Hey, I'm new to the Turbo scene. I've had 7.3's and 6.9's before,...but I just purchased an 89' F350 Crew Cab that has the 7.3 idi with an aftermarket TSA Turbo.

A few questions:

1.) I don't have that whistling turbo sound that I hear from other 7.3 turbo engines, like PStrokes. Should I hear a turbo sound or is this normal ?? It's audible,...I mean I can hear it slightly, but it's not Loud like I thought it would be.

2.) I have a boost guage in the cab, but I don't think it works. Could there be something wrong with the turbo,...or more than likely just the gauge ?

3.) Is there a manual or online anything that would show me how to properly connect or repair the boost gauge ?

4.) I've heard that you should try to turn up the fuel and that would make the turbo put out more,...but how do I know what boost I'm running ? I need this gauge fixed.

5.) When I do get to that point of knowing what my boost is,...I've been told that 8-10 psi is about as much as I would want to throw at an idi. Anything more than that could destroy the engine.

The truck runs great. It seems to have good power, and definitely more power than my other 7.3 idi non turbo. Like I said,...it may sound dumb but I'm new to the "Turbo" thing. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, I just want to know what to check for and try to make sure everything is functioning the way it should before I drive this thing too much.

It's a really Nice and well maintained truck with only 88K documented miles on it. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank You !!

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...e-reading.html Here is a link to a thread from the page here for your engine. Plenty of guys there with your setup.
You won`t hear the turbo, it`s not like the Power Stroke.
You are right about the boost limit as the head studs can elongate.
If you do not get black smoke on hard acceleration you may need the pump turned up. Not hard to do but safer if you fit a pyrometer first.
If you repost all your questions on the IDI page you will get plenty of expert answers.
Good luck and the truck sounds nice.

 

There is a pyrometer in the truck now,...but I don't think that it works either.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction !! Much appreciated !

 

You won't hear under 10psi of boost from a turbo really unless like on my PSD i have an intake, straight exhaust, and lots of fuel. mine will whistle a little under 10psi of boost, but it really screams up there around 30psi.

a few questions, what brand guages are the boost/pyro? Also, what does your pryo guage read at idle, cruising, and WOT? you don't want the pyro to get over 1200* IF the pyro is mounted at the manifold. if the probe is mounted after the turbo move it to the back of the manifold or as close as you can get it to the connection at the manifold on the driver side. the driver side tends to run a bit hotter b/c of air restrictions in that area and the back cylinders usually run hotter so you want the probe at a point where it catches exhaust from all 4 cylinders on the driver side as close as you can get it to the engine. Now, what does your boost guage do under WOT? it should creep up to around 8-10psi and hold there until u let of the throttle.

basically if your boost guage does in fact work you will need to check all the exhaust connections pre turbo to make sure there are no leaks and check all the connections feeding air into the engine for leaks. check where the boost line is reading boost from. a boost guage will generally be mechanical and have a small plastic line running from the guage to a point after the turbo that will see boost pressures from the turbo. does that make sense? the line will then connect using a 1/8" NPT fitting into the intake tract then the plastic line from the guage will connect to that using a compression fitting to seal it. Some other boost guages will have a sensor that will thread into the intake tract(again, 1/8" NPT) and have an electrical connection. the sensor will read the boost pressure, send that to the guage and the guage will have a stepper motor that in turn moves the needle. the pyro simply has a probe that sticks into the exhaust(another 1/8" NPT, but some are 1/4" NPT) with an electrical connection that will run up to the pyro guage.

Now with all that said, a turbo builds boost from exhaust pressure. the more fuel you feed into the cylinder the more exhaust is created thus more boost. on an IDI apparently the head bolts will stretch at 10psi. Aside from that the IDI also has a 21.5:1 compression ratio? with such high compression you don't want much boost pressure or you will tear up the bottom end(cracked block, bent connecting rods, etc.). You can run more boost IF you upgrade the head bolts, the valve springs, lower the compression, etc. that's why the PSD can run 50psi of boost on the stock compression with ease. stock compression is 17.5:1. clear as mud???

 

You know what, I've been doin' some major studying today ever since I got off from work at 3:30,.....and I think that I just may understand what your saying, LOL.

I did play around with the truck a little today also. The gauges are apparently some el cheapos from Advanced auto or something. The Pyro IS connected right after the turbo,....almost exactly 9 inches from the turbo. I drove the truck for a good bit today and that never got above 400. (That is if it's even working correctly)

I did manage to blow a little coal today and the boost guage moved up close to 4 But that's the highest I got it. It is the plastic tube kind.

I will definitely be shopping for some new gauges, and maybe looking at some better pipes, But from what everyone here has told me sofar, it seems like everything is working the way it should.

After I get some better gauges I may work on cranking up the fuel a little. Other than that, I think it's performing like it should.

Thanks so much for the help man !! I'm more at ease now !

 

Check and make sure the vacuum line going from the boost gauge to the intake isn't pinched anywhere. We were trying to diagnose a no pressure condition in a friend's twin turbo'd RX7 for a couple hours before we realized the line was just bent around the dashboard. Fixed that and problem solved.