Turbo worn out already?

[VinceJE]

Turbo shot?

This is urgent because I have to make a $3000 repair decision…

I have my 2004 F350 FX4 in the shop to chase an oil leak. It has 110k miles and is regularly maintained with no mods. The oil leak is likely coming from the oil cooler, but before getting to that, the mechanic found that there is a small amount of oil spitting from the output of the turbo at idle while the i/c tube is off. He also says there is a bit too much “play” in the turbo shaft and the turbo should be replaced. He said this leak will get worse and lead to the i/c filling up with oil which will eventually cause catastrophic engine failure. He also recommends that the intake manifold be de-carboned and an injector cleaning done for good measure while it’s there and the manifold is off etc.

This is the first time I’ve used this shop. They come with good recommendation and they seem very honest, but replacing the turbo & oil cooler is looking to be a $3000 job and I’m a bit shocked that the turbo is worn out with only 110k miles.

What I’d like to know is if all this sounds reasonable as far as the turbo replacement goes. Is it likely this leads to a blown motor if the turbo seals go out completely & flood the I/C with oil?

Any input would be helpful.

[VinceJE]

I have an update...

I visited the shop to see what the mech was talking about exactly and found that I mis-spoke on where he sees the oil coming from... The rubber boot between the turbo output & the I/C on the lower left side of the I/C is saturated with oil & seeping from the inside out. Seeing this leads him to believe the turbo has an internal leak. He said a little oil is OK, but the fact that the boot is saturated indicates that the I/C is somewhat loaded with oil. I guess we won't know for 100% sure until he pulls the plumbing off the turbo to take a closer look.

It seems there is no way to get rid of or drain the oil build up outside of what can be drained by removing the boot which will leave a residue. The only other option is to pull the I/C & flush it with solvent and be sure it's bone dry & clean before putting it back on. Should I worry about flushing it out or will it be OK to just drain what we can by diconnecting the lower plumbing?

[greasltn]

You should be fine just draining it. It's normal to have a little in it. I wouldn't worry about flushing it.

[VinceJE]

So I guess my question comes down to... How much oil in the I/C is too much and if there is too much, what's the best way to clean it out?

[greasltn]

I would remove the I/C and tip it to the side to drain out what you can.

[Sputnik]

I just rebuilt my torbocharger for a 98 7.3 powerstroke, the kit cost me $95.00 and several multi hour sessions to get the job done, my ford dealer wanted $1100.00 to replace the turbo with a new one(they didn't even offer a rebuild or a rebuilt one as an option) I found the rebuild kit from a turbo shop on ebay. He also had replacement turbochargers (new and rebuilt)ranging from 595.00 to about 895.00

[Sputnik]

the center section of the turbo gets fed oil from the engine and the rebuild kit pretty much consists of new oil seals,bushings and o rings to keep the oil isolated from the intake and exhaust