3126 Dang Loud

No, your right, the turbo is very ear piercing. I lost some hearing in my left ear from one of those and it didn't take much. Driving next to a K-rail for one mile twice a week with the window down.

 

I have the same setup in a Freightliner M-2. Yes; can be loud for a small kitty - Cat engine.
I run with earplugs too, so you're not alone there. More hearing loss I don't need. (What?)
Take the air cleaner completely out; good time to change it. First just look for obvious air intake leaks.
Check the rubber boot to the air cleaner for cracks in the pleats, I changed mine out cause it had a crack
right behind the clamp, up against the block where it's hot. Confirm that filter is seated/clamped in boot.
Make sure turbo flange pipe clamp is installed on lip properly all the way around. I found mine wasn't.
With air cleaner out, take boot off front of turbo and check turbo bearings, no movement side to side.
Rebuilt on Amazon around 500 bucks, if your bearings move axially. There is a rebuild insert kit
to replace internals, but not recommended unless you are really competent, and have a lathe to turn
the required press tools to push ONLY on the outer race of the bearings. Delicate stuff - easily ruined.
I also took the turndown off the muffler on the back end, and extended it 4 feet, to frame cross-member
and re-installed turn-down just for that reason, and also to keep exhaust from swirling and entering cab
when the windows are down with no load. Keeps the soot off my white side boxes, too.
Good luck; and let us know what you find.

 

My kid took one of those air filters from the sports cars; can't remember the name - looks like a cone?
Anyway; talk about turbo whine. really loud. I pass another truck and they all looked mad - it's so loud.
Got that crap off of there in a hurry.
So that tells me if you got stock air cleaner setup its leaking somewhere.

 

We had a fleet of Coke trucks with same set up. Yes, for some reason it is very loud.

 

Slap on a pair of active shooting muffs. It should kill the ice pick in your ears.

I myself am deaf and do not hear anything higher than 3500 hertz at any point on the hearing chart or off it. lol.

I did some slug gunning about ten years ago and the bells have been going since LOL.

 

Before you call it quits on a truck you seem to like, look into the sound deadening insulation sheets
that you put on the outside, like the floors and firewall. Google it. Some of this stuff claims a 30 DB.
reduction in sound.

And X1, I'm not far behind you on the hearing loss. I hate it when people turn away from you talking, and you miss the middle part of what they were saying. Did too much .357 magnum shooting, of course
without ear protection, back in the 80's. I guess the loud music and motorcycles for 44 years helped, too.

 

I have an FL80 with 630,000 miles. The truck itself is just loud and poorly insulated. CAT motors are loud to begin with. Mine doesn't burn much oil either. The thing will run all day and night. LOVES heavy loads too.