To all of the above, my post says nothing about DIRT and DUST, that's not the mechanism for wear and tear on the bearing that I was putting out as my THEORY. It's the SYMMETRY of the filter combined with the propensity of the spinning compressor wheel to form a vortex, is what I claim can lead to impulsive loads on the turbo bearing!

Now I've been trying to encourage someone with a 99.5 truck to install an air flow gauge like mine, which is at least X10 more sensitive than a boost gauge for measuring the perturbations in air density entering the turbo. I'll make a deal, and offer up half the cost for this mod, which isn't that much anyway, and not only can we put my theory to the test, but I'll also get CFM data on a 99.5 so I can update my early 99 PSD model. Just PM or email, and I'll give links to the mod, and send a check. You can check with Kris (who would be a great candidate for this mod) I really do send the check!

 

This doesn't cover it?

 

The inside of my air boot was always white glove clean.
Ernest I see the point that you are trying to make, but I have to disagree that the air filter would cause the damage but maybe it allowed the air pressure to not drop off to a partial vacuum because of an undersized air filter. With the slight pressure drop that would be present in that scenario it would be enough to drop the air mass enough to prevent the stalling effect.
Your TAG is a great product and I don't think it's a BS product at all. It makes the air flow linear which will stop the vortex effect that you are thinking about. On that I fully agree and understand. Like a mini tornado or a bathtub draining out effect.

But as far as the filter causing the problem, .... perhaps. It's round and the other filters are all flat and that will cause a huge difference in the way the air flows toward the turbo.

 

Hope you saved enough money on the deal for a new engine. What goes through the turbo goes through the engine.

 

I would have to say that the filter wouldn't cause any problems. It is basically the same style of filter that is used in heavy machinery, in extreme operating conditions.

 

There is the normal steady stream out of the CCV tube (no puff puff).. It starts up great, runs great. and doesn't use any oil since i have rebuild the turbo. If it lasts me 1 year even with the money i spent to rebuild the turbo, i am still under what payments would have been for a more expensive/better condition PSD for 1 year. So i was willing to take the chance. Plus it doesnt bother me to park my truck next to other stuff in the parking lots and i don't have to be careful when i'm hauling rock or whatever as i would have been if i would have payed 10k or more for one. all in all I love my 2,900.00 PSD and i will buy another one when this one dies a long time from now.

 

An ASE Ford certified service mechanic who has worked exclusivly on the PSD since 1995, told me that overall what kills this motor more than anything is a bad/poor air filter. He said the best thing i could have ever done to my truck before he even opened the hood is get rid of the factory air box. He said the 6637 is only number 2 on the list and recently the donaldson air filter on the 6 liter is the only thing better which was developed over in iraq(extreme conditions) for military hum vees. As far as air cavitation/surge which Eugene is talking about im sure all cylindrical free flowing air filters will cause this to some extent depending on the load, but again its a part that in a sense has a life expectancy, the turbo is just not going to last for more than 200K under even light to moderate loads, it has bearings after all.

 

One thing that we have as a sort of "protection" is the presence of the intercooler. Those metal chips of a broken blade are heavy enough, (I think) to settle out of the air stream as it passes through the intercooler and won't get past the intercooler.
My personal theory.

 

yeah that is what i think happened. That and the oil that was in the air from the non CCV moded intake helped catch most of the dust too as i found an insane amount of sludge in the bottoms of the IC tubes. and it took a few washes of dawn dish washing soap and water to get the Intercooler cleaned out inside.

 

I'm curious to know if anyone clicked on the link I provided in my first post, before they started defending what appears to be yet another "sacred cow" on this site? Yes, I finally found the BTS thread to see what all the uproar is about, and picked up that term there! Maybe we can do a poll as to the top 10 sacred cows that shouldn't ever be discussed in a critical way? Anyway, in the link I gave FLASH 13 reports on his turbo failure, and it appears from his signature that he was running an "open element intake" for some time before the failure. In my reply there I didn't mention any possible causes for his turbo failure, but I did relate some details of my own turbo failure, which appear to be similar to his, and I tried to give some helpful comments about his current problem with the BB replacement turbo he was talked into buying instead of a stock replacement. Yes, I bought the truck new, and it had 20K miles on it when the Aircharger was installed at Ford Performance Specialists in Atlanta, GA. I felt the compressor wheel and spun it, but more out of curiosity than trying to check for bearing wear, because that was a lesson that was yet to be learned. Now I know all about the theory that these noises were always there, and just can't be heard with the stock air box, but I don't believe that, because I could easily hear my turbo spool before the cone filter was installed. I'm convinced those new noises were caused by the vortex effect interacting with the compressor blades, kind of like a jet transitioning through the sound barrier. Well I agree that's the question being asked here, and I responded with my theory that maybe it does. I guess this states my theory in a more straight forward manner... At least my theory is subject to verification by measuring the air pressure fluctuations at the turbo inlet as I'm doing now, and so far I haven't seen any (with a gauge that measures to at least a 0.5" H2O resolution), but I haven't yet done the western mountains, so time will tell. BTW, I'm not trying to be a wise guy by offering to split the cost of someone else doing my mod, I'd like to get the data on air flow, and also see if my theory about air density fluctuations with an open element filter has merit.

 

I have about 90k on my Tymar. I put it on the truck shortly after I bought it a few years ago with 66k on the clock. No Problems, or even a hint of a problem. Just changed my up pipes out 2 weeks ago, turbo shaft still feels tight.

 

The way i look at it is how he asked this question...... The way i see it is, the only way the turbo wheel can have the blades wear out is. 1. Dust/dirt passing through them. 2. Too much play resulting in the compressor wheel contacting the housing. SO. it either is worn out... or it was dusted from a faulty filter system.

On a side note.. I have seen a few cars/trucks non diesel that are runing a K&n cone filter who have dust in the intake tube.... but this goes back to it being properly oiled... if it was i'm sure it wouldnt' be as bad?

 

To be quite honest with you, yes those sounds are there with the stock airbox. The first time I really paid attention to it was after I installed the 6637 filter on my truck. I met up with my parents who have a 2003 7.3L with a stock airbox. We rode around in mine for much of the day and you could hear all those exhale sounds and everything that happens with an open filter. They thought it was annoying. Later we got in my parent's truck, and I could faintly hear those same sounds on the same roads and the same upshifts. I pointed that out to my parents who also said they never paid attention to it before. It was so quiet you had to know to listen for it, but they were able to pick up on it. So yes, the turbo does make those noises, but it's so extremely quiet that people really just don't know it's there.

 

It’s an interesting hypothesis, but that’s just what it is a hypothesis. To be able to prove it you need to be able to show where other turbo have been damaged using the kwik filter or other conical filters. I have the kwik filter installed myself as the stock air box was missing a clip on one side and the compressor wheel damaged when I bought the truck. I replaced the OEM with a wicked wheel and installed the kwik filter. I’ve been running it this way for about 32,000 miles with no problems. I checked the wheel last weekend when I did the CCK and SSHPX and everything was tight. I tow a 19,000lbs trailer and I’m very familiar with surge although I don’t experience it with the wicked wheel installed. I do plan on installing the AIS soon only because I like the looks of it not because I’m afraid of the “vortex of doom”.
<O</O
Several people here use the kwik filter and have been for even more miles than I have with zero problems. This should tell you something. Something other than the filter and vortexes contributed to your turbo failure. When I installed the Sonnax kit in my transmission one of the members came out and said that the Sonnax destroyed his transmission. He then quickly came out and admitted his transmission was on the way out anyway and the Sonnax only pushed it over the edge. This may have been the case with your turbo. It may have been defective from day one. God knows that Ford puts defective items in these trucks from time to time. Whether the filter also contributed to its early demise is a topic for discussion, but saying it was the main and only cause based on pure speculation without any data is careless.

 

Would a TAG or two cure this vortex you talk about Ernest?