Bad Turbo - 6.0 PSD, 2004

[SJPotter]

Ford E-450 chasis equiped with the 6.0 PSD, this is a 2004 build when problems with this engine were at their height: I took my RV in for it's 30k service today. I also told them when I dropped it off to checkout a loud whine that starts to pick up as I get in the throttle. I told them I thought it was the turbo kicking in but I did not feel any boost accompanying the whine. This whine is really loud, and the trouble is it is intermittant, in fact today when I drove it to the dealer it wasn't making any noise at all, and the truck ran real strong, sure as can be when they hooked it up to their computer and drove it everything tested good. When I drove it from New York to Dallas last week the first 700 miles were fine, then I noticed this whine around Cincinanti while climbing a hill, it came on sort of as a low hum but got louder and louder until it sounded really out of place, too loud to be a properly functioning turbo, uncomfortably loud, in fact it scared me to the point of thinking something was about to come apart. Well it made this noise on and off the rest of the trip to Dallas but has stopped as of yesterday. I am afraid the Variable Guides of the turbo may be sticking intermittantly but haven't failed completely....or is it something completely different, is there a large cooling fan that comes on sometimes, a scary loud one?

UPDATE: Drove the RV today for a 80 mile day trip. The loud noise started again about 10 miles into the trip. After it starts to wind up if I let up on the gas it mitigates but might come right back if i get into the gas again. Sometimes letting up on the gas completely for 5 seconds or so makes it go away for a good while, but it always happens again eventually. This must be a bad turbo no?? When this noise is at it's peak I always let up on the gas cause it sounds like something is about to come apart? HELP

[Evil Eye]

Welcome to the ORG! Yes, the fan comes on when the coolant, oil or tranny temp exceed their set points. You are much likely to hear it during the summertime when it is warm out, particularly when pulling a grade. It sounds like the fan to me. Also, if the engine gets too warm, it will start to defuel a little bit in order to try to bring the temps back down.

PS. you might consider the Edge Insight CS or CTS to monitor oil and coolant temperatures. If they are larger than 15* different, you likely have a blocked oil cooler, which will cause your oil temps to get pretty high, which will cause your fan to kick on, etc. It could also lead to a ruptured EGR cooler and eventually blown head gaskets.

[SJPotter]

Glad to have your reply, a cooling fan was something I considered but just thought it was too loud, nice to know. I am going to buy one of those programmers to keep track of the temps and maybe run a mild towing performance program to get a little more torque.

Thanks for responding.

[Evil Eye]

I would suggest the SCT with custom tunes and the Edge Insight CS for monitoring those temps.

[SJPotter]

OOPs....I ordered and just recieved the SCT Livewire. I found out after hooking it up that I can monitor coolant temp but not oil temp.