How to get good sound out of IDI - Diesel Forum

backroadidi · 05-29-2006, 02:11 AM

Hi there ...Im new here.

I just got my first Diesel, a 92 F350 IDI.

I want to get some decent sound out of it, or the exhaust. I just put on a 2.5 inch pipe with out a muffler and it sounds terrible.....I have to try something else. I understand the IDI's arent like the Powerstroke's , as far as getting the sound I like.

Any suggestions?

Jrod13 · 05-29-2006, 03:42 AM

do you have a full exhuast on it still?

Mine, with the pipe ending right where the muffler was, sounded awful.
Putting a pipe in place of the muffler, so it still goes out the stock tail pipe made it sound pretty nice, IMHO. Allthough it could use bigger pipe.

cdnsarguy · 05-29-2006, 03:45 AM

Welcome to TDS........

Without a turbo to cut the noise level you need to move up to a 3"+ pipe and a tuned muffler of your choosing.....They are noisy exhausts without a muffler, the bigger pipe helps the engine breath.

Please be so kind as to put much needed info in your signature, go to "My Home" at the top of the page then "Personal info" click "Edit" put "all known" particulars for your truck/van in the signature block, any other info you feel worthwhile in other parts of this area. Fill in the "geographic location" too it is just as important, members can then direct you to the best known suppliers for parts, repairs, fuel etc closest you by location/ area/country. You could be just around the corner from a member willing to assist you or a parts store with what you need..
THANK YOU

backroadidi · 05-29-2006, 04:04 AM

The pipe is not as long as, or positioned as was the original. It is now a side exit, coming out about a foot past the start of the box. 3.5 inch tip. It sounds like a crappy old v8 car with no exhaust at all.

Its driving me (and others around me) crazy

Mr_Roboto · 05-29-2006, 10:31 AM

I'd suggest a Walker BTM (Big Truck Muffler). It will mellow the sound and is very free flowing. NAPA seems to be a good source for them, you order by pipe diameter.

Gibson · 05-29-2006, 11:40 AM

i love the sound of the stock exhaust with no muffler (pipe in place of) and a piece of 4-6" pipe for a tip. gets rid of the crappy caclkeing and makes it sound a little deeper. but what is even better than that is to use 3.5" all the way back from the "y" pipe to the muffler outlet. (piece that curves over axle) makes a nice DEEP sound and almost no cackleing. ........ Gibson

FraserScott · 05-29-2006, 04:20 PM

Forget about the exhaust. To complement the diesel sound, you have to mess around with the intake. The air-cleaner on these motors is just like a big muffler that you have to gut to create nice sound. I cut out my soup bowl from the air cleaner lid, cut off the snout from the air-cleaner body and removed the tin shield inside the air-cleaner body. Or you can fab up your own open-element air-cleaner. To get a quick idea of how this will sound, just remove your complete aircleaner assembly and start it up for a moment and rev it up. Just DO NOT run it like that longer then needed, you don't want to dust your motor. In my opinion, exhaust work on the old idi's make the truck sound like it has a big block gasser, and if that was the sound i was after i would have bought a gasser. By the way, I have an extra air cleaner that i did this to just because sometimes i like it quiet and sometimes i like it loud and i can just switch back and forth within half a minute. Give it a try. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

RunRed · 05-29-2006, 09:40 PM

I hacked off the muffler and put a glasspack where the muffler went. I also hacked about 2 ft off the turnout at the very back of the truck and put a 5" pipe there, too bad you can see the thing go back to 2.5". Mine sounds just like a 460 except mine is a little guttier sounding, especially when I am going through town at 1100RPM(damn O/D locks it in at 35mph, figure if it locks, what will it hurt?, and for some reason it has a crapload of torque at 1100, I can go up all the hills in the city no prob and some are those underbridge dugouts, pretty spiffy) As for my air all I did was cut the soup bowl off, I rigged on a ram air yesterday but I don't think it made it sound much different if at all. I am planning on getting some 5" pipe and make it go back to the front of the rear tires, then exit so I don't have to go over the axle, I am just going to cut the Y pipe right in the middle of the Y where it is biggest, then weld it into the 5", that 2.5" is just killing my engine.

backroadidi · 05-30-2006, 04:28 AM

thats exactly it. This exhaust makes it sound like a big block gasser. I dont like that. I want it to sound like the Diesel that it is. Maybe it's the engine I am working with? In my opinion, the IDI's alot of the times do sound like a gasser at higher RPM while driving, until back down to an idle, then you can here the pulsating sound of the Diesel again. Thats just something I have noticed with the few that I've driven.