Turbo Issues

[mike517]

I have posted before about the several turbo fails I have had in past 2 years. A friend suggested that I have the oil tested. He had similar problem and found oil was 20% deisel. and was basically washing the turbo bearings.
He said a couple leaking injectors was the cause.
Has anybody heard of this happening

Mike
03 F250 extracab longbed 6.0 with Turbo back Silverline 4 inch exhaust no cat

[mike517]

I recently lost another turbo. The dealer replaced it under warranty but do not seem concerned about the cause.
I took an oil sample to a local CAT lab. the oil had 1800 miles and had 4 qts added as result of the failed turbo.
The sample came back with a viscosity of 9.8 the original oil was 10w30 motorcraft blend
the lab said that it appears there is fuel in the oil
1 dealership says this is normal
another dealership says bring it in they will pressure test the injectors and do another oil sample test.
This may be the reason I have had 3 turbo fails in last 2 years.
Any input from readers of this would be helpful
thanks
Mike

[jesilvas]

yea they shouldn't go out that fast. i don't know much about the reason fuel and oil can mix. the injectors could be one place i think

[03f250stroke]

jonnysteals on here lost like 5 turbos within the year. still the dealer has no idea as to why his truck keeps eating them up

[quequeg37]

does your truck have problems w/cold starts like rough idle loss of power, etc. i still have my stock 04 turbo w/63k miles but i was also having a problem with fuel in the oil. my problem with fuel in the oil was that while the truck was sitting up at night, when injectors start going bad they bleed down their fuel into the cylinder, thus seeping down into the oil. on the next start of the motor the 2 bad injectors i had would have air in them and have to prime back up, that's why the rough idle loss of power. my fuel/oil breakdown was worse than yours but i have my original turbo. don't know what's causing your motor to go through turbos but maybe this info helps you narrow ity down. i know when i have problems with mine, i throw it out there and the calvary(all the members) will give you some good solid advice. keep us posted

[bismic]

Originally Posted by mike517

I recently lost another turbo. The dealer replaced it under warranty but do not seem concerned about the cause.
I took an oil sample to a local CAT lab. the oil had 1800 miles and had 4 qts added as result of the failed turbo.
The sample came back with a viscosity of 9.8 the original oil was 10w30 motorcraft blend
the lab said that it appears there is fuel in the oil
1 dealership says this is normal
another dealership says bring it in they will pressure test the injectors and do another oil sample test.
This may be the reason I have had 3 turbo fails in last 2 years.
Any input from readers of this would be helpful
thanks
Mike

Tell us how much fuel was in the oil - specific info helps in diagnosing the problem. Did you sample the oil after 10-15 minutes of highway driving - after the oil system had been at "operating temperature" for awhile?

Also - 9.8 cstokes is pretty low viscosity - almost a 20 weight. How long between oil changes? ..... and also I assume that the 10w-30 oil you used was a CI-4 or a CJ4 oil?

With all your past turbo problems, I would consider using a synthetic oil for the increased temperature range performance. Also, I believe there is an upgrade to the turbo oil drain line, but you may have it already. Probably worth asking about.

Just a couple of "off-the-wall" questions - If you do have significant fuel dilution, are you using any fuel additives? Are you using OEM oil filters?

Also -
Diesel getting into the oil (causes):
- Injector o-rings
- Copper washers in the injectors
- An internal o-ring
- The plunger and barrel is worn past the point of the bypass not being able to keep up with the leakage (mostly associated w/ WVO operation)

How to determine which injector is leaking fuel into the oil:
You put UV dye in the fuel bowl and disconnect one side at a time and watch the oil drain for UV dye. After you determine which side is leaking, pull the valve cover on that side, do the UV dye again to find which injector its leaking around and replace those o-rings. Its a pain, and most of the cheap UV dye kits you buy have crappy lights which don't work well, the good ones are several hundred $$$.

[mike517]

Mark
They did not say how much fuel. it said fuel dillution, the viscosity was 9,8
The oil was 10w 30 Motorcraft Blend 50% synthetic it had 1800 miles on it
the filter is a motorcraft, I usually have the dealer do the oil changes
I do use Power Service Diesel Kleen about once every 10 fill ups
I have installed a 4 inch turbo back exhaust to help keep EGTs lower. The truck runs strong smooth and gets good mileage when the turbo goes out there is no warning it just lets out a screech then it is done (failed
They have checked the oiler, the mounting plates ect. The dealer did say that the bearings on turbo are sealed and fuelin oil will not cause my problem. I asked why they just keep changing turbo and don't find the cause.
It is not likely that 3 turbos in a row were bad remanufactures.

[bismic]

Some fuel dilution is common - say maybe 0.5% to 1%. Mine is typically less than 0.5%. It would be good to know the amount (for many more reasons than just your turbo).

I do not believe Motorcraft's synthetic blend 10W30 oil is a CI4 or CJ4 oil. Maybe I am wrong (hope so), but their web site shows a 10W30 synthetic blend as a GF-4/SM. Ford does make a diesel 10W30 oil, but it is not a synthetic blend AND it thins out too much for my liking in hot environments. You need to verify for sure which oil is being added. A GF-4/SM oil is the WRONG oil.

The VGT uses oil to control the turbo and to lubricate the bearings:
Page 26: Lubrication System

The oil filter base routes oil to the turbo:
Page 25: Lubrication System

[mike517]

Mark
Thanks for the info on oil I will check into it further to make sure the proper oil is used.
I would have thought that the dealer would use the right oil, I do know they are using a bulk oil so it is probably what they put in all cars and trucks that come thru thier doors.

[mike517]

Mark
the dealer said the oil meets the CJ4 spec but I will make sure on next change.
Because I just had it changed he wanted me to put on about 1500 miles then bring it in for another oil sample test and they will also do an injector bleed down test, The dealer did say that when running the oil pressure is higher than fuel pressure and that the fuel is probably not getting in when running except what gets past rings. At least they are going to continue to try and solve the issue