Diesel fitter

I am wanting to install my guages from my previous truck into my new 6.7. I am planning on leaving it stock but, own the guages so I would like to install them. I am concerned that by installing the thermocouple (drilling and tapping the exhaust manifold) that it may affect my warranty. Has anyone had issues with this?

I have viewed the insructions on the 6.7 on the Dieselmanor.com website and don't know if I feel comfortable not pulling the manifold to drill and tap the hole.

On my old 5.9 I pulled the exhaust manifold off to drill and tap so that there was no way any shavings would make it to the turbo. It was pretty easy to do on that engine too.

The 6.7 however, looks much more involved to do this (pulling the egr cooler, ect.). I may have to roll my sleeves up and do it anyway as I don't know that I would want to chance it. I may not sleep at night. LOL!


I guess I can always wait for the 5 yr warranty to expire but, It will be much easier to pull the manifold when it's new.

Any input is appreciated!

DF

mitternocht

If you do pull the manifold, you might want to document it. That is take pictures and what not. Do you think a dealer will really believe you when you say you took the manifold off to drill the hole?

The tip can always break on the probe and take out your turbo too.

I have a pre turbo probe as well; however the hole was there with a plug in it when I bought the truck, I don’t know how the previous owner drilled the hole, but if I were doing it I’d do it with the truck running. I’m not sure if that is an option with the 6.7 however?

Ace

Can anyone cite an example of a thermocouple breaking off on them and taking out a turbo? Even a second hand account of one that happened to a friend or somebody they know?

Diesel fitter

Well the big question I have is...will installing the thermocouple affect my warranty? Has anyone had first hand experience with this issue? If not, I guess rather than chance it I will wait for the warranty to expire before I install it.

I know I can ask the dealer I bought it from and they well probably tell me it's OK. What if I am traveling and need something out of town, what's the next dealer down the road gonna say??

As far as drilling with the engine running, to me that doesn't sound like a very smart thing to do safety wise, and you could still get shavings in your turbo too.


DF

BMH95

I don't think that you'll have anything go wrong that could be attributed to the probe. I also know that if you happen on one of the many dishonest dealers you might have an issue. Most dealers won't care. Besides, it's easy to prove that all it the thing feeds is a gauge.

I put mine on a LONG time ago and was paranoid about it for a week or two. Now I'm almost at 100K and have no regrets or fears.

rich

had the turbo go out on my 07 5.9 and nothing was said about the probe. as far as shavings as said on here before use grease as you drill and it will collect it. as far as from the tapping the hole use air to blow as you tap and what little shavings get in they will blow thru the turbo when you start it

Utundra

Is the factory exhaust brake on the 6.7 the same as the 5.9 Jacobs brake? If yes then there is an existing plug that is made to mount a pyrometer, remove the plug and install pyrometer. I know it is post turbo...

CD in NM

The only thing that will be affected warranty-wise is the warranty on the manifold itself. My dealership made a comment when they saw mine - went something like 'now your exhaust manifold does not have a warranty'.

As far as the tip of the probe causing problems when it burns off - YES, somewhere a few years ago someone DID post that the piece that came off DID affect/damage the turbo. The sign you should look for regarding a probe failure is that your EGT's kind of begin to 'bounce', meaning that you see a bouncing deflection in the needle. TIME to r&r your probe, it's ready to bite it.

I just drilled and tapped mine in place, as has been mentioned, using a goodly amount of grease as you drill and tap will collect the shavings. If you are concerned about the shavings, grease and clean the bit/tap several times in the process.

There are literally THOUSANDS of trucks running around out there with probes in the manifold that come stock, thousands more that have been put in aftermarket, if a dealership is getting that **** and in your face about it I would either change dealerships or ask them why they are so **** using the thousands of stock and aftermarket example. If that didn't back them down, my attorney would be the next person having a discussion with them regarding all this. I really doubt most dealers would give you a problem, I also really doubt that DC would give you issues either. It is only when the suspect and then find some kind of 'box' on your truck that they legally could be into your face about the warranty. I have NO 'box' on my truck, several gauges, and I told them straight out my extra instruments are there for two reasons - 1/they did not offer them as either stock or an option and 2/the instruments provide excellent operation information-kind of like an insurance policy but help me to protect my investment-work very well as adjunct information to diagnosis when you possibly could have a problem.

If you make sense to them about YOUR needs and then ask them how what you have installed would create a warranty situation, they have no compelling answers or conclusions that make voiding your warranty a proper action on their part. If an aftermarket instrument IS considered a warranty issue, then Peterbuilt, Kenworth, even Chrysler's sister truck company Freightliner (and all the other big rig companies) would have been voiding warranties a long time ago. Sorry, fails to compute in comparison, just point out the comparison.

And, like Utundra points out, you should have an existing port, use it - just calculate the difference in the reading post turbo.

CD

KKB

The way I drilled and tapped my 5.9 was to leave everything on the truck and after I drilled the hole in the manifold I used a vaccuum with a flexible straw duct taped to the end. The straw fits into the hole in the manifold and sucks out any shavings. Using the bendy straw you can bend it so it reaches alot of the area in the manifold. I repeated after I tapped the hole also. I was worried since it was the first time I had done it but it has worked great.

Shagginwagon

I used a pencil magnet. There were a LOT of shavings! I wouldn't want what I took out passing through my turbo.

Kman9090

When the motor blew up in my 05 I took everything off the truck gauges and the juice and put a plug where the thermocouple was. They ended up voiding the warranty because of the hole in the manifold. The service manager was a real well you know and said that Chrysler Rep came out there and looked at the truck and black flagged it from any warranty work. As I did have a chip in it I didn't fight it to much just gave me a reason to build a pulling truck! After I got my truck back and put back together I had been driving it for a little while and had a leak from somewhere under my truck I can't remember believe it was the transfer case. Well I thought well crap now I don't have a warranty but I decided to call a different dealer and see if my truck had been black flagged from the system. it turns out the service manager had Lied about everything and no Rep came and looked ta my truck so i took the truck in and they fixed the leak under warranty. Really it just depends on the dealers and how big a jerk the service manager is but for the most case I don't think you will have a problem with it.

As far as Install use a bit and dip it in grease but this does not get all the shavings. I highly recomend that you get a magnet with a a handle that extends (find them at autozone) that will fit down inside the hole. You will besuprised at how many shavings it will pick up. I have 2 thermocouples in my manifold one to monitor the back 3 cyclinders and one to monitor the front 3.

Diesel fitter

Mitternocht, I do like the idea of documenting the removal of the manifold with pictures. Pretty good way to prove what you did to install the thermocouple.

BMH95, what procedure did you use to install yours, did you pull the manifold off or not?

Utundra, The brakes are different the 6.7, I believe uses the variable turbo to do the braking and the jacabs add on is a butterfly in the exhaust stream. The jacobs exhaust brake was the first thing I installed on my first truck in 2002. I do not recall a plug or a bushing on any of the parts that were installed in the kit or I am sure I would have used that instead of drilling the manifold. Maybe that was something they added down the road?

KKB, That sounds interesting, what size is the hole you drilled and tapped? The thermocouple that I am using requires a 5/16 hole for a 1/8 pipe fitting.
Do you have any pictures of your setup with the vaccum. That is what they suggest at dieselmanor.com. The real concern I have is that the spot to drill is right above the turbo. For me not knowing the shape of the inside of the manifold (is there a lip on the inside or does it drop right down to the turbo, seems like a big risk.

Shagginwagon, That is the exact reason I think that I will pull the manifold even though it looks like a fair amount of work.

I appreciate all the input! I was curious how everyone felt about this subject.

Is there anyone out there that has pulled the manifold to do this on a 6.7? I would love to hear about your experience if you did.

Thanks,
DF

KKB

Diesel fitter, I have the same size pyro as you the 1/8 npt. I drilled and tapped mine between the #3 and 4 cylinder. The manifold is flat there and the shavings will be sitting there ready to be taken out. If you tap in the collector area just above the turbo I would remove the turbo because the shavings would fall right in it.

Diesel fitter

KBB, you have a 5.9 right? I am talking about a 6.7 it's different.

Jeff in TD

I would say talk to the service guys at the dealership you use first about a warranty issue if you are worried about it.

I would also drill and tap over a horizontal part of the exhaust manifold, using grease on the drill and on the tap, followed by a magnet.

I don't believe I've ever read a thread or talked to anyone who claimed to have seen a turbo failure due to a drill/tap chip from installing a pyro.

I'm sure it could happen, if you left a big curley one to get blown into the turbo when it was up to speed, but if you are at all careful that won't happen.

Warranty wise, I suppose if the manifold were to crack through where you drilled, or if the turbo did blow up and they found a probe tip, or big shaving in it, naturally it wouldn't be a warranty repair.