Engine Problems

[Seangie]

Pulling out of Glacier NP yesterday and here were the symptoms -
First - noticed a good amount of black smoke coming out the tailpipe at the bottom of third gear.  Shifted into second to up the RPMs and it cleared up.
Second - noticed black smoke at every gear change, a bit more than a puff.
Third - because I was paying attention at this point, bus seemed to be running a little rougher than normal.  If I wasn't paying attention I may not have noticed
Fourth -  Bus seemed a little warmer than normal.  This may very well be my gauge (loose ground) and it was over 90 degrees but it did seem slightly warmer.
Fifth - when I opened the engine bay there was soot covering the air intake plumbing and area around that passenger side of the engine bay

I've got an Eagle 10s and the engine is a silver 692TA mechanical.  Its got the larger injectors tuned to 350hp

My assumption is a loose exahaust pipe creating an exhaust leak preventing the Turbo (newly rebuilt) from spinning up to speed.  

Any feedback you guys can provide would certainly be helpful.  I'm sure Ill have more questions by the end of the day.

Thanks.

-Sean

[chessie4905]

   Momentarily hold a rag or towel over exhaust pipe outlet and look for any leaks around pipes and connections. With engine off,access the inside of turbo by disconnecting easiest pipe and check if vanes turn easily. Check exhaust side of turbo and look for damaged vanes.

[luvrbus]

Probably broke the flange off the exhaust pipe at the wye,isn't it a front mount turbo

[Mike in GA]

Your symptoms sound like mine this past spring when I noticed a ton of black smoke on acceleration, plus more exhaust noise. After stopping, found the engine compartment to be somewhat sooty.  Fortunately I was headed to a Bus Nut rally where I got a lot of advice and help. The flange coming out of my turbo on the exhaust side had cracked. Rust and age. I was lucky that a used replacement was not too far away. Not cheap either, but completely necessary.
Good luck!
Mike in GA

[Seangie]

Thanks Guys!

I'm hoping that a cracked exhaust pipe or loose flange is all it is. I'm headed to Missoula this afternoon.  I should have enough resources there to get it apart and see what's wrong.

I'm gonna drop the bullfrog and baby it into Missoula this afternoon.  I'm going to take a look before I leave to make sure nothing major is damaged and then tighten up what I can before I go.  Ill try and post some pictures later.

-Sean

[luvrbus]

If the pipe is in good shape and the flange broke just weld another flange on, the pipe with the bellows is a 500+$ pipe

[Seangie]

If the pipe is in good shape and the flange broke just weld another flange on, the pipe with the bellows is a 500+$ pipe

Cliff -  you don't have one laying around your garage you need to get rid of for cost of shipping do you?


Just Kidding

[luvrbus]

I could have find out if the pipe is broken and post a photo 

[Boomer]

I probably have the turbo outlet pipe and flange.

[Seangie]

So here is the leak -



You can see the black from the exhaust.

Here is a shot of the whole assembly-


Is there a trick to getting the clamp off?  Do I just need to man up on it with a screwdriver and hammer?

-Sean

[Seangie]

K -  I've got the clamps off.

I can't visibly see a crack anywhere. Although I cannot remove the pipe completely without removing the whole T-assembly.  And Im not attempting that here in the Lowes parking lot.

I'm going to grab 2 new clamps and see if that doesn't help.

Is there any kind of high temp sealent for these joints?

Thanks again.

-Sean

[thomasinnv]

No sealant. Just the pressure from the clamp. Can you loosten the other end of that pipe to make sure you get a good mate on that end when you tighten it back up? Looks just like the clamp on my pickumup. If the ends dont mate up just right it could be hard to get it to seal.

[Seangie]

Derrick,

I loosened both sides.  Can't get the pipe off without complete disassembly.

Ill do my best to make sure its properly seated. 

Are these V-band clamps the best clamps to use?  Or is there a better type for this application? 

Any specific brand better than another?

Thanks again.

-Sean

[Lee Bradley]

Rather than loosening the T, I loosen the manifold.

[chessie4905]

 You can coat the inside of the clamp or the surface where the clamp rides with antiseize. It will help to allow everything to draw up nice and allow clamp to seat and shift as it tightens. Those clamps work pretty nice unless there is a misalignment that won't change when tightening clamps. You need to see how the other end of the pipe is attached to manifold. To seal properly you may need to loosen the other end also. You can use the antiseize on the old clamps also. They should be reusable, unless you snap off the bolt.