Bought the x in feb, put in the billeted wheel, modified the turbo pedestal, put in dorman uppies, put my boost leak detector on it and had no leaks then. Also put on the walker btm and gauges at that point. Took my chip to a local to get tunes. I was pleased enough with the power, and can hit 24 psi. However, it smokes like a freight train if I give it much pedal. I don't drive it a ton, but in the last week I did a 400 mile trip to pick up a trailer, then 800 miles on vacation in Colorado. The fender flare by the exhaust is now black.

It has to be pulling a trailer or going up a decent hill while cruising at 70 to show any boost at all on the gauge. If I give it gas, it belches out the smoke, unless I get on it and get the boost to 10 or more. Most of the time while cruising along I don't need to speed up that much so it just smokes and doesn't build more than 2 psi boost.

My f350 by comparison usually runs 4-6 psi boost running down the road at 65, and slight movements of the accelerator can affect that number immediately.

I don't have my leak detector with me so I can't verify that I have no leaks right now, but I can still hit 24 psi... Last night I used oven cleaner and got the whole area around the turbo pretty clean. Drove it 60 miles today, and don't see any soot around anything, maybe it's to soon to tell?

Is there anything else I should check, or is it as simple as getting new tunes?

 

Could be tunes or a dirty air filter. 24 psi on a tuned 7.3 seems like it's on the low side depending on where the waste gate is opening up at

 

24 PSI MAP or boost? This has the aura of exhaust leak, but we need some EBP numbers.

 

Definitely so. A stock truck (not tuned) should be able to get close to that much boost. Should be somewhere around 28-20psi with a good tune.

Also, only building 0-2psi of boost while cruising at 70 is low too.

OP, have you tightened up or disconnected the wastegate yet?

 

I haven't messed with the wastegate yet. It builds pretty good right up to 24 psi boost so I'm guessing that's where the wastegate limits it to?

The 24 psi is boost, I haven't recorded the ebp but did clean the tube and sensor back in feb when I got it, and the ebp does move so it's not currently clogged.

The AIS only has 6000 miles on it, and it hasn't sucked in the filter minder more than halfway.

 

Not to steal the thread but if 24 is low for a tuned 7.3l im wondering if i have a boost leak or something else on stock setting i get 10psi at most. and at the highest setting on my ts chip i see 25 max

 

I disconnected the red line at the wastegate and I could tell no difference. I need to put the leak detector on it this weekend, and then see about different tuning I guess.

 

You capped the red line with no change? This implies a wastegate problem, but it's not a lock. Without EBP numbers, we're in the weeds.

 

That was a short test drive yesterday. Driven a while today and it is a bit better.
I'm at 11 psi at idle.
19 psi ebp at 5psi boost
25 at 10
29 at 15
40 at 20

 

You have something going on. You should be able to hit 16-18 stock no problem at all.

 

Assuming the EBP sensor is accurate, that looks like a boost leak or an EBPV issue. Check the EBPV lever, do a boost leak test, and see if the EBP sensor reads the same as MAP with the key on and the engine off.