I have a 04 6.0L powerstroke F250 4x4 FX4 with torque shift trans. I wanted to know what is the limit of boost the 6.0L powerstroke should run? My 04 will make 35 Plus PSI of boost. Is this O.K. ? I don't want to blow head gasket or intercooler or tubes. I have the Banks six Gun with Power PDA and 4" magnaflow exhaust for torque and K&N air system. It will run 35psi and over on setting 4 on the banks pda and still has 3 more setting above the 4th. Any help would be great. I'm a new member and this is my first post and would like to say HELLO to everyone.
Thanks Stroker04,

 

Whenever you get over 30, the pucker factor starts.

 

what do you mean the pucker factor?

 

cac tubes blowing off, egt temps, from my experience, after 30, you're on borrowed time. This is not to say that failures are going to happen, its to say, conditions are better for failures to happen.

 

What can i do it will run 30psi plus stock, I'm not one that drives hard at all most of the time 60 mph and below. I do have a 24ft enclosed car trailer and when loaded its about 12k I live in eastern KY where there are alot of very big mountains to go up. It pulls alot of boost when going up these. I take care of my truck because I want it to last for many,many years to come. I have boost,egt,engine oil temp,trans temp,trans slip percentage,engine water temp guages in it so I can keep a eye on everything aswell.
stroker04

 

If your turbo tubes and intercooler are stock I'm surprised it didn't blow off or crack the intercooler. I was told by a Ford mechanic that the 6.0's can't handle over 26 psi of boost with out blowing the tubes or cracking the intercooler. I had mine up to almost thirty and it stayed together. However it made it throw the PO299 code with the engine light right after that. I uninstalled the module and no codes since. I'm stopping at the exhaust for upgrades on the performance side anyways. Good luck!

 

YES, stock intercooler and tubes. So, why will it run 30psi plus stock if they said it would hurt it if over 26psi?
Thanks,
stroker04

 

factory gauge wrong maybe?

sticking turbo vanes?

 

My 04 didn't come with a factory boost gauge. I don't think it was even an option, at least on the early 04's, so I guess you're running an A/M boost gauge, or is it something with the Banks system? Irregardless, 36 is way high for a stock intercooler.
I see 30 regularly--maybe a 32 spike occassionally and I'm plumbed into the throttle body elbow with an autometer manual gauge. On a WOT run it will usually spike about 30 and hold 26 or 28. I've never blown a boot or intercooler (knock on wood) so I think you're lucky, but I also suspect you may have a funky gauge.

 

Factory boost guages are not all that accurate and should only be trusted by mild users. But you said your reading a aftermarket gauge and seeing 35psi so it really depends on if you are sustaining that much pressure under acceleration of load or if you see it jump up there on a throttle dump. I have a diablo on my '05 with all the good gauges and i see mine come up there but you have to be looking at the gauge cause it doesn't stay there long as the motor quickly starts sucking the pressure back down. I haven't had any problems and if you stay on top of your gauges then you should be alright. If your not blowing coolant or seeing a bunch of white smoke and still running 35psi then i would say its going to be ok because your truck is still newer and gaskets aren't like a old man and give out when they are tired they give out when the see a condition they can't handle by design and that mostly happens when they see that condition the first time and not because the have been seeing that condition for a prolong time, but as far as that goes you have to sometimes pay to play and if you get to have a bada$$ 6.0 running like a hoss for a good while and you blow a head gasket or a hose or a intercooler than just think of it has renewal fee for having the bada$$ truck you have....

enjoy

 

Well now, if the truck can't handle more then 26 psi, then why would you put in a turbo that, atleast according to gauges(both factory and aftermarket on my truck anyway), handles more then 30 psi and that is a stock turbo too? I have gotten it up to 33 once and nothing, but that was just once. That doesn't seem to be a good thing that Ford did based on that information. Unless there is something missing that I just didn't get.

 

If you find a hibernating bear, and he doesnt wake up if you slap him, does that mean he wont wake up if you slap him again? Eventually youre gonna get bit!

 

That's a good analogy when it comes to the dangers of red lining something. But it does not however, answer my question as to why would ford put something like a turbo that is capable of producing more psi then what the engine can handle. I would rather have an engine that can handle whatever the stock turbo can give. It would be like having an amplifier that can produce more watts then a speaker can take, your run the chance of blowing the speaker. You want to have a speaker that can handle what ever the amp. can dish out (of course, if your speakers can handle too much more the what the amplifier can give then you run into tweater problems(no not as in tweater speakers), but thats another story). That's how I like my engine to be, it can handle whatever, ESPECIALLY if your talking about a totally stock truck, everything should be able to handle whatever the other parts can dish out. If you got a turbo that can handle upwards of 30 psi, then the engine should be able to handle that, now you can hit those numbers without dragging it, I'm not talking about the speed demons that are just running everything to death, but you can hit those numbers pulling up a steep hill, but if you have to slow down to keep your turbo from going over 26 and your halfway up the hill that's not going to work, it's going to take you a LONG time to get up that hill if you have to keep it under 26.

 

tex25025,

I think it has been stated that the stock motor can handle 30 psi in boost, and if you see a momentary spike to 32-33 you will be okay. But if you run consistently above 30 psi then problems can and do occurr.

If you are running high boost above 30 psi regularly then you may have a problem with the VV Turbo or one of its sensors. The VV Turbo can provide more boost than these engines can handle if the vanes stick. The VV Turbo works to limit boost by changing size, whereas a fixed vane turbo uses a waste gate to limit boost pressure. By the basic design of a turbo charger, it will produce more boost than the engine requires under certain load conditions, this is just a normal occurrance with a turbo charged motor. Hence the reason a waste gate or Variable Vane turbo is used to control boost.

Hope this helps

 

Ok, that does make more sense to me then early. Thanks for the input on that.