Muffler Replacement

[ajducote]

Has anyone replaced the muffler on a 45 footer with a 60 series?
I noticed mine is VERY rusty and I am wondering about the cost of a new one and how much trouble it is to replace. I suspect I will need a new one in the not to distant future.
Also is there a source other then Prevost for the muffler?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I don't know about a muffler on the S 60, but I changed the muffler and one or two of the muffler inlet pipes on my 8V92. I don't see much difference between the two buses except dealing with the heat shielding. If I were to do the job I would pull the turbo air inlet tube, the intercooler tube to the intake manifold, and make sure I could slide in there to remove the heat wrap and do a very good inspection of the exhaust pipes leading to the muffler. As long as the muffler has to be replaced that is the time to do whatever else is required. I would also get some good lighting and do a good visual of the turbo and rotate the turbo to listen for any signs of bearing issues.

As I recall it was not that difficult to change stuff out on the old 8V92. The "clamps" will need to be replaced and as best as I can recall everything fit perfectly and unlike early car exhaust systems the parts came apart easily and went back together easily.

I bought everything from Prevost. I would buy that kind of stuff there again.

[phorner]

Be prepared for a dirty, tough job. I just had my tail pipe and exhaust tip replaced (all one piece on our Liberty) and it took a LOT of effort with an air chisel to get the old pipe separated from the muffler. It was not pretty.

And if you have to replace this as I did, be prepared to spend some money.

On the plus side, that shiny new stainless tip sure looks purty...

[Jon Wehrenberg]

While the shiny oval Liberty tip looks nice and is less likely to suffer damage because of its low profile, If I had to change mufflers that would become a casualty and a cheap truck stop chrome tip would be reinstalled and I would keep a spare so I could replace it every time I dragged it across something.

It appears homemade, and translated that means serious money if it has to be replaced. And to weld it onto the muffler instead of clamping is just silly.

I don't think all converters do that.

[Johnny]

I had a muffler replaced last year at Knoxville Prevost. The muffler assembly was $685. and $571 for labor. Extra time was required due to rusted and seized hardware.. Had to cut brackets off to remove.. Converter had generator exhaust mounted with same bolts as muffler.. This was done with the coach on a lift 4-5 feet in the air. They did an excellent job. I would highly remended them.

[phorner]

I'm glad you had a good experience at Prevost.

However.....nearly 6 hours of labor to change the muffler assembly?

Is that right? It took nearly a full day to change this out?

[0533]

How do you make the determination that you need a new muffler. Rust/scale alone is not the deciding factor?? Like any muffler, there needs to be a clear sign that the tailpipe is coming apart from the muffler?? Even in this case does it mean the muffler is bad?? As kids we ran our car mufflers until the car sounded like an old field truck, neighbors giving us unpleasant looks.

[Orren Zook]

Andre,
I have a source here in Ohio that is an OEM supplier for the HD truck market. they will custom make mufflers and pipes to your specs. I can email their data sheet for you to complete and then send it to them for a quote. It would require you to measure the length, diameter, inlet and outlet ports (and their location on the muffler) plus your decibel level preference. Lead times in the past have run about 10 days.

[ajducote]

Thanks to everyone for the information and advice.
Orren, I am not ready to change the muffler. But when I get ready I will keep your offer in mind. Thank you.

As Bruce pointed out, It may just be just surface rust. I was just trying to get an idea of this project cost in time and money. What I hope to do is take it off and inspect it real good, and while it is off, clean up, remove rust and paint the sheet metal that is above the muffler. Once I get the muffler off I will decide if it needs to be replaced. I might wait until next winter to tackle this project. It is just 1 of many projects and I am not looking forward to it.
I just hated the idea of even starting this project without asking what everyone else has run into.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

You do not have to go through the effort to take the muffler off to determine if it is neccessary to replace it. It will be obvious.

There will be sooting around any perforations and the bus will be noticeably louder.

What you do have to be aware of is the exhaust pipe from the turbo to the muffler is also subject to corrosion. If the pipe is covered with the heat shielding it cannot be seen so the only proof of a problem is sooting at the heat shielding. You need to look all around the pipe, not only what you see from the engine door area.