UPDATE in Thread and OP. Burning eyes, really bad smell, and hard to breath

@TRDGoodness what kind of cabin filter do you use? They do have aftermarket HEPA style charcoal filters.

 

Thank you. That was one of my concerns, but the dealership said they could not see anything that looked off to them that would create the smell. That was one thing I was concerned about for sure.

I have been running the AC 50/50. That has helped, and when we are not pulling the camper, there is no smell at all. Just under load.

 

Thanks. Sadly it has taken me this long to really start caring.

 

That is an interesting thought. I have a friend that has a shop and is more mechanically inclined than I am (I can do some basic stuff and have, but he is much better). If not, I have a full fledged mechanic I can take it to. I have to anyway for some other checkups.

As for taking the whole dash apart, I saw all that was involved, and part of my learning about myself is knowing my limits. Taking the dash apart is my limit . I am more like a bull in a china shop so I know I will lose, break, tear, rip, split, slice, or in some other way destroy it and then I will be without a driving truck, LOL! Let me start with the easy one first and have someone check the A/C with me and then work inward. It will take some time as we are still on vacation.

 

I am using the standard white one. But I have a friend that owns a shop and he can get me a charcoal type. I will try that as well.

 

Sorry again for the delay. Our last three days we were at a campsite that did not have any internet and no cell reception. So I went blackout.

We are now in a different place and I am able to communicate. Will try to answer any questions as I can when I see things pop up. Thanks for the help and patience.

 

Well, I wanted to throw one more update on here.

I did speak with @dirtydeeds and Keith is amazing to work with and has been very helpful.

In the process, I had to pull my old exhaust and ... I found the leak, the reason for the smell, and also the heat on the floor board.

I think I might be able to reuse it...

I know that this was worse than when I was first experiencing the issues on the road. So I cannot say the dealership missed this but perhaps it should have been looked at closer? I don't know.

 

You coulden't hear that?!

 

I did. I knew it got louder, but I also had larger exhaust and dual to boot. So I attributed it to that.

I also had a couple others who rode in the truck and they were also shocked it was not louder than it was. So it is strange.

When I crawled under the truck on the trip, it did not look that bad so I know that it got worse from then to now.

 

For sure. I would have thought it was screaming with all those holes!

 

Agree. That was why I was absolutely flabergasted by it. I thought it would have made me deaf but no, it only really got slightly louder. I just attributed it to the dual exhaust, and while pulling the camper, just being under load.

Excited for the new exhaust. I am getting the 10" and I have a new tail pipe. I will try to reuse my old tip (it is a little bigger diameter than a stock but I can save some money). But just today I realize how much I depend on the truck to do basic things. I am also going to try the resonator they send with the kit. I have a V8 and I want to hear it. Just, not because the exhaust is bad, LOL!

Two weeks at least and counting. Hoping to get this all shipped to Keith on Thursday.

 

This sounds like a win to me. You get your issue fixed and get a mod/upgrade the wife can't argue about!

 

Thanks. Realizing all that could have happened, I praise God that it didn't happen. My family and I could have been hospitalized! But it is being resolved now and I am grateful for that.

 

Yes! This is the first upgrade I have done to my truck (I usually just leave it as it is), so I am excited to see how it comes out. I now know several things: 1) PB Blaster is really good on rusted bolts. 2) Exhaust systems are super hot when you are working next to it right after driving. Finally 3) PB Blaster dripping down the exhaust and landing on your arm and hands is not the most comfortable!

 

I am sorry to hear about that. CM is one of the biggest things I am always alert to especially with our sensor.

 

Just a final update:

I did work with @dirtydeeds and Keith was amazing to work with! I got the system installed but it took a little while. After it is all said and done, my truck is back up and running. No smell, no burning on the floorboards.

To answer why I did not hear or know the exhaust was bad was because it NEVER, since I owned it, sounded this quiet. I did not know this was what it was supposed to sound like. So that is why it never raised a warning in my mind becuase I just thought it was the dual exhaust.

The new system sounds good. I am now trying to decide if I want to add the resonator or not. Will the resonator make it sound more aggressive or less? Thanks.

 

Ran mine without the resonator for about 6 months.. After installing it became slightly quieter, and eliminated the annoying drone at low rpm’s. Should have done it right away. FYI also 10 inch. And was my favorite mod!

 

I would hate to see what the rest of that undercarriage looks like; if the exhaust was that bad, how bad is the rest of it? I am glad you got your exhaust figured out and hope that was the extent of the damage.

 

Thank you. Compared to the noise of the last exhaust, the drone on this one is so much quieter. Even the family said they can talk, think, and go longer than 30 minutes without a headache!

 

It was not really that bad. I did, and do, have some rust along parts of the body, and some of the changable parts, but the frame is really solid looking. I did have some surface rust on it, but I ground out as much of the rust as I could, hit it with rubbing alcohole, and then coated it with Por 15, I think is what it is called?

The parts that are changable I have just left because when it gets bad, I'll just change it. But the truck is 14 years old and has 186K on it at least.

Here are some pictures of random places underneath.

 

That looks a lot better than I was expecting considering the condition of the exhaust. You have a done a good job of ensuring longer life out of that for sure....

 

I bet Keith has run many of his systems with and without the resonator and can give you the best answer, but the resonator should remove just the resonant frequency of your system and not attenuate the overall sound. I went with the 12" system with resonator. No drone and sounds great, but I never tried it without the resonator since DD installed it for me.

 

Thanks. I have been working on it. Trying to take care of what I can with the money I have. This exhaust was a huge hit on reserves, but had to be done. Hey, still cheaper than buying a new truck!

I still have some rust on the hood, and had the money for that (along the inside under the plastic "chrome" front grill. Trying to balance expenses with family and vehicles in a single income home. This website has been a huge help with diy tips.

As you also notice, the spare tire mount is rusted (was this way when I bought the truck), and the spare tire has a crack in the rim. Those two things will have to wait as this is usually towing my camper or doing light overlanding with a bed of camping gear. Perhaps one day.

 

He did. He said run it both ways and see what I like.

Either way, it is much quieter than the other exhaust! LOL!!

 

If you’re towing the last thing you want to do is get a flat and replace it with a spare with a crack in the run. Do yourself a favor and get a stock run that someone is unloading and mount the spare on an intact rim. You should be able to find them for cheap - some people even give them away occasionally

 

I noticed your spare tire winch was was bad, that will have to replaced before you can suspend your spare under the truck.

Regardless, the small amount of rust issue is nothing to worry about.

 

@shawn474 and @koditten,

Sorry for the delay. It has been crazy here on my end.

For the spare and winch, yes, these are on my to fix list. I have been eying for a full size spare that I can pick up cheap, and I have been looking at some scrap yards, but so far nothing on those two fronts.

Trying to get this done as I do not like the idea of towing without a spare, but I do a lot of pre trip checks before taking off and then check when I stop for fuel. However, after the fix of the exhaust, this is now being saved up for. One repair at a time.

I am glad to hear the rust is not too bad. Trying to keep it running as long as I can.