T1N Turbo Resonator fabrication/replacement

carcrusher

New member
Hi All,
Just purchased a 3500 Tuesday and on the drive home the resonator split open. Looking on Amazon/Ebatty and the kit was $129.00. Seemed like a lot of cash for a short length of 2" sch. 40 aluminum pipe...........and it was days away with shipping from states away, Sooooooo.........here goes my MacGyver episode. I used to fabricate race cars in a past life.

I cut the tube to 5". At the tablesaw, I put a 1/16" deep kerf (notch) all the way around the tube about 2 blade widths wide and 2 blade widths into the tube.
I cut a 1" x 1/4" strap the same length as the factory arm and took them to the welding table.
Using the OEM resonator to mock up some jigs I noticed the arm was set at 45 degrees from the tube. Whew...........thought this would take a few trys, but I nailed it first time. It was easier than I thought. The 45 degree offset was easy to jig up. Sand the finished edges with 220 for a smooth, no-sharp-edges finish on the tube ends.

The factory O-ring will not work, too thick, go obtain a 4mm x 44mm from the auto parts store and fit the tube in the turbo with some assembly lube. Scribe the hole locations in the arm as it sits against the factory bracket and drill them 1/4" Dia.
While at the parts store get some 6mm bolts to replace those PIA factory things.

Bolt it on and enjoy the $$$ you saved. I know this is a little more than the average NV1 owner might try to do, but it wasn't that hard (nowhere as hard as I thought it would be).

country boy can survive..............:clapping:
 

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carcrusher

New member
I didn't see that, $34 is cheap. I had to get the truck back on the road that afternoon, so I just went for it. I figured even if I booger'd-up the support arm, it would suffice as a temporary fix without that arm. I don't think the boost pressure is very much (20-30psi).

I don't hear any turbo whine like I thought I would, since it's minus the resonator.
I KNOW for a fact this tube isn't going anywhere in the future. It's about 3/16" thick handrail
6061-T14 tubing. Really tough stuff.

The resonator that failed on me looked like a newer part when I took it off (like it had been replaced recently) and I had read about multiple failures (one after another) on the forums. The resonator I pulled off did NOT have a M/B part number sticker or star emblem on it.

This failure occurred at 94K. No idea when the earlier failure happened, but I'd say it was in the past 20k miles.

When I looked on eBay there were quite a few of the plastic resonators for sale so the replacement market on them was obvious.

Now I'm getting 22 mpg and luvin' it.
 

220629

Well-known member
Not that anyone asked...

Early Turbo Resonators did seem to have a bad batch. The TR failure thing seems to plague heavily loaded Sprinters and RV conversions. Sprinter's in more "normal" service, not so much.

There are many, many Sprinters running the OEM MB TR's without issue. That said, a Dorman replacement would be my choice.

Nice job on the fabrication. :thumbup:

vic

P.S. - Don't underestimate the power capable by a 20 - 25 psi air source. It can exert more force than many would think.
 
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3Play

Well-known member
"PIA factory things" ROTFL!!!

If you recobble the support bracket to clear the Alt. by about another 3/8", you can put on a DB elec 220A Alt for only $130-ish.
You can also change the &^#@!! reverse torx bolts on the Alt while you are at it.. I changed all the front of engine bolts to Allen cap, or hex the last time I had the radiator out....
 

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