This has most likely been asked before but I do not think I am alone on this subject here.I believe that a lot of people using or seeking information on the 6.0 diesel are like myself First time owners and purcahsed the truck with limited knowledge of the the diesel and the Turbo system, which is,in my my mind the power source that Ford raves about.Yes the computer can be juiced but Without the turbo this is a slug. I have never owned a Turbo engine powered vehicle but know of people who have and yes we have good and bad reviews mostly bad as to replacement costs etc. I have some simple questions about our turbos that I am sure others would be interested in and by all means please feel free to ad to this.
(1) What is a Turbo charger
(2) What is Turbo boost
(3) Turbo boost I believe my dealer said 21psi is stock
(4) How does this affect my engine
(5) What is an acceptable boost level before performance is affected
(6) I do not have a pressure gauge,how can I tell if I have a potential failure
(7) Please ad more to this,Why not a blower system (?) more reliable,more power on demand I do not need 2200rpm to get it happening,?

I am sure you guys can ad to this, always appreciate the input and I will check back later.

 

Signs of turbo failure can be from noise to spitting oil out of the exhaust. A turbo is driven by exhaust which means that there is no load taken from the engine to provide more power. A blower runs off of a belt driven by the engine. I know this doesn't cover everything but hope this helps a little.

 

Here is a great article describing turbo chargers and superchargers

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question122.htm

Basically, a turbocharger uses exhaust flow to drive a turbine which in turn adds compressed air to the engine's intake. That compressed air results in more air in the cylinders and more air provides a more efficient burn. A more efficient burn gives the engine more power. A turbocharged engine will provide 40% more power than an equivalently sized non-turbo motor.

 

I think I may have heard my service guy wrong on 21psi turbo boost,any idea on what the normal numbers should be.
1979ford what kind of noise would I be listening for ,ie bearings
whalerron, never thought of checking that site out,always direct the kids to it for the hard to answer school projects.

 

When the turbo failed on our '03, it was a very high pitched grinding/screaming noise. Very distinct sound really... similar to bad wheel bearings, but at a much higher pitch and speed.

 

Boost will depend on how hard the motor is working. As the engine works harder, the boost will climb. Cruising down a flat highway, there might be very little boost generated. Climbing a hill at 65 mph while hauling 2000lbs in the bed might make the boost climb to 25 psi.