Just bought a nice 300SDL which recently had a complete Trap Oxidizer and Turbocharger replacement. Trouble is brewing, however, as the accordian piece between the head and trap is now cracked, allowing exhaust to billow into the engine bay. The local dealership has quoted some $500.00 cost to replace the pipe, as the head must come off.

Can anyone inform me as to an alternative method to re-seal or replace this piece? I was thinking muffler tape with some slack around the piping or dropping some liquid metal into the crack. Trouble there is pliability, adhesion, and temperature/expansion mismatching.

TIA,

DSLPWR

The head has to come off for an exhaust manifold repair? Really.

Get another estimate. If there was anything wrong, it should have been fixed when the traop oxidizer was replaced by a catalyst -- you should NOT have had the trap replaced with another trap, just removed and a catalyst installed. Comes with a down pipe.

If I remember correctly, the flex connection is for the turbo, and will require the turbo be removed, but NOTHING in the exhaust will require the head be removed. That flex bit is a huge pain -- turbo and exhaust all have to come off, but NOT the head!

There was a post about this exact problem a couple of months back, but I don't remember what the solution was.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!