Turbo Resonator Removal and Comparison

sikwan

06 Tin Can
I checked my resonator Q number and found out that it was not the updated Q5 version. I purchase the Q5 (05137154AB) from a local dealer for $55 and went about at removing it and comparing the two different Q# resonators.

Tools needed:
-Flat blade screwdriver
-E8 External Torx socket or 1/4 inch open ended wrench.

This picture shows the External Torx Bolts (E8) already taken out.
IMGP0035.JPG
I had the E8 socket, but as you will see later, the 1/4" open ended wrench was better for the job.

Worm Gear Clamp (Looking from the topside, passenger side of engine.)
IMGP0017.JPG

Two External Torx Bolts (E8) that need to be removed. (crawled underneath on passenger side)
IMGP0019.JPG
There was absolutely no room to stick a socket and wrench in the location. I had to improvise with the 1/4" open ended wrench because I didn't want to run out and buy a special tool, nor did I want to take everything apart just to get to two bolts.

After the clamp was loosened and the tube slid away, the two E8 bolts were removed (they weren't on very tight). The last part was to wiggle the resonator downward out of the turbo and then removed from the topside of the engine compartment.

I had the two resonators side by side.
IMGP0036.JPG
Q5 (left) and Q4 (right).

Close up stamping on the Q5 resonator.
IMGP0038.JPG
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

Close up of the stamping on the Q4 resonator.
TRQ4RoundSideNote.jpg

20120608Edit: Added notes to pics for failure area. vic

Q5 clamp side of resonator.
TRQ5ClampSideNotes.jpg



Q4 clamp side of resonator.
IMGP0042.JPG

Turbo side of resonator.
IMGP0032.JPG
Q5 (left) and Q4 (right)

I could not tell any visual differences, at least from the outside, and I was looking at them for at least 10 minutes. I installed the Q5 resonator and will be keeping the Q4 as a spare for a trip.

I haven't had any problems with the Q4.
 
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sikwan

06 Tin Can
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

That's the camera angle causing the difference. Dimensionally they're identical exterior-wise. Of course they have to be.

The only thing "visually" that I can see differently are the vertical ribs (forgot the right term for this)...

...on th Q5 that protrude more from the surface...

...than on the Q4, but this is only a manufacturing process imperfection (less material removed).

No one has posted or mentioned where the crack is actually occuring (or maybe I just missed it :idunno:), so either it's a change internally to the resonator or a material recipe change.

I didn't take any pictures of the interior of the resonator. There are perforations through the tube, within body portion, that is very similar to a muffler. The perforations are all in the same positions for Q4 and Q5.
 

mobileoilchange

New member
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

Those parting lines are nothing, its only from the plastic injection mold (the die set). The parting lines DO NOT add strength. In the tool and die world they call those parting lines "casting flash" After the part leaves the mold their would of been a piece of scrap "casting flash" where you see the parting line. this scrap is then cut off and dispose of and sometimes recycled.
IM betting the only diference between the two are the grade of plastic material in which they are made from. the only way to tell for sure on plastic is to have a durometer test done.
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

IM betting the only diference between the two are the grade of plastic material in which they are made from. the only way to tell for sure on plastic is to have a durometer test done.
Agreed and thanks for the info.
 

KL2BE

Member
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

No one has posted or mentioned where the crack is actually occuring (or maybe I just missed it :idunno:), so either it's a change internally to the resonator or a material recipe change.
GREAT WRITE-UP...AS USUAL!!!!:clapping::cheers:

The leaking has been reported to be form the seam where the end is glued onto the body. (There was a picture posted here once that showed an attempted repair with a series of small screws; couldn't find it though).
I suspect the "fix" has been either a new plastic-weld formula or a larger purchase area inside to allow more glued surface...or both.
A good plastic shop (if there is one in your town) could provide the right weld-solvent for the type of plastic used and with some pieces of the same plastic-type, a leaking resonator could be fixed; I'd weld some pieces on the interior to add greater purchase area and etc.
(would need to have the right weld-solvant and do a good job to prevent a loose piece form entering the engine :eek:)
A Dodge tech told me that a leaking resonator will always show itself with a drop or two of oil around the seam. Don't know if that is true, but he ran is finger around the seam to rule out a leaking resonator when I went in with a limp-home problem (600 miles of "limp-home" on the Alaska Highway LAST WINTER :eek::rant::yell::thumbdown::censored: ; turned out to be an air filter clogged with dry blowing snow. The tech (in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory) said the snow-clogged filter problem showed up on all their Sprinter sales; they ended up designing an air snorkel modification).
I'm buying a new Q-5 this week before my next AK-Hwy venture in September. With 800 mile stretches of highway between Dealers, it's just too risky to not carry a spare. It just frosts me that MB doesnt provide them free:rant: I Love my Sprinter :thumbup:, but don't get me started about MB :bash: (I've gotten even by talking a least two friends into buying a Lexus rather than an MB:smirk:).
 

rlent

New member
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

IM betting the only diference between the two are the grade of plastic material in which they are made from. the only way to tell for sure on plastic is to have a durometer test done.
And I'm betting the only difference is in the formulation of the glue or adhesive that are used to join the two pieces together ...... :D:

As I understand it, the failures have occurred at the joint between the main body and the top cap ....... hence the "glue theory" ...........

Opps ....... shoulda read the prior post b4 I pulled the trigger .......... :eek:
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

As I understand it, the failures have occurred at the joint between the main body and the top cap ....... hence the "glue theory" ...........
:hmmm: Interesting.

Do you know if the breakage meant that it could not be glued (expoxied) back together again?
 

mobileoilchange

New member
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

And I'm betting the only difference is in the formulation of the glue or adhesive that are used to join the two pieces together ...... :D:

As I understand it, the failures have occurred at the joint between the main body and the top cap ....... hence the "glue theory" ...........

Opps ....... shoulda read the prior post b4 I pulled the trigger .......... :eek:
i agree to this also
 

KL2BE

Member
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

:hmmm: Interesting.

Do you know if the breakage meant that it could not be glued (expoxied) back together again?
As I understand it, the seam separates; not really a break. I'm guessing it could be repaired with the right plastic weld, I would not try epoxy. A solvent made for the specific plastic in question would melt the plastic and create a true weld there both sides are chemically and physically fussed. Epoxy would only adhere to the two surfaces; in doing boat repairs I have found Epoxy to not adhere well to other plastics the do not have an Epoxy resin-base.
I think you would first have to totally separate the cap from the body, clean away all oil residue, sand the mating surfaces and then use the appropriate solvent/weld. There are different welds for different plastics so getting the right solvent would be key.
A crude emergency repair might be possible using wire or hose clamp to physically hold the parts together and an epoxy putty such as "MarineTex" to seal the seam from the outside.
Wish I had one of the many failed parts to fool aroun with; I wander where the great Sprinter Resonator graveyard might be?:idunno:
 

sprinterpard

New member
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

; turned out to be an air filter clogged with dry blowing snow. The tech (in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory) said the snow-clogged filter problem showed up on all their Sprinter sales; they ended up designing an air snorkel modification).

Do you have the name of the garage in Whitehorse? I am in edmonton, alberta, and I have just got a sprinter for my touring theatre company, and we go all over the place in the winter, so if blowing snow clogs the air filters, it sounds like a need one of these snorkels!

Cheers,
Sprinterpard
 

KL2BE

Member
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

; turned out to be an air filter clogged with dry blowing snow. The tech (in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory) said the snow-clogged filter problem showed up on all their Sprinter sales; they ended up designing an air snorkel modification).

Do you have the name of the garage in Whitehorse? I am in edmonton, alberta, and I have just got a sprinter for my touring theatre company, and we go all over the place in the winter, so if blowing snow clogs the air filters, it sounds like a need one of these snorkels!

Cheers,
Sprinterpard
The Dealer is Metro Chrysler LTD. The web-site is http://www.yellowknifechrysler.com/
The service dept. is http://www.yellowknifechrysler.com/service.php
Don't know the tech's name, but if you simply ask how they have dealt with dry-blowing snow clogging the air filter, they will likely clue into the issue.
My recollection of what he said he did is sketchy. If you look at the set-up you will see the intake snorkel leads from the air-box to the inside of the fender where it goes into a cavity. On the outside of the cavity are "gills" just above the wheel-well on the front right. The Gills are where intake air enters the system and where dry blowing snow comes in (mostly, I think, from the clouds of snow kicked-up by passing trucks). Think he said he installed some sort of "baffle" in the fender cavity, but that does not look easy in the inspection I just did.
In the absence of instructions from the Dealer, I'd start by puling the snorkel out of the hole into the cavity and seeing if I could stuff in some furnace-filter material to act as a fist-line baffle (furnace filter material should not restrict the air flow).
Alternatively, you could leave the snorkle out of the hole into the fender-well so the air is drawn in from the enginge compartment on a winter-only basis.
If your Sprinter is equipped with ASSYST, the gauge on the filter-box will tell you when a clogg is developing (mine was not so equipped so I had not way of knowing it was a clogged filter reather than a split Resonator). If you do not have the gauge, you might consider buying a replacement air-box that is so equipped; it could possibly pay for itself in reduced air-cleaner replacement cost.
Good luck; fixing the air-intake has gone way-down my priority list since I am trying to avoid such driveing conditions in the future with better trip planning. I don't want to get into -40 degree weather again (Fahrenheit or Centigrade...it's the same at -40) as we did for several hours around Watson Lake, YT :eek:
 

KL2BE

Member
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

Thanks for the info!
How did you find the heater in minus 40?

Cheers,
Sprinterpard
Cabin Heat.
The cabin heater worked fine; we were comfortable in a light fleece jacket :thumbup:. Cabin was maintained at about 65F (in the front seats; it was probably more like 50F at the back of the van). And, in a storage compartment slightly isolated from the interior, a bottle of Gin developed slush :eek:.
Note:All the RV conversion companies (ours is LTV) add insolation. I suspect an RV Sprinter is better insulated than a Passenger Van. On the other hand, don't Passenger vans have an auxiliary heat-exchanger in the rear?:idunno: If not the back passengers could get cold. Even if it has a rear heater, you may have to block air-flow over the radiator in sub-zero conditions in order to keep the water-jacket temperature in the 180F to 190F range.
Engine Temperature.
We had to keep running the auxiliary-diesel engine heater in order to keep the engine water jacket temperature above 150F :wtf:. And even with the booster heater on, the engine temp ran about 170F rather than the customary 190F :thinking:. If I were running in those conditions long (we only saw -40 for about 3 hours) I would stuff a blanket under the mesh bug-screen that attaches to the Grill so as to reduce the air-flow over the radiator.
Diesel.
Never had a gelling problem with the diesel; I assume the area stations were selling a 50/50 #1, #2 winter-blend and I added Power Service additive.
Starting.
Prince George, BC; Started fine at 0F.
Ft, Nelson, BC: Started fine at -20F.
Whitehorse, YT; Did not start at -20F. Needed a jump-start.
Gennallen, AK; Started fine at 0F.
 

sprinterpard

New member
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

Hey, thanks for all the info. I don't think I have a rear heat exchanger - I've got a big AC unit up at the top and back of my Sprinter - it was imported from Texas first so cooling was more of a priority in its last job than heat. I talked to the Dodge dealer here about how to beef up the heating system and he said they tried ordering a rear heater from MB for a guy once and it was a nightmare, so they sent him to a company here in Edmonton called Polar Mobility, who hooked up some extra heaters in the rear for way less than it would have cost on the official route. With the big alternator I have it's probably best to use some electric heat in the winter, rather than stripping more heat out of the coolant for the cabin. Might cost me a couple mpg, but I'll have happier actors!

Cheers,
Sprinterpard
 

rlent

New member
Re: Resonator Removal and Comparison

Pard,

Duuno what your budget is ........ but considering your location, you might want to check into an Espar AirTronic (or Webasto) diesel-fired heater. The AirTronic D2 that I have sips fuel (.08 gallons per hour at the highest setting)and it doesn't use a lot of juice (I've run it in excess of 24 hours on the starting battery only.) Run you around $1600 installed:

Espar - Air Heaters
 

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