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Turbo failure?

3K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  nighthawk285 
#1 ·
So. I don't hear my whistle any more, and all the turbo's pipes are good, connections are solid. but it wont spool up, really lacking on power, any thoughts?
 
#3 ·
I just saw the reconditioning post. I will check back later.
be real careful with the v band clamp. i had leaks so i took it off and on a few time and it broke, well the second one broke that way, the original one broke because i was careless withe the torque wrench and had it set on 220 in/lds. there is a big difference between 9ft/lbs and 18ft/lbs
but even 18ft/lbs seems very light with a 3/8ths torque wrench
 
#4 ·
I went and purchased a new Turbo this morning from DW Diesel this morning, it also comes with the installation kit/Gasket, O-Ring, bolts..
 
#5 ·
Before I begin..

So before I begin the replacement of the turbo. While it is still on the truck. I reached in the intake and it has the same resistance as the new one still in the box. So before I waste a pile of $$$. Can anyone advise what counts as a failed turbo. I think it was replaced about 35k miles ago by the PO.

Symptom's were..
Loss of power. no spool sound. no modulating like before. sooty looking exhaust pipe.

Exhaust is 4" all the way, no cat, just a magnaflow aftermarket so I always could hear the whistle.

It failed when my wife was driving home about 25 miles. first saw the tube had blown off from the exit side of the turbo and the plug had been knocked off for the turbo. Could it just need cleaning to remove soot from the vanes? There was a small amount of oil in the high pressure side of the intake.
 
#6 ·
So before I begin the replacement of the turbo. While it is still on the truck. I reached in the intake and it has the same resistance as the new one still in the box. So before I waste a pile of $$$. Can anyone advise what counts as a failed turbo. I think it was replaced about 35k miles ago by the PO.

Symptom's were..
Loss of power. no spool sound. no modulating like before. sooty looking exhaust pipe.

Exhaust is 4" all the way, no cat, just a magnaflow aftermarket so I always could hear the whistle.

It failed when my wife was driving home about 25 miles. first saw the tube had blown off from the exit side of the turbo and the plug had been knocked off for the turbo. Could it just need cleaning to remove soot from the vanes? There was a small amount of oil in the high pressure side of the intake.
I would verify that the truck is not building any boost pressure, check all of the plumbing (intake and exhaust side of the turbo), and if you not building any boost and plumbing is good.. I would take the turbo off to inspect it and see what's going on... I will say that sticking VGT vanes are not gonna cause a turbo to seize and not spool up.. it simply would just not work efficiently due to the vanes not opening and closing properly... If there is oil in your intake plumbing it could just be crank case gasses ventilating and condensing back to liquid oil or it could be a blown turbo seal... best way to tell is take a look at your intercooler and see if there is oil pooled up in it from a blown seal.. Also pop the intake off the compressor side of your turbo and see how much shaft play to determine if it was bearing failure or shaft failure.. This info will help determine if your turbo is bad.. Hope this helps :)
 
#7 ·
7.3 Powerchoke, It spins freely. Symptom's were..
Loss of power. no spool sound. no modulating like before. sooty looking exhaust pipe. I will finish removing it and report back.
 
#8 ·
7.3 Powerchoke, It spins freely. Symptom's were..
Loss of power. no spool sound. no modulating like before. sooty looking exhaust pipe. I will finish removing it and report back.
Ok good to know it spins freely ... I understand what the symptoms were which is why I was giving you the full run down on what might be wrong as far as turbo failures go.. update us once the turbo is off :)
 
#9 ·
I'm sure you've checked the air filter to make sure its not completely clogged up.

Also, check if there are any DTC codes on the truck. Troubles with VGT control valve, MAP sensor/hose, EBP sensor/tube can affect how the turbo performs. If there are no underboost/overboost codes or VGT related codes, it may be a stuck unison ring. If the turbo vanes are stuck in the fully open position, you'll have little to no boost at low RPM. Do you build any boost if you put your foot into it?

I had a similar problem where boost was non-existant until I crossed 2500 RPM or so. Then, boost decided to show up and the truck had tons of power.

After that, I made sure I regularly get the EGTs hot enough to burn off any sticky carbon in the turbo.

Its certainly true that the turbos on these trucks need exercise from time to time. Long idles, slow speeds and babying the throttle all the time adds up to sticky vanes/unison rings...

Looking forward to finding out the fix...
 
#10 · (Edited)
Thanks for chiming in everyone, all the plumbing is good, no codes at all. even at 2k rpm there is no boost/or normal sound. the exhaust side is sooty and the combustion air side is clean also air filter is in good shape.

EBP sensor. tube is clear.
 
#11 ·
Just watched a video on how to clean a seized turbo. Mine wasn't seized up just a lot of soot, so I will clean it up tomorrow, not too sure about adding any never seize, I think it would attract soot deposits. I do think I have at the very least a poor connection to the actuator though. I will check back in tomorrow evening before the reinstallation.
 
#12 ·
Watch the Diesel Tech Ron video on turbo cleaning. A good one!


Make sure the unison ring moves freely. That's the biggest thing.
 
#13 ·
Out of curiosity, and maybe I missed it somewhere, do you still have the plastic hot side CAC pipe and have you inspected it really good for cracks?
 
#14 ·
I kinda question the use of anti-seize too. It would all get burnt off in no time anyway. I think if you focus on cleaning the unison ring and polishing it up as much as possible (and the vanes too) you'd be better off. If you want to get really fancy, you could order in a stainless steel ring:

https://kcturbos.net/products/kc-6-0-unison-ring
 
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#15 ·
The anti seize does burn off, what it does is give a little bit of protection from flash rusting when you're in there cleaning and sanding away deposits down to bare steel. Depending on ambient humidity, and how long it sits before it goes back into service, and what the final finish was on the vanes, ring, and exhaust housing it can make your freshly cleaned turbo stuck again if it sits. So the safe thing is to put on a slight coating (that's all, a little dab will do ya) to keep the flashing down. Then it burns off during normal use, carbon again coats the ring and keeps moisture from reaching it. Soot doesn't make your ring stick, moisture in the air is attracted to the soot, builds up rust and deposits, and that's what makes your ring stick. Anti seize or no anti seize, it's going to get sooty again.

Did you take it over 2kRPMs when doing the test as vitaminjoe was referencing to see if it picked up power again? It does sound like either a stuck ring, or something with the VGT solenoid and or swing arm.....is the pigtail in good shape?

Did it just start doing this one day? Or was there an event that happened, and then it started acting this way?
 
#18 ·
It seemed to take longer to spool up lately, then the connection blew off the high side of the combustion air tube on the turbo side. and also looks like it caught the pigtail while blowing off, it looks a bit mangled. and after I put it back together no boost at all. and I did listen for leaks before the tear down. the VGT windings continuity is good too. compared to the new one on the work bench.

Is there a drain plug on the intercooler? and where can I get a new pigtail, Local ford wants you to buy a new harness.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Yup I ordered one before work this morning. Also cleaned and reassembled the turbo when I got home. might put it back in the truck tomorrow or Friday evening, But it looks like I will have to wait for the mail man to bring the new pigtail. since none of the local shops had one, They all want to sell you a new harness.
 
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#21 ·
Hello, I have an 04.5 F350. Head studs, EGR Delete, 4 in exhaust, coolant filter, AFE Stage II CAI, Edge Evolution Tuner. I pull a 26' Travel trailer. Recently have noticed EGT's climb more rapidly than normal while pulling inclines. Checked all turbo plumbing, OK. Took her out the other day, put programmer on Extreme setting, found EGT's climbing to over 1400 degrees, and Turbo only putting out 11 PSI boost. Also, intermittently while driving, cruise control, or foot control, while going steady speeds, RPM's will flair 200-250 RPM, boost remains the same, does this for a few miles, then settles. Does this sound like a Turbo failing, or a VGT solenoid failing??
 
#23 ·
Not sure on the EGT's I don't monitor mine, But you can start a new thread, be sure to fill out your signature in your profile, and give your post a title, these people are great and very helpful too. Good luck!
 
#24 ·
Closure

Its up and running great again, turned out that when the pipe blew off the turbo it wrecked the VGT connector. Thanks for all the help! and I have a clean turbo to boot!:scuffy
 
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