I'm new to diesel and everything I know about it now I learned it reading this forum, I rushed to get my truck lifted as soon as I got it and got talked (by a salesman) into buying a superchip tuner, I couldn't say no to more horsepower, now that I have learned some things from you I know I should of done a little more reading about gauges before I bought the tuner. I have a 2001 f-250, 4x4, cc, 6" lift and 37" tires, after reading about the importance of the gauges I installed a pyro gauge and I know that I got my truck over 1250 deg. probably several times. the truck is running good it has 67000 miles, my question is how can I know I didn't damage the turbo? or is there a way I can check if my turbo is working properly? I don't have a boost gauge yet, I have added the boost gauge to my budget but I'm not there yet.
Is there a way to check it???
thanks for any help you can give me, and for all the knowledge I already got from you.

 

Here is my take on it. Since you don't have a boost gauge, take it to someone who can test the boost for you (dealer or wherever). Should be a relatively inexpensive check for you. If you did smoke it, I am guessing you would have noticed some sort of drop in performance (acceleration or mileage). Don't forget to reinstall your stock program before going to the dealer.....hope this helps.

 

Thanks for your help. I haven't noticed any changes it stil runs good. I'll contact my dealer for the test...

 

I think you would melt pistons and burn valves before hurting the turbo.

 

Exactly right. 1250 is well below what the turbo can absorb. The pistons are another story.

You can check the condition of the turbo yourself (obviously not a boost check). Remove the intake tract and inspect the compressor wheel for damage (nicks, dents, etc.), then put you fingers on the wheel hub and check for looseness, and excessive play. It should spin freely, and have a very small amount of side to side play. If it moves in and out along the axis of the shaft it's a bad sign, pretty much everything else is ok.

 

Not to disagree blatantly with the previous 2 responses, The turbo is a concern with high temps. I believe that I have read that 1250* is about the upper limit for the vanes on the turbo and after that they will begin to lose their pitch. A boost check isn't a bad idea.

 

To disagree blatantly, don't believe everything you read. Our pistons are aluminum which has a melting point in the vicinity of 1400 degrees F. Our turbos are made of a high quality stainless alloy which is hardly getting red at that temperature. Think about a jet engine, the temperatures reached, and that turbine, sitting right in the flame stream. Of course jets use inconel and other super alloys that we couldn't afford to pay for, but basically it comes down to steel vs. aluminum. EGT gauges are there to protect the engine, not the turbo charger.

 

EGT gauges are there to protect the engine, not the turbo charger.

Correct.

 

Banks Diesel Says:
We’ve already mentioned that excessive EGT can cause engine damage or turbocharger damage, but let’s get more specific. Which parts will fail first is a matter of the design and materials used in the various parts of the turbo-diesel, but usually it starts with the turbocharger . Under sustained excessive EGT, the square corners at the outer ends of the vanes, where the material is thinnest on the turbine wheel, can become incandescent and then melt, resulting in a rounding off of the square corners. If you or your mechanic finds this indication before anything more serious happens, consider yourself very lucky, because shortly after the tips melt, the turbine wheel goes out of balance and wipes out the turbocharger bearings, which may or may not result in shaft failure and destruction of the turbine and compressor wheels. Excessive EGT can also erode or crack the turbine housing. In extreme cases, high EGT can drive the turbocharger into an overspeed condition that exceeds the designed operating speed due to the additional heat energy. When this happens, either the turbine wheel or the compressor wheel may burst. If the turbo doesn't go first, excessive EGT, if sustained, will damage the pistons. Such damage can include piston deformation, melting, burning, holes, cracking, etc. This damage is cumulative, so if you slightly burn a piston top, the engine may continue to run without problems, but the next time you run excessive EGT more damage may be done, and so on, until failure occurs. Piston failure can be catastrophic — that means very expensive. At a minimum, an engine overhaul will be required, and that too is expensive. Excessive EGT can also cause exhaust manifold and cylinder head cracking. Exhaust valves can fail from high EGT as well. Among the first engine parts to suffer damage will be those made of aluminum since aluminum has a lower softening and melting temperature than steel or cast iron. Diesel pistons are aluminum, and a growing number of diesels also use aluminum cylinder heads.
WWW.BANKSPOWER.COM/TECH_WHYEGT.cfm

Yes With guages we are protecting the engine but accordin to what I can find, it starts with the turbo. That is if anyone can believe what Gale Banks says.