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Ford 7.3 turbo: exhaust too loud

BBURD
Explorer
Explorer
Purchased (new to me) Ford 250, 7.3 ltr turbo, 126000 miles. Exhaust has been modified and has big tip. Wife says too loud. (I have to agree) Saw 4.5 inch tip silencer that attaches to tip of exhaust to supposedly quiet it down. Has anyone used? Will it restrict exhaust too much and inhibit performance? Etc Thanks
Bruce Burdette
38 REPLIES 38

dodge_guy
Explorer II
Explorer II
rhagfo wrote:
rhagfo wrote:
jerem0621 wrote:
7.3's are naturally loud. Add a custom exhaust and you can get mind numbly loud.

Take it to a shop and have them take a look and give an opinion.

Thanks!

Jeremiah


I doubt that much of the noise is from the exhaust!! The 7.3 and 1st and 2nd gen Cummins are naturally noisy due to the single event combustion.
You will get over it once you tow with it.

Okie1 wrote:
I will agree that 7.3 Powerstrokes are very noisy engines but NOT from the exhaust. You probably don't have a muffler at all. There is no way you can hear any exhaust noise over the engine noise in mine....


He will soon learn that the early diesels are just noisy, no matter the size of the muffler the single injection event, is just plain loud.
:B


You want noisy?...................how about a 94-97 Cummins! these were as noisy as they come!
Wife Kim
Son Brandon 17yrs
Daughter Marissa 16yrs
Dog Bailey

12 Forest River Georgetown 350TS Hellwig sway bars, BlueOx TrueCenter stabilizer

13 Ford Explorer Roadmaster Stowmaster 5000, VIP Tow>
A bad day camping is
better than a good day at work!

rhagfo
Explorer III
Explorer III
rhagfo wrote:
jerem0621 wrote:
7.3's are naturally loud. Add a custom exhaust and you can get mind numbly loud.

Take it to a shop and have them take a look and give an opinion.

Thanks!

Jeremiah


I doubt that much of the noise is from the exhaust!! The 7.3 and 1st and 2nd gen Cummins are naturally noisy due to the single event combustion.
You will get over it once you tow with it.

Okie1 wrote:
I will agree that 7.3 Powerstrokes are very noisy engines but NOT from the exhaust. You probably don't have a muffler at all. There is no way you can hear any exhaust noise over the engine noise in mine....


He will soon learn that the early diesels are just noisy, no matter the size of the muffler the single injection event, is just plain loud.
:B
Russ & Paula the Beagle Belle.
2016 Ram Laramie 3500 Aisin DRW 4X4 Long bed.
2005 Copper Canyon 293 FWSLS, 32' GVWR 12,360#

"Visit and Enjoy Oregon State Parks"

Okie1
Explorer
Explorer
I will agree that 7.3 Powerstrokes are very noisy engines but NOT from the exhaust. You probably don't have a muffler at all. There is no way you can hear any exhaust noise over the engine noise in mine....
2016 F-350 four door Lariat 4X4 long bed & 2012 Sabre 34RLQS...

BBURD
Explorer
Explorer
OK guys. Stainless system goes from exhaust "end" all the way up to engine. Looks like has "round"muffler about half way back. Looked on line at suggestions and seems like Walker is 3 1/2 inch inlet/out which would require mod for pipes. Guess I can't search Peninsular sites correctly cause I keep getting engines and parts. Guess I will carry to muffler shop next week after we get through this snow/ice business in GA. (To those in AL, GA, SC, NC, hope all will keep power). Great info and I appreciate the help!! At least I will have some data to discuss with them! Thanks much.
Bruce Burdette

Wes_Tausend
Explorer
Explorer
redfire2002 wrote:

I have an egt gage and I assure you temps from stock to a 4" is a 200 degree difference. A muffler is all he needs. You don't want to go from a 4" down pipe to a 3" half way back. It's like an hour class, sand will flow fast at first then slow down as the opening gets smaller.


BBURD wrote:
Purchased (new to me) Ford 250, 7.3 ltr turbo, 126000 miles. Exhaust has been modified and has big tip. Wife says too loud. (I have to agree) Saw 4.5 inch tip silencer that attaches to tip of exhaust to supposedly quiet it down. Has anyone used? Will it restrict exhaust too much and inhibit performance? Etc Thanks


It is very true that it wouldn't make sense for the OP to install a 3 inch tailpipe. I agree, all he needs is a muffler. But I "reasoned" the muffler will have negligible effect on "restriction and inhibiting performance".

If an original installation only used a 4 inch header pipe, it might make a lot of sense. The exhaust would still dump into a large 4 inch pipe, likely retaining the coveted 200 degree drop. My line of thinking is that the forward part of the improved 4 inch pipe ahead of the muffler may be all that is needed to enhance power. Incidentally, exhaust gas rapidly diminishes in total volume as it cools and contracts during it's trip, whereas sand never takes up less total volume, if that makes sense to you.

In other words, as the burned gas continuously cools and contracts in volume as it exits, the exhaust pipe diameter could logically continue to get tapered smaller and smaller like a gradual funnel. Of course a funnel shape wouldn't make practical sense, but my point is, the possible option to have a full 4 inch section up to the muffler, and then purposely drop down to a more economical size 3 inch pipe after a stock muffler, might allow money to be spent better elsewhere. Such a semi-improved exhaust system could sell for half price for instance, and possibly suffer no measurable performance loss. Food for thought.

TRIVIA:
On the exhaust leading to the turbo, my buddy used to wrap his Corvair "feed" exhaust to prevent pre-turbo heat loss (therefore pressure loss) in turbo performance. But right after the turbo, heat loss is ok, and free expansion into a low-restriction cavernous 4 inch pipe is a good way to do it. His factory Corvair only used stock diameter pipes and then free-flowing OEM turbo mufflers, but with a rear engine, there wasn't a lot of header length ahead of them for much pipe cooling and volume reduction.

Almost all two stroke dirt-bike type engines benefit from an expansion chamber and then taper to a narrow "stinger" pipe that maintains the velocity of cooled gas for scavenging. This "tuned pipe" and the hourglass shape have one thing in common; the matter (gas, sand) moves slowly in the large "bell" part and actually faster in the tapered part. The key here is to note how unusually small the final stinger diameter may be and still be sufficient.

Wes
...
Days spent camping are not subtracted from one's total.
- 2019 Leprechaun 311FS Class C
- Linda, Wes and Quincy the Standard Brown Poodle

redfire2002
Explorer
Explorer
Wes Tausend wrote:
...

Just reasoned speculation on my part, but it seems if one has 4 inch exhaust all the way back, that just about all significant restriction would already be removed by the 4 inch forward pipe, even if a quiet stock muffler were retained.

The increased 4 inch pipe volume ahead of the muffler should be fairly sufficient to absorb the added hot exhaust expansion, especially at the low 100-200 hp boost levels usually attained by street trucks. By the time the muffler is reached, the exhaust is cooled and already contracted quite a bit. Once the exhaust gas is cooled, it no longer needs the volume it did while hot and, of course, the turbo power has already been extracted.

I'll bet there is very little dyno difference in 4 inch all the way back as opposed to half-back. Of course, if I were a truck accessory company, I wouldn't want to lose lucrative "plumbing" sales. As usual, there is more money in selling overkill.

So if the OP has an exhaust temp gauge, it would be interesting to see if downpipe temps don't remain about the same with no other changes except the muffler.

Wes
...


I have an egt gage and I assure you temps from stock to a 4" is a 200 degree difference. A muffler is all he needs. You don't want to go from a 4" down pipe to a 3" half way back. It's like an hour class, sand will flow fast at first then slow down as the opening gets smaller.
2002 F250 SC Long bed 7.3 PSD

2007 Gulfstream Mako 5er

Wes_Tausend
Explorer
Explorer
...

Just reasoned speculation on my part, but it seems if one has 4 inch exhaust all the way back, that just about all significant restriction would already be removed by the 4 inch forward pipe, even if a quiet stock muffler were retained.

The increased 4 inch pipe volume ahead of the muffler should be fairly sufficient to absorb the added hot exhaust expansion, especially at the low 100-200 hp boost levels usually attained by street trucks. By the time the muffler is reached, the exhaust is cooled and already contracted quite a bit. Once the exhaust gas is cooled, it no longer needs the volume it did while hot and, of course, the turbo power has already been extracted.

I'll bet there is very little dyno difference in 4 inch all the way back as opposed to half-back. Of course, if I were a truck accessory company, I wouldn't want to lose lucrative "plumbing" sales. As usual, there is more money in selling overkill.

So if the OP has an exhaust temp gauge, it would be interesting to see if downpipe temps don't remain about the same with no other changes except the muffler.

Wes
...
Days spent camping are not subtracted from one's total.
- 2019 Leprechaun 311FS Class C
- Linda, Wes and Quincy the Standard Brown Poodle

redfire2002
Explorer
Explorer
Also try your cheap 2 cycle oil from walmart. This new ULSD doesnt have the lube propertys as the old diesel fuel. I use it and it does make a difference. Also if you have an open element air filter you will get drone from that to. You don't want the stock exhaust on a 7.3. They are so restrictive and makes for high EGT's when towing. Keep the 4" and just get a muffler. I have a 5" on mine and its only real loud when pulling a long grade.
2002 F250 SC Long bed 7.3 PSD

2007 Gulfstream Mako 5er

hotpepperkid
Explorer
Explorer
I put 4" exhaust on mine and couldn't tell much difference except the tone was different
2019 Ford F-350 long bed SRW 4X4 6.4 PSD Grand Designs Reflection 295RL 5th wheel

M_R_E_
Explorer
Explorer
X2 on the Walker Big Truck Muffler.
toolmaker

Area13
Explorer
Explorer
BBURD wrote:
Thanks much fellas. I have been to sites for MBRP, SSDPro, etc. Right now, (having just bought the truck), I can't see 5-6-7 hundred dollars for whole system but less than 100 for muffler that will stop the 'drone' and quiet exhaust would be ok. Thanks for the help and references to products.

Perfect. Sounds like you have no muffler, add one and it will be fine.
2020 Outdoors RV 21RD
2015 F-150 FX4 5.0 3.73

BBURD
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks much fellas. I have been to sites for MBRP, SSDPro, etc. Right now, (having just bought the truck), I can't see 5-6-7 hundred dollars for whole system but less than 100 for muffler that will stop the 'drone' and quiet exhaust would be ok. Thanks for the help and references to products.
Bruce Burdette

Wadcutter
Nomad
Nomad
I went with a Walker Big Truck muffler. It's a straight thru design. Dropped my exhaust temps 150*. Only slightly louder.
As others have said the 7.3L normally is louder than newer engines.
Camped in every state

dodge_guy
Explorer II
Explorer II
I agree. do some research on quiet mufflers for the 7.3. The drone is one reason I haven`t replaced the muffler on my V-10! when we do take our long trips I don`t want any offensive noise. the cold air intake can be bad under a heavy load (going uphill) but it only lasts at most 30 seconds. if it was for hundreds of miles it would`ve been removed!
Wife Kim
Son Brandon 17yrs
Daughter Marissa 16yrs
Dog Bailey

12 Forest River Georgetown 350TS Hellwig sway bars, BlueOx TrueCenter stabilizer

13 Ford Explorer Roadmaster Stowmaster 5000, VIP Tow>
A bad day camping is
better than a good day at work!

TECMike
Explorer
Explorer
I think the best you could do would be to have a stock exhaust system and muffler on it. When I tow for ten hours or so in a day I do not want any drone or additional noise at all.

Having owned a 2002 Powerstroke for over ten years, I have found the addition of a diesel fuel additive such as PowerService or something similar will quieten the engine a little.

Otherwise, there is not much you can do, IMO. They are very reliable engines but noisy.

The engine noise has gotten to be the sound of freedom to me and my wife, however!