ok so this mornin when i took the truck to get gas, i noticed that my turbo wasnt spooling at all and i have no idea why. like i couldnt get it to spool up even after almost standing on the throtle in 3rd gear!! anyone know what might be wrong?

 

*spooling, and I sure hope you didn't put gasoline in your diesel truck. That would really cause no turbo spool. Just breaking your ***** a bit there bud. All in good fun.

Do you have any color smoke?
Do you have a boost gauge?
Are you getting any codes?
What RPM are you reaching?
Any soot on firewall behind the motor?


Are you familiar with the MAP sensor and its location? It is a black box with one hose leading from intake manifold on passenger side of block, to it. Also has a wire/harness leading to it. Location is on the ac/blower motor area. Try un plugging that and see if it gets any better.


My other suggestion is to pull your intake tube and check for any play in your turbo shaft. See how far you can pull it in and out, and see how much vertical play you have.

 

ok well no i didnt put gas in i put diesel.
yes i have a boost gauge, normally on average im running about 14lbs of boost, but today i couldnt get the boost past like 5lbs!

no, no codes at all which is weird. and a little worrying.

max rpm i could hit was 2560rpm, and then i started hearing a sort of whining noise. not like turbo whine. but i couldnt go any higher than 2560rpm's.

no soot on the firewall but a little on the engine.

and no im not familiar with the MAP sensor. i just got the truck bout 8 months ago. its a completely re-built truck.

lol and srry i meant spooling!

 

ok i just went out and started it up, and im getting alot of white smoke!!!! im quite concerned that i just dumped the turbo!

 

What is the temperature like at your location? On cold starts (in cold temps) these trucks are known to smoke white a bit. Its normal just the ambient air getting heated up to combustion temperature. It then tapers off upon warming up, so maybe 1-3 minutes if it is really cold. The other thing that it may be (if the engine is running hot or has run hot) is a head gasket, but that would be found through a milky color in oil.

The last common thing would be injector orings, which can lead to white smoke.

Is it like a jet engine noise you are hearing? I'm thinking that rpm level is similar to where my EBPV (Exhaust back pressure valve) kicks in and I have no power. That valve is designed for cold starting to make it warm up quicker. It could have failed in the closed position, but when it does I can not make more than 45mph when its on. It is presently disconnected in my truck.

 

the temp here right now is 78, and very humid. and i think i figured out what is wrong. would a malfunctioning wastegate cause theses problems?

and yes, it is like a jet engine noise im hearing! quite loudly actually. i have the truck running, and my computer plugged into it, but the computer is giving me nothing.

 

Yeah its not cold start then. These trucks have no wastegates unless it has an aftermarket (ie superduty) turbo on it.


A special computer program is required to pull any codes/information from these trucks. While they are OBD2 style, they aren't exactly able to be read by the cheap scanners. One needs a program like Auto Enqinuity, or a fancy scanner like a Snap On.

Here is what an EBPV sounds like. Not the diesel noise, but the noise like a jet turbine. Kind of like a wooshing sound.7.3 Cold Start 30* Great EBPV sound through Diamond Eye 4" Turbo Back - YouTube
I find it odd it would be shut during your specified temperature parameters, but it is possible that it could have failed in the closed position.

 

yeah i dont know why it would do that. im curently in nashvile auto diesel school for diesel, and im still baffled as to what might be wrong. and yes i do have an aftermarket turbo. well actually its Caterpillar turbocharger.

 

ok never mind!! i found it! the turbo im using is a ball bearing turbo, and i just pulled the compressor housing, and my bearings all blew out! thats why im not making any boost because the compressor cant spin!!! thanks for your help dude! i appreciate it!

 

Yeah I don't know enough about Cat turbos except that some have wastegates. I also am not familiar with the software that Cat uses for their machinery, but doubt it would work on these. If your dad has actual powerstroke software I bet he has this: AutoEnginuity® - OBD2 Scan Tool - Professional PC and PDA Diagnostics

If so it is just a matter of changing the settings until you can get what you need to read an OBS psd, instead of what is used on a superduty as they are different settings, despite the same motor and many of the same sensors.

 

Lol well that would sure make sense. I guess my initial thought of investigating the turbo would be right. Sorry I wasn't quicker on it, but I tried.

 

hey no prob dude at least you helped!!! and yep that is the software that he has. at least i think it is. and now i need a whole new turbo because the entire inside of the housing is torn to bits from the bearings.

 

btw nice truck!!!! lol i just now noticed the pic.

 

I figured that was coming, I just didn't want to say anything and jinx you lol.

Thanks I like it a lot.

 

Got any more info on your turbo set up? Any pics?