Just found out I need a new turbo. Thought I would see if anyone has any suggestions. I don't race or sled pull or any of that. The motor has 92,788 miles on it. It is an early '04' 6.0L in an Excursion. I do tow heavy a couple of times a year. I might do it more in the future though. I have been having problems with EGT's when towing for awhile now. I have an aftermarket Intercooler and new CAC boots form Riff Raff tunes from Matt at GHTuning, the Street lite, 8k tow and Unlimited Tow. I have just received these tunes so have not used them for very long.
So if anyone has some suggestions about a brand and/or size for the above I would be grateful. Also if you have a supplier in mind that would help too.
Thanks for input here.

 

KC Turbos are the way to go. Best service!

 

Was this diagnosed? A turbo with stuck unison ring can cause low boost under acceleration which can drive up the EGT's. Was it ever taken apart and cleaned? Have you (or a shop) ever tested it for a boost test that sweeps the VGT solenoid which moves the unison ring & veins using a scan tool?
Or do you just want a new turbo?
I'd hate to see you spend money for nothing.

 

I appreciate the concern as I don't want to spend unnecessary money either. I have cleaned it once at about 40k miles when I did the EGR delete and Oil cooler replacement. This was diagnosed by the local Ford dealership, as they did the above tests, and as things have steadily gotten worse with the turbo flutter and noise. I asked about the solenoid but they said they could not get it, the turbo, to respond to anything so replacing the solenoid would do nothing. As I have to take it off anyway I am going to look at it. My Edge CTS Insight monitor shows the vanes going between 15 and 85% as they should but that is just showing what the ECU is asking for it to do, not what the vanes are doing as I understand that program.
Thanks for your input.

 

I run the garrett powermax on my 05 Ex, it had some lag in stock tune even with the banks full powerpack system but after getting custom tunes from Matt at gearhead it has none whatsoever now it almost runs like a gasser down low, egt's are actually lower than they were with the banks level 4-6. nice midrange and top end power bump It's got a great whistle to it.

 

Sort of starting to sound like it might be stuck.
How is it stored? How often is it driven and do you get it
up to full temp when you take it out?

 

That is what I suspected and you're correct. The reading is a command not an actual position reading. So when the dealer did the test they more than likely did not hear the tone change in the exhaust note and deemed the turbo bad. First check the wiring & plug. Take it off and split it. Unstick the unison ring and clean the flange of the turbo housing where the unison ring rides. That's the area where it gets stuck mostly not allowing it to move. There's plenty of videos on the subject. I'm saying you do not NEED a new turbo.

 

 

Thanks to all of the above for you input. This is not a daily driver but several times a week. Always up to temp. and some high rpms to help keep the vanes loose. lol I have Matts tunes and that is what prompted me to get it looked at as the turbo was really barking with the tunes.
I have looked at some turbos but am going to take this one off and look at it before doing anything. I agree with the stuck vane thoughts.
I have rebuilt some Holset turbo's and am more familiar with them but not the VGT type.
It shouldn't be to hard I guess.
As always this is a great Forum for getting help.
Thanks again.

 

2:54 of this video he starts disassembling.

 

Go with the Motorcraft / Garrett (Honeywell) part................they seem to last longer than most of the aftermarket.............

 

Matt is a very good tune writer. But you do need to know that the Unlimited Tow tune does nothing to the engine.
I it is all trans tuning with the exception of turning off the EGR system. May have to check on that but I am fairly sure.

 

Thanks everyone for your input. I did find the above You Tube post. It is very helpful. Will post up what I find when I get it off.
Thanks.

 

As an update I took the Turbo off. Was rather surprised to see that the blades on the turbine wheel were all nicked up. Some of the nicks were 1/8" in diameter. Interesting though that there was no other signs of any damage in the housing or up and down tubes. Also the vanes did not look beat-up either. Also the unison ring was rusted solid to the housing. After copious amounts of 'Blaster' I still had to use a hammer and pry bar to get it off. So after looking at this and calculating what I would have to do and the cost I felt for a couple of hundred more '$' I could have a better, upgraded, turbo. So after some research I went with KC Turbos and their Stage 1 as it sounded like the best for my needs and they felt the same way.
So now just waiting for it to arrive and then go through the fun part of putting it back in.
Again thanks to all for you input and help.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

You may find the missing chunks down in the Kat if you still have one in your EX.
That is if you want to take the time to look.