Well I've been smelling exhaust for a few days, so I went looking for the source tonight. The elbow between the turbo and the downpipe has a large crack in the top side. So now comes the many questions of what to do. The cheap bastid aproach would be to weld it, but up here rust is an issue, so I would like to replace it and not have to worry about it again.

I have been wanting a larger downpipe (4 or 5") and this could work out well. Can i get a downpipe that includes the elbow? Or is there a good source for an elbow, and I can get the downpipe seperately? The elbow has a flange that bolts to the rear of the turbo, so its not something our local exhaust shops would be able to handle. I already have a short straight pipe and missing kitty, so starting fresh isn't a problem...I would like to go with 4" or 5" from the turbo down to a short straight pipe (to just behind the cab).

Jim

 

the only one that I know of with the elbow is the megamouth

 

great time for the pacbrake! if it were me, i would remove it and weld it.

 

NHDiesel,

Welding cast iron that has been exposed to corrosion for a while is an iffy thing as far as making it last. As many members here that have changed turbos I bet if you ask they will fix you up real cheap on one. And hey it XMAS too they might let you just pay the UPS on it!

Mark @ DPPI

 

A PacBrake will replace that elbow nicely. Most new downpipes have a flange to match the elbow/PackBrake outlet, and they transition to 4 or 5 inches after the flange.

 

Sure, an exhaust brake would be nice...but we are in desperate need of $$$ as it is. The truck is parked and I'm borrowing a vehicle for now. I didn't realize that elbow was cast...I just saw the crack checking quickly with a flashlight at 11:30 pm at a gas station. Well I guess the truck will be parked for a while unless I can find an affordable replacement. The replacement pipe isn't a bad investment, but an exhaust brake is definately out of the question. I tried an only Dodge part's site but i can't find that elbow listed in either the exhaust section or the turbo section.

Jim

 

You could do a fix if you wanted to upgrade the exhaust or if you already have the 4" system.

You could get the 3" - 4" adapter from Piers and get the full 4" downpipe that comes with the HX40 type turbos. Just a thought..

Piers Turbos.. Go to the bottom of the page...

 

Update. Things just got worse. I called the dealer for a price on the parts, and got bad news. The elbow itself isn't bad at all...around $70. But they said the actual flange is part of the turbo (seperate piece, but only available with the turbo). I went out and tore it apart to see exactly which piece was broken, and just my luck...the $70 elbow is fine, its the flange on the back of the turbo that broke!

O.K., new turbo through the dealer is roughly $1000. Out of the question (just look up the price out of curiosity). On ebay there are a few turbos listed, and (pardon my Cummins inexperience) some are listed as the "large turbo". I'm assuming those are from manual transmission trucks (manuals have more torque, correct?) or are they just a different year? One of the ads listed this: "(part # : AR-12610) w/ a turbine A/R .85"

I want to change fuel plates at some point when $$$ permit it, but for now there will be no mods done to it other than the straight exhaust. Can i use a larger turbo with no problems, and will that turbo work on my truck? I notice that neither one has the seperate flanged plate bolted to the back of the turbo like mine (held on with 5 bolts), but the actual flange itself looks the same, its just part of the housing and not a seperate plate.

Jim

 

You can get a modified turbo, but unless you really have a use for one you could be wasting your money and potentially hurting performance.

I'd get a hybred my self... Look around, if you've got the time, and do some research. I've got a 24v so I don't feel comfortable giving you complete advice. With larger injectors (I don't like the boxes though they are cheap power), larger WG turbo you should be kick'n some ****.

Check out this site... I have not purchased anthing from them, but they have a nice listing of turbos and prices... One has a 4" outlet and is less than 1000 bones.

http://www.htturbo.com/dodge.htm

Good luck

 

The ones i was looking at were in the $100-$150 range for a used one. I also just checked out that Megamouth pipe that Big Deezul mentioned, and it just happens to come with not only the elbow, but it actually replaces the upper flange also! Not exactly a cheap option at $330-$355, but really not bad compared to even an ebay turbo ($150), replacement downpipe ($75+), gaskets, and time to swap out the turbo. Now i just have to make the decision and save up the $$$. Thanks for the info guys.

Jim