Black soot on firewall/exhaust in cab

[yldlifeboy]

hey guys, i've got a problem with a SEVERE exhaust leak. I've got a pile of black soot under the hood and on the firewall. i've been kinda neglecting the issue becuase i hardly drive the truck anymore so it wasn't really bothering me that much, but last week i pulled a trailer for a friend on an hour trip and i now realize it needs to be fixed IMMEDIATELY. once the truck got up to temp i could smell exhaust fumes in the cab and could feel heat at my legs. when i came to a stop you could see exhaust fumes coming through the vents...i've also noticed that it's not as bad if the the truck is driven sensibly, but if i get on it pretty good, the fumes are a lot more noticeable...i've had people tellin me it's either cracked up pipes or y pipes or the gaskets are shot. just lookin for some real advice from people who know what they're actually talkin about so i can figure out what i'm gettin myself into to fix this, and help or suggestions would be appreciated

[Buffalo444]

Originally Posted by yldlifeboy

hey guys, i've got a problem with a SEVERE exhaust leak. I've got a pile of black soot under the hood and on the firewall. i've been kinda neglecting the issue becuase i hardly drive the truck anymore so it wasn't really bothering me that much, but last week i pulled a trailer for a friend on an hour trip and i now realize it needs to be fixed IMMEDIATELY. once the truck got up to temp i could smell exhaust fumes in the cab and could feel heat at my legs. when i came to a stop you could see exhaust fumes coming through the vents...i've also noticed that it's not as bad if the the truck is driven sensibly, but if i get on it pretty good, the fumes are a lot more noticeable...i've had people tellin me it's either cracked up pipes or y pipes or the gaskets are shot. just lookin for some real advice from people who know what they're actually talkin about so i can figure out what i'm gettin myself into to fix this, and help or suggestions would be appreciated

9 times outta ten its up-pipe gaskets. not terribly hard or expensive to fix. Can be permanently fixed with bellowed up-pipes, but thats a decent investment.

[sethc24]

x2 fixing those up-pipes is a big PIta but totally worth it. Also beans diesel performance sell the brass donut gaskets.