Hmm. Not sure. Disclaimer: I don't hear well.

Definitely a whole lot quieter than it was. I fixed something. From under the hood, it sounds perfect. But still a noise, the same kind of noise, coming from the same odd place, but a whole lot less of it.

While driving it sounds like the engine fan at its lowest speed. Outside the vehicle my ears don't hear it from the front clip forward. I hear it cabside and it's loudest behind the cab and more on the passenger side.

Underneath it's definitely not from the exhaust pipe, cat, muffler. And its not coming out the tailpipe at all.

I've letting it cool down and am going to tighten clamps again. I didn't really crank any of them, but I certainly got them tight.

Looking at the front of the turbo, I didn't notice any damage to the vanes, and from my inexperienced assessment, no excessive slop in the bearing(?). But there were a couple of shiny spots on the circumference of the intake cone that made me think the vanes may have touched there.

I only drove a couple of miles, and my tire with the bad shock is shaking, but I don't think I felt my shudder anymore. If so, then that clamp really was the big problem, and there's some chance that just cranking on them eliminates that last little bit of noise.

If not, I'm wondering, if it was the turbo, wouldn't I hear some of the noise coming out the tailpipe, or under the hood? Coming out from under the rear corner of my crew cab seems weird, but that's where it was worse before the new clamp.

I'm hoping the guys at the tire shop can bust that shock lose for me so I can get that and the tire in the morning. Looks like the shock is simple - just unbolt and replace, no jack required.

 

I tried Napa when the first dealer didn't have it in stock. But the store had closed. went to O'Reilly's, and they had lots of pictures of them and all the different sizes, but none were in stock, and the only one they could get the day was $50. So I drove 15 miles to another dealer and overpaid.

 

DO NOT over torque that clamp. They are not meant for much and going over tends to just break them.

 

Thanks for the warning. That prolly means the clamp is not my problem.

 

You need to be in alignment before the clamp goes on.
So many people think that they can get away with using the clamp to pull it in.

 

I'm pretty sure it lined up fine. And I think all the clamps and pipes are good now. The remaining noise is, I think, either the turbo or that lose heat shield.

Logically, one might guess heat shield since the turbo was fine before coming off and the noise began immediately after putting it back together with the clamps and heat shield being what changed. But I've not encountered turbo issues before and don't know what sounds they make when bad, if they even make noise.

I drove about ten miles today and the shudder is gone, so I guess the exhaust leak was causing that. I haven't stomped the pedal, but it seems to run great.

The noise begins a couple of seconds after I start it. As before, its louder at first and then quiets down. When I got back from that drive today, the noise was essentially gone.

That one big bolt on the heat shield is a pain so I've still not tried to get it back on. I also prolly bent the shield when I tried and failed to get it off. What do you think of this idea: get some aluminum foil, wad it up and shove it in between the shield and block where that bolt goes, and maybe between the exhaust pipes too. If the noise changes at all, that's prolly my problem. If not, its the turbo or something else.

New topic: I've prolly screwed up again. Opened the new Monroe shock, there was a sealed bag with the rubber grommets, nut, but only one metal washer. I expected two. But since it was new and all sealed up, I figured they knew what they were doing. My old shock had lost its nut, grommets, and washer so I didn't know and was too impatient to check the other side until I already had it on. There were no instructions or even pics on the box.

Put it on with larger grommets nubs together, washer on top. Couldn't get threads until I cut the plastic tie holding the piston in. Got the nut on and cranked it down - it sure looks like it needs a washer on the bottom too. Looked at the other side and it has two.

So I gotta find a washer, but now I wonder how hard it'll be to get that shock off/on without that tie holding the piston in. Am I hosed? Do I need to figure a way to compress it again?

Sure rides a lot better. That shock has been broke for months.

 

Update. Not the heat shield. Assume it's the turbo. Whirring sound for a second or two a second or two after starting. Mostly disappears after that. Guys like us are prolly the only ones who would still hear it, but it's there.

New turbo vs DIY rebuild vs junkyard?