My 2000 7.3 with 98k miles seems to have low boost. I removed the inter-cooler tubes and boots and thoroughly cleaned and re-installed them and torqued clamps to 60 inch pounds. The boots all seemed to be intact with no tears. The maximum boost pressure is around 14.5 psi. I took the truck to the dealer for the CPS recall, and they told me the inter-cooler boots need to be sealed for $400. I didn't ask for any diagnosis, so there must be something very obviously wrong for them to point it out. I have seen posts on here that suggest using hairspray, but is this just to prevent them from blowing off, or does it help seal air leaks. I have fabricated the boost leak detector, and it slowly leaks down from 20 psi to less than 10 psi, then holds steady at the lower pressure for quite a while. I could not hear a leak in the intake plumbing while testing and assumed there was a small internal engine leak like past the valves or something. I guess my question is, is there any sealant recommended for sealing the boots as the dealer said they would seal and not replace them and I don't plan on handing over $400 to them for just the labor of sealing boots that are easily accessible.

 

You could get new ones for less than that.

https://www.dieselsite.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=133

 

Have you checked your up-pipes for soot around the connections?

Did you check the orange boots on the spider in the valley? Those are a good place for leaks also.

Good luck.

 

You probably have a very obvious 98k showing on your odometer. I'm surprised they didn't hit you with an estimate to flush your fuel injectors, etc., etc., etc.

A slow leak down is normal. I believe it's around 1.5 psi per minute. The hairspray trick helps keep from blowing the tubes out of the boots while driving. There is no Ford sealer that is supposed to go there. I'm guessing they saw some oily soot type stuff around the boots or on the spider and planned on just tightening the clamps and cleaning things up some more.

Don't worry too much about the dealer quote. I took my truck in around 200k to find an electrical short and got a $1200 estimate for nonsense stuff before the mechanic even looked at the truck. The actual repair I requested was $275.

 

I would bet you have leaking up pipes and that was for new parts...

 

i didnt even know i had orange boots untill i took a shop rag and started to wipe that junk off. still not completed

 

I have not found any soot on the up-pipe. I did the intercooler leak down test again because I was not sure exactly how fast it leaked down from the last test, and found that it looses 1 psi in about 5 seconds (goes from 14 psi to 2 psi in 60 seconds then holds the last 2 psi for 40 seconds). I couldn't find any significant air leak in the external plumbing (intercooler, boots, spider). But now something has gone very wrong. There is very little engine power, and extreme turbo lag! No check engine light. The manifold pressure stays close to 0 until 2500 to 3000 rpms where it quickly jumps up to close to 14psi max. Before I did the leak test, there was much more power, even though probably not 100%, and the turbo would start spooling much earlier (definately under 2000 rpm). I tried looking for loose hose and electrical connections that I may have caused during my testing, but was wondering if I could have damaged anything by putting too much pressure into the turbo or engine while I was checking for leaks? I tried to only pressurize it to 20 psi, but may have put a lot more pressure in it momentarily before I got my pressure regulator properly adjusted from the air compressor. Is there any way that the dealer could have done something that caused the power loss when they did the Cam Position Sensor recall? The truck has so little power that I don't think I'll drive it unless to a qualified shop, but would prefer to find the answer myself. Thanks for any help!

 

I'd say it's time to start trying to isolate the leak. Can you leave it pressurized around 10 and check for leaks with soapy water? You might also remove each IC tube and test inspect thoroughly. You might try to pressurize the tube with foil on it to make sure you don't have a crack under the foil.

 

A lot of the new CPS are having problems- I don't know why, but Ford took the wheel and made it square on this one by swapping new CPS's in our trucks.... I know my pass side up pipe is leaking a good amount, but even when running stock I could make 15 psi. Have you changed your fuel filter lately, or cleaned your intake filter? I know in the past when my truck was running sluggish it's because the fuel filter is clogged up....

 

I have checked every bit of the external plumbing-pipes, boots, spider, etc, and have no leaks. When doing the boost leak test, the pressure definitely goes into the crankcase. When you remove oil filler cap, the pressure inside almost blows it off when I have 20 psi on the intake. Is this normal, or does it indicate worn valve guides or rings or something else bad. Leaks down from 16psi to 2 psi in 90 seconds. The power loss which I think is unrelated to boost leak is so bad I cannot climb a small hill under 2500 rpms (you have to downshift) and it is even hard to maintain 50-55 mph at wide open throttle in overdrive. Turbo pressure stays below 6 psi under 2000 rpm, but really kicks in to 14 psi as it approaches 300 rpm. Could it be a defective CPS that was just installed under recall (literally the day before this problem). I just have NO low end torque. Help!

 

A new CPS is only 27.00 +-. Get a new one and change the other out. If this is not the problem, you will have a spare for the glove box.