2007 Turbos - DieselPower Mag Article

[Gringo_Tex]

I have a question stemming from an article written by DieselPower Magazine, 6.0L Ford Power Stroke Engine - Every 6.0L Problem Solved.

They have a summary table of problems and fixes for 6.0's in the article, which you'll find if you scroll to the bottom of the page on that link I posted. Under the year 2006, they state Turbo Failure as common and give the solution as replacing the 2006 Turbo with a 2007 because the 2006 Turbo lacks an internal oil drain groove that the 2007 apparently has. I read this article quite some time ago and over that time I've never seen another reference to this groove on any of the powerstroke forums, nor have I seen any photos of this groove online anywhere.

Just curious if anyone has a photo of a 2007 Turbo and showing this groove, or if they have any knowledge to shed on it. I also find it curious that they don't mention this issue with any other year model, however, they do mention other non-2007 year models as having turbo failures due to VGT Vanes sticking, and suggest the 2007 turbo as the solution for that. Now I realize there are upgrade Turbo Oil Drain tubes for some year models, but that is not what I'm asking about, and they do mention these as well in their table in the article. Appreciate any light someone might shed on this.

[sinner6.0L]

If there's a drain groove that would mean every 05-07 reman turbo has it. I've never heard of it other than that specific article. I do know that in 08 they implemented a coating on the centerhousing where the unison ring sits. no factory turbos have that

I wouldn't even worry about it. the lastest style drain tube is plenty big enough, let your turbo cool down and you shouldn't have any problems for a long time

[Gringo_Tex]

Originally Posted by sinner6.0L

If there's a drain groove that would mean every 05-07 reman turbo has it. I've never heard of it other than that specific article. I do know that in 08 they implemented a coating on the centerhousing where the unison ring sits. no factory turbos have that

I wouldn't even worry about it. the lastest style drain tube is plenty big enough, let your turbo cool down and you shouldn't have any problems for a long time

I'm not worried about it in the slightest. It's more of a curiosity bug for me than anything else. Like you said, this article is the only mention of it I've ever run across, so I figured I'd toss it out there and see if anyone knows. Maybe some ford diesel tech may know of it.

Here is an excerpt from the article which describes it some:

Sticking vanes in variable geometry turbos (VGT) were very common on '03 to '06 models due to both an inferior turbo design, and a restrictive turbo oil drain tube. The '03 to '05 drain tube (top) was known for limiting oil flow to the point where it couldn't exit the turbo quick enough, resulting in backed up oil sitting and coking rather than lubricating the turbo vanes. The upgraded style drain tube (bottom) can be found on '06 and '07 engines and can be used to replace '03-to-'05-style units. Elite Diesel also informed us that '07-model turbos came with an internal groove that allowed soot and oil to pass through (no buildup as a result), which greatly reduced scenarios where vanes would stick open or closed. The '03-to-'06-style turbos do not have this internal groove.

As for the centerhousing coating you speak of, any idea what it consists of, or the purpose for it?

[Lilpooh]

Sinner6.0L is a Ford tech!

[sinner6.0L]

Oh! I initially read that article wrong. I do know of the groove they're talking about. It's on the center housing. instead of the unision ring riding on a flat center housing it's grooved underneath to allow less surface contact(less friction)

Ford eventually proved that doesn't work, infact i've cleaned more than a few turbos that have that groove. The latest center housing is coated to prevent rust buildup and pitting where the unision ring rides

sorry for the confusion

[Gringo_Tex]

Originally Posted by sinner6.0L

Oh! I initially read that article wrong. I do know of the groove they're talking about. It's on the center housing. instead of the unision ring riding on a flat center housing it's grooved underneath to allow less surface contact(less friction)

Ford eventually proved that doesn't work, infact i've cleaned more than a few turbos that have that groove. The latest center housing is coated to prevent rust buildup and pitting where the unision ring rides

sorry for the confusion

Thanks sinner6. Your take on the groove is a different one than the one posed in the article, and you actually specified where it's located. Appreciate that.

[sinner6.0L]

for some reason i was thinking the groove they were talking about was inside the oil drain on the turbo itself. it only now occured to me that they were referring to the exhaust side under the ring

[alha]

Do you know if the factory replacement turbos that fit the '05 models have that coating on them to prevent the issues you mentioned, or would it be unnecessary if you have the updated drain tube? I wouldn't think it would hurt, anything to improve the odds of not having a repeat turbo issue is good by me!