushes out the hot air through the duct work and side grills behind the rad.

Why not use something 304 stainless off a motorcycle and adapt to your tractor and try it. Remove your stock system and store away for when you trade it in down the road.

Your machine doesn't need much flow as it only turns 2600 or so RPM unlike any car or bike that turns much faster and harder.

I straight piped mine.

Price your muffler from Kubota before you run it too long. 6A320-58400 $159.83 Well it's not too much money if you ruin it. Maybe unwrap just the short section above the 4 bolt flange.

Also if you buy the paint from the wrap company it is simply high heat header paint in flat black.

Regards and good luck, Fred

 

[Midniteoyl]

My headers were on a Chevy 350 in an old Volvo and they were mild steel junk.


The pipe next to the 4 bolt flange will get the most heat and since it supports the whole muffler you'll first notice it droop as it heat cycles after some hard running. The idea under the hood is that the rad fan pushes out the hot air through the duct work and side grills behind the rad.

Why not use something 304 stainless off a motorcycle and adapt to your tractor and try it. Remove your stock system and store away for when you trade it in down the road.

Your machine doesn't need much flow as it only turns 2600 or so RPM unlike any car or bike that turns much faster and harder.

I straight piped mine.

Price your muffler from Kubota before you run it too long. 6A320-58400 $159.83 Well it's not too much money if you ruin it. Maybe unwrap just the short section above the 4 bolt flange.

Also if you buy the paint from the wrap company it is simply high heat header paint in flat black.

Regards and good luck, Fred

You're pushing a lot of extra heat on to that alternator.. Not to mention the disruption to the airflow a cylinder causes so that what warm air does get to it doesn't cool very well.

 

[TNGP]

My headers were on a Chevy 350 in an old Volvo and they were mild steel junk.



The pipe next to the 4 bolt flange will get........
Regards and good luck, Fred

I see what you've got going there and you make a good point. If this setup breaks I will pipe it straight out the side and into a vertical stack in stainless and mandrel bends. Maybe get an extra hp out of it then! I do wonder how loud it would be though. How loud is yours?

 

[TNGP]

Would relocating the muffler be an option?

I could pipe it right out the side and make it a vertices stack. Just don't know what stainless muffler to use or if it would be obnoxiously loud with just a pipe.

 

[4570Man]

For a brief period of time I removed the muffler from my B7200 and ran it with just the header. It sounded pretty good, although since I primarily mow with this tractor I didn't want the noise.

 

[TNGP]

Pretty good like a throaty sound, or loud popping like when you take headers off a car?

 

[prevent]

I did soak it. I cant say that it expanded it at all, but it did keep the fibers from going airborne easily. I've read it is supposed to shrink when dry, but that wasn't my experience. It just stayed exactly as I wrapped it. Does the brand you use shrink?

I used DEI Exhaust Wrap, I used it on a turbocharged vehicle so the EGT were a bit higher than a compact tractor, around 1100 F to 1500 F so it definitely shrank. soaking it definitely helped with wrapping because it was more flexible and bendable and when it did dry it felt tighter around the exhaust.

Regards and good luck, Fred

that is a cute turbo, lol.. Seriously this is a cool pic. I wish i had a turbo tractor!

 

[Farmer2750]

A good way to lower EGRs is to straight pipe it. On my LLY Duramax, I was not happy with the EGRs until it got a 5" turbo back system on it.

 

[The Fred]

Pretty good like a throaty sound, or loud popping like when you take headers off a car?

The turbocharger acts like a muffler so it's not loud. Yours will be unbearable without a muffler.

Fred

 

[topbuilder]

OP, My Rayco Super 50 has a muffler and pipe under a fiberglass hood. The muffler is wrapped with a "blanket" that snaps around pretty efficiently. An expensive part. The pipe exits the middle of the hood. I wrap it with the product you are using here. It works very well. It does take time to do right. I'm sure your hands were tired by the time you finished that run. It seems to be rather delicate. I'm sure contact with underbrush would shred it after a while.
I'm not sure how this will affect the pipe metal. For me, it is not an option. To run without it would trash a $5,000 hood. There is a carbon fiber version out now I might use the next time.

 

[TNGP]

topbuilder,

I wonder why they ever switched to plastic or that fiber reinforce junk for hoods. They're not quieter and certainly not more durable. They break constantly. What you described sounds like what I used to see on maritime inboard exhaust systems. They were like a fiberglass blanket with stainless steel wire closures with some kind of fiberglass stuffing. They worked fantastically as I remember! You could lean on the turbo or muffler of a CAT C32 without burning yourself.

Actually, now that I think about it - it's common practice to wrap all exhaust components on marine engines. Though it's normally 304SS or similar, its still prone to excessive heat and terrible vibrations. It's probably not common to copy marine practices with tractors, but it's very similar when it comes to engines. Big slow powerful diesel engines.

My hands were sore, but truth be told I didn't think I needed gloves. That was the worst thing of the whole project - that night and the next day. It felt like I had been blowing in fiberglass insulation all day!