Tire Mechanic in town said my turbo is going out. Rubber Exhaust/ turbo boot is covered in oil. Tire shop said they dont work on turbos, but mechanic said it could be seals or bearings. I live in small town, closest Ford dealer is 2.5 Hrs away. Another friend said they have turbo rebuild kits and can be done rather simply in that there are few bolts.
Q? If you have any suggestions on this matter I would appreciate hearing from you. Truck has 120k miles, only ever had a single engine failure and that was the cam sensor. Mechanic said I can continue to drive, but I think that might be a disaster waiting to happen. Fixing the TURBO before she completely fails seems better idea. Other than the visible oil on flange/ boot is only noticeable problem with TURBO, otherwise truck runs great. Please advise,

 

Welcome to FTE.

The crankcase is vented into the intake, so it is normal to see oil seepage in certain places. Showing us where the oil is would help us tell you how serious your problem might be. Seepage around the boots connecting the intercooler pipes is completely normal in this design. Not desirable, but normal.

 

If your truck still pulls like its supposed to... there probably isnt a problem.
The turbo compressor wheel sucks in oil from the crank case ventilator and it collects at the boots. It is normal. If you want to eliminate the oil in your i/c system... you have to do the ccv mod.

Xtof

 

Like Kel said this is probly normal. Post a pic if you can - Also dont pay too much attention to your tire mechanic if he doesnt know these trucks. Find a good diesel mechanic and do a lot of reading here. Welcome to FTE by the way. Folks here can help you with any and all problems or questions you have about your truck.

 

I have argued with a diesel mechanic about this truck before. I proved myself correct. Not all mechanics (even diesel mechs) know this truck design.

Read a large amount here on FTE. You will learn enough to teach the mediocre diesel mechanics how it runs.

 

LOL... There is nothing wrong with your truck. The oil seapage is normal.

Dont let a tire shop tell you thinks of the heart... errrr motor...

 

Unless oil or abnormal smoke is coming out of your exhaust, I doubt the turbo is bad.

If you take off the intake boots into the turbo, you will see where the hard plastic pipe (the one the soft intake tubes bolt on to) on the driver's side valve cover has a hole in it, and below that there is a short hose that leads into this little bod on the valve cover. That is the "doghouse" which is your Crank Case Vent.

The oil runs through the CAC system, and typically saturates all the boots as well as the pipes in the system. As it was said, only way to prevent this is to do the CCV vent, or install a CCV filter, but IMO don't waste your money

While you're in there I would check the wheel on the intake side of the turbo, and check for any damage to the wheel, as well as shaft play.

 

That should of been the red flag there, ask'n yourself...What the hell does he know.