Guys,

Could use some help on determining turbo and innercooler leaks. I have a 1996 F350 with the 7.3 in it. I put a '99 innercooler in the vehicle and wanted to check for air leaks.

I isolated the line from the air filter and installed a gauge at that point. I also isolated the line from the innercooler going into the spyder intake. This should check my lines and connections from the turbo, one side of the spyder intake into the innercooler, out of the innercooler up to where it would go into the engine at the spyder intake.

Now my issue is when I applied air my turbo was bypassing the air down the exhaust. Once I started cranking more air (10+ PSI) in it seemed like the turbo partially sealed. Is this normal? Or is this a sign of a worn turbo. 230,000 miles+. I purchased this at around 220,000.

Also, is this check valid at all. In other words, am I going to be able to check all these components or do I need to separate the innercooler to verify its integrity separate from the other components?

Thanks for the help..

 

I'm not 100% sure on this, but it seems to me with enough pressure, it may be possible to force air through the seals in the turbo. I would test the IC from the hot side pipe where it connects to the spider and leave the turbo out.

 

That sounds plausible. The interesting thing though is under low pressure it leaks past the turbo like it is wide open, then under more pressure it stops whistling by it. That is what has me stumped.