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Old 03-01-2016, 02:30 PM   #1
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Rusted Tail pipe

First thanks to Klucas for sounding the alarm on this issue. I looked at my 2011 and its rusted badly. There are not holes in it yet but it's badly rusted. I cut the Heat guard off and scraped it as best I could. I will need to get a wire brush clean it up better. My idea is to paint it with either a black Rust Oleum or maybe a bbq high heat paint. Do they still make header paint? Anyway I know the other post was locked which is unfortunate because this needs to be out to all Berkshire owners. Any ideas as to what treatment would slow down the rust would be helpful. Ideas as to how rust forms will not be helpful.



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Old 03-01-2016, 02:34 PM   #2
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I forgot pictures. Click image for larger version

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Old 03-01-2016, 02:37 PM   #3
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One more. Click image for larger version

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As you can see l lot of my tail pipe is on the pad. Not good. I may need to replace it but would like to see if it will last. I also didn't and don't plan to replace the heat shield. Hopefully I don't see any damage form it not being in. It seems to have good clearance so I think I'm good.



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Old 03-01-2016, 04:26 PM   #4
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Wow Phil, if mine looked like that I think I would seriously consider replacing it. I did like the side exit also to get clearance for the mud flap.
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Old 03-01-2016, 04:39 PM   #5
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Phil by the looks of that pipe you are past the scrape and paint stage, give it a squeeze with a pair of channel lock pliers and if it has any give to it, replace it or you are going to lose it driving down the road which could do damage to your unit or to somebody elses vehicle.
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Old 03-01-2016, 04:52 PM   #6
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Thanks for reviving the post. It is a very important discussion for Berkshire owners. If the fix is $85.00 that's cheap for peace of mind.

I think this is a FL or Cummins issue to address. I'm just curious if either company has been contacted on the issue.


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Old 03-01-2016, 04:52 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by wana65stang View Post
Phil by the looks of that pipe you are past the scrape and paint stage, give it a squeeze with a pair of channel lock pliers and if it has any give to it, replace it or you are going to lose it driving down the road which could do damage to your unit or to somebody elses vehicle.

I don't disagree with either you or Dan. I was hoping to get a bit more life out of it. Guess I better bite the bullet and get it replaced.



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Old 03-01-2016, 05:08 PM   #8
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Thanks Phil, something else I need to take a look at. When/if you have yours replaced are you planning on having the heat rap installed again?
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Old 03-01-2016, 05:29 PM   #9
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Glenn I don't think I will. I believe there is good clearance from anything that might melt. If I did decide to put something to deflect heat I would use a piece of stainless and just block the heat. The wrap is definitely what caused the premature failure of the tail pipe. I wish this post would have been posted a couple of years ago I would have removed it then.



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Old 03-01-2016, 05:47 PM   #10
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When I was at FL in Gaffney this Jan, there was a Tiffin next to mine getting a new tailpipe. It was exactly what we are seeing with a rusted section over the fiberglass wrap. I understand the re-gen process and what type of heat it can cause so I'm a bit cautious fix should be. There has to be a better solution than to fix a rusted pipe every 3-4 years.
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Old 03-01-2016, 09:30 PM   #11
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The price for my tail pipe on 2012 was $175 per freightliner. I went on Amazon and purchased the elbow for 35 and 40 for the tip. A local muffler company and cummins service center said they don't sell enough 4" they couldn't help me. Go figure. Also a warning- I drove it a few miles from storage to my house to repair, the whole coach filled up with fumes. It was horrible. If the pipe fell off during a trip that would be really bad for the family and hard to replace on the road. Replace it now if its rusted not worth the aggravation.


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Old 03-02-2016, 10:20 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by klucas View Post
The price for my tail pipe on 2012 was $175 per freightliner. I went on Amazon and purchased the elbow for 35 and 40 for the tip. A local muffler company and cummins service center said they don't sell enough 4" they couldn't help me. Go figure. Also a warning- I drove it a few miles from storage to my house to repair, the whole coach filled up with fumes. It was horrible. If the pipe fell off during a trip that would be really bad for the family and hard to replace on the road. Replace it now if its rusted not worth the aggravation.


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Thank you for the "where to buy/how much/where not to go" info. Even if ours doesn't need this repair yet this is good info to have BEFORE we need it!
Thank you to all of the Berk family for sharing your experiences (both good and bad)! This info is priceless, especially if you are stuck on the side of the road!
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Old 03-03-2016, 05:23 PM   #13
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For all of you that are attempting to replace the exhaust pipe with the heat sock in this thread you need to be made aware of a few things. First off there is a reason that the heat sock is included on our MH and that is because of the exhaust temp during Regen that can reach up of 1800 degrees F. Without the sock there is a huge risk of setting the MH on fire. Secondly if your insurance company investigates such a situation and sees that there is no sock installed they can and will most likely denie your claim. Just make sure that doing this repair does not compromise the design and that the parts meet or exceed the manufactures specification.
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Old 03-03-2016, 06:03 PM   #14
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With out going out and crawling under the Berk I'm not sure what length section of pipe is needed or how the 90* bend comes into play. I did find that Summit has 4" pipe / bends, some in stainless steel. Might be worth a look to those that need them.
http://www.summitracing.com/search/p...9%2B4294941499
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Old 03-08-2016, 02:52 AM   #15
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I looked for stainless and found that MBRP does offer 4" straight. Not sure if you could order it with bends but it might be worth talking to them. I have a MBRP cat-back system on my Dodge Ram 1500 and love it.
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Old 03-17-2016, 11:43 AM   #16
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I am not aware if anyone has been successful in finding a new tail pipe, but while I was broken down recently in Miami at Freightliner, I inquired about getting a replacement for mine and was told they are on National back order. Has anyone experienced the same thing?


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Old 03-17-2016, 11:56 AM   #17
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When I inquired at freightliner they didn't say anything about back order. They told me the price and I looked for a simple solution. I had a hard time finding 4" exhaust pipe. No local exhaust shops or large truck parts stores have any. I ordered from Amazon. The elbow I got was $35. That's all you need. I did add chrome tip. Is yours rusted out as well?


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Old 03-17-2016, 12:24 PM   #18
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Mine was broken (cracked top and bottom across the muffler) just after the "DEF Exhaust", just before the "heat shield". There was rust that I brushed off. I used exhaust putty and exhaust tape for a temporary repair. The breaks might have been cause when they lifted my unit up in the air from the front to hook the safety chains on before they towed it to Miami. My initial impression was that the end of the tail pipe was really close to the ground. Click image for larger version

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Old 03-17-2016, 12:51 PM   #19
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I bet that mudflap pushed right into the tip. Bummer. Hope you can get a replacement or find an elbow. It's not a hard repair. If you have any questions let me know.


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Old 03-17-2016, 01:04 PM   #20
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Thanks!!


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