Hi all,
I'm just hoping to contribute to the forums since I have gotten so much good information here. I have spent the past few weeks making some updates to my 1983 300CD--most recently shocks and brake pads (laughably easy replacements with basically no mechanical skills and few tools)--and decided I needed to remove the muffler. There was nothing wrong with the muffler, but like so many things I have researched I fell victim to swirling and sometimes contradictory rumors, and finally decided to act on the advice of a diesel mechanic who told me that removing the muffler would reduce backpressure and help the engine.
So off to the muffler shop. For $30 they simply cut the muffler between the brackets and put in a straight pipe. I kept the muffler.
The first thing you notice with the muffler off is that you can see right through it. In other words, the 300CD muffler is essentially a straight pipe with slotted openings to baffles or whatever. To my eyes, it looked more like a resonator than a muffler. I left my resonator in palce... thank goodness.
To my ears, it is more of a resonator than a muffler, too. The exhaust noise post removal is the same as before, but there is a bit more drone from under the car (not rumble... that would be good. DRONE, which is not necessarily good). While I may be getting slightly less back pressure (which is in doubt since, having seen the inside of the muffler, it is a straight shot from front to back), the trade off in drone sound is not worth it. I really can't tell any difference in power.
At first, I thought I was getting alot of turbo whine, too (which, in my world, would be good, to a point), but then discovered that it was because of a serious exhaust leak at the bottom of the firewall that was slowly killing everyone in the cabin. That cost $275 to fix. Now I have no whine, no rumble, an imperceptible decrease in backpressure, no change in performance, and a drone at all speeds. Epic fail. I advise against it.
The only ray of sunshine is that I kept the muffler. I'll have it welded back on next year in time for inspection.
If you are wondering, I got Monroe shocks and ceramic pads from a local parts shop after having a hard time finding shock recommendations online. I know there are better shocks, but these were very cheap and the improvement was immediate and appreciable; I doubt, for my purposes, that the HD's or any other expensive shocks would be worth the price difference. I will say that I put HD's on another vehicle and they are great shocks.
For those who may be stalling replacement of brake pads, you simple need a punch (or anything thin, like a sturdy nail), a hammer, and a screwdriver. Use your jack to raise the car one corner at a time, remove the tire, find the pins that hold the pads in, give them a small whack with the hammer and punch, knock the pins out (this take just one or two whacks... once the pins are out a half inch or less they move freely), watch the spring fall on the ground, use the screwdriver to take the pads out (carefully press againt the piston to decompress it if you have trouble getting the new pads in, since they are thicker), put the new pads in, replace the spring, tap the pins in place, and replace the wheel. Go to the next corner. Now, if you are not an IDIOT (like me), be sure to pump the brakes numerous times after you finish all four sets of pads, to re-pressurize the system... before you drive away. BEFORE YOU DRIVE AT ALL. Otherwise when you take off for the maiden voyage you will have NO BRAKES, none, nada, nicht... and screech like a little girl when you first try to stop (at least, that's what someone told me happens).
Best,
I'm just hoping to contribute to the forums since I have gotten so much good information here. I have spent the past few weeks making some updates to my 1983 300CD--most recently shocks and brake pads (laughably easy replacements with basically no mechanical skills and few tools)--and decided I needed to remove the muffler. There was nothing wrong with the muffler, but like so many things I have researched I fell victim to swirling and sometimes contradictory rumors, and finally decided to act on the advice of a diesel mechanic who told me that removing the muffler would reduce backpressure and help the engine.
So off to the muffler shop. For $30 they simply cut the muffler between the brackets and put in a straight pipe. I kept the muffler.
The first thing you notice with the muffler off is that you can see right through it. In other words, the 300CD muffler is essentially a straight pipe with slotted openings to baffles or whatever. To my eyes, it looked more like a resonator than a muffler. I left my resonator in palce... thank goodness.
To my ears, it is more of a resonator than a muffler, too. The exhaust noise post removal is the same as before, but there is a bit more drone from under the car (not rumble... that would be good. DRONE, which is not necessarily good). While I may be getting slightly less back pressure (which is in doubt since, having seen the inside of the muffler, it is a straight shot from front to back), the trade off in drone sound is not worth it. I really can't tell any difference in power.
At first, I thought I was getting alot of turbo whine, too (which, in my world, would be good, to a point), but then discovered that it was because of a serious exhaust leak at the bottom of the firewall that was slowly killing everyone in the cabin. That cost $275 to fix. Now I have no whine, no rumble, an imperceptible decrease in backpressure, no change in performance, and a drone at all speeds. Epic fail. I advise against it.
The only ray of sunshine is that I kept the muffler. I'll have it welded back on next year in time for inspection.
If you are wondering, I got Monroe shocks and ceramic pads from a local parts shop after having a hard time finding shock recommendations online. I know there are better shocks, but these were very cheap and the improvement was immediate and appreciable; I doubt, for my purposes, that the HD's or any other expensive shocks would be worth the price difference. I will say that I put HD's on another vehicle and they are great shocks.
For those who may be stalling replacement of brake pads, you simple need a punch (or anything thin, like a sturdy nail), a hammer, and a screwdriver. Use your jack to raise the car one corner at a time, remove the tire, find the pins that hold the pads in, give them a small whack with the hammer and punch, knock the pins out (this take just one or two whacks... once the pins are out a half inch or less they move freely), watch the spring fall on the ground, use the screwdriver to take the pads out (carefully press againt the piston to decompress it if you have trouble getting the new pads in, since they are thicker), put the new pads in, replace the spring, tap the pins in place, and replace the wheel. Go to the next corner. Now, if you are not an IDIOT (like me), be sure to pump the brakes numerous times after you finish all four sets of pads, to re-pressurize the system... before you drive away. BEFORE YOU DRIVE AT ALL. Otherwise when you take off for the maiden voyage you will have NO BRAKES, none, nada, nicht... and screech like a little girl when you first try to stop (at least, that's what someone told me happens).
Best,
No more drone too. Lost a lot of turbo whistle at idle though.:crybaby2:
