Back in May, I noticed that my diesel generator was suddenly much louder. After popping off the cover, I saw there’s a flexible section (‘bellows’) in the exhaust pipe between the engine and the muffler.
Unfortunately the bellows section separated from the flange. I was able to reposition the two sections back together and use some baling wire to hold them until a permanent repair.
After researching to get a part number and come to grips with the fact that a 6” piece of pipe was $182, I ordered the part. I got it a few weeks ago but finally had time today to rip it apart.
First you have to remove the whole air intake assembly to get to the clamps. MAKE SURE to put a paper towel in the intake hole so no debris or parts get in there.
The top clamp is easy to remove with a 10mm socket on a long extension. The bottom clamp is harder to get to. I used a small 1/4” ratchet with a 10mm socket and stuck my hand in blind and removed that clamp.
The flange at the end has a groove where you can wedge a flat screwdriver and hit it with a hammer. The top loosened up and I was able to twist it off. I was able to twist off the bottom section by grabbing the broken bellows. It came off much easier than expected.
I cleaned up the dirty ends with Emory paper. I slipped on the bottom end but had to be careful not to deform the flange.
I found that I needed to raise the muffler in order to connect the top of the bellows. There’s three nuts that secure the muffler.
I rammed a hammer against the bottom of the muffler and then put a jack under it and raised the muffler. I compressed the bellows about a 1/4” and it popped onto the exhaust pipe.
I positioned the clamps so they were easier to access the nuts for any future work. Be careful to get the gaskets set when reattaching the air intake manifold. Double check that all the wires are away from hot spots.
I tested and it was much quieter!
On to the next job!
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