Morning All, New member here hoping to get some good advise on an issue I’m having with my ’05 F-350. Sorry for the length of the post. Except a side stream coolant filter that I installed when it was new the truck is bone stock with the 6.0 Powerstroke and auto trans. I bought the truck new and it now has a little more than 62,000 miles on it. The turbo was replaced twice while still under warranty. The last one about 4 years ago with 35,000 miles on the truck. It’s a California truck BTW.

I just returned from a 3,000 mile trip pulling a 14,000 lb trailer through all kinds of steep mountains. About 150 miles into the trip while climbing a long steep grade the check engine light came on. I checked fluids etc, but since the truck seemed to be running OK, I decided to ignore it until I got home or the truck had issues. My fuel mileage may or may not have been a little low but other than that everything was fine.

I took it to the dealer when I returned. They pulled four error codes and if I’m deciphering them correctly they are: PO299 (under boost), PO404 (EGR), PO478 (Exhaust control pressure high), and PO238 (Turbo boost sensor A high). All of them cleared and haven’t returned in the 100 or so miles I’ve driven it…but I haven’t pulled the trailer or put it under heavy load yet. The dealer says they want to change the turbo because of the Turbo boost high error but they don’t know for sure what caused the rest of the now cleared codes. They say the turbo’s stuck on high which is why I still have power. Since the warranty is over it’ll be $2300 to swap the turbo but they said they’ll install a data collection device of some kind to see what else is happening afterward. If I had the $2300 I might go for it but for one I don’t have the $2300 and two they’ve already changed it twice so before the forth one goes in I want to find a solution to the repeated failures and I’m not sure they’ll get there.

Honestly I’m much more interested in increasing reliability and maybe efficiency than adding more power. I am after all an Oldphart and the truck pulls strong as is.

I’m very interested in any and all opinions but I have the following questions:

1. Of course the big question is why does the turbo keep failing and what can I do to remedy that condition and still pass California smog tests?
2. Does it really only take an hour or so to remove the turbo? I’m a decent wrench with no diesel experience but plenty of tools.
3. Should I try cleaning the turbo or just replace it?
4. If I replace it, new or rebuilt? If new, is the Garrett Powermax GT3788VA Ballbearing Turbo a good choice? If not what is the best choice?
5. As for the EGR valve… Clean or replace? If clean, use brake cleaner or don’t?
6. Is there such a thing as an EGR cleaning kit with o-rings? Do I need one?

My other thought is to trade this 2WD turbo eating S.O.B. on a newer truck with 4WD and suffer through payments again.

Thanks in advance for slogging through this long post and whatever info you can share.

 

A few things jump out at me. Your low mileage and an 05 truck... the truck clearly sits a lot. Not good for the turbo. Sitting stagnant, and driving like a grandma are the two worst things for these.

You can however just yank the turbo and clean it. Read here: DTS Articles - Turbocharger Reconditioning

What happens is when they sit rust accumulates on the vanes and when you go to drive it, they'll stick. Driving like an old lady also causes carbon build up on the turbo vanes, then when you actually USE the truck, like towing a heavy camper you get heat and that carbon crap starts to turn to a goo and makes everything stick in the turbo. Try cleaning it first. You can also pull the EGR valve and clean that too, I bet with the EGR cleaned and the turbo cleaned, your problems disappear. I would also recommend pulling the EPB sensor and tube and cleaning those both as well. The tube is attached to the drivers side manifold. You'll see it.

I would recommend an EGR delete, but you're in Kommifornia too, so no dice. I'd go with a bulletproof EGR cooler, and then order an SCT and have some tunes written that shut the EGR valve function off (it can still blow open but it will limit it). Or, if you want to get sneaky, take the stock EGR cooler off, weld up the ends shut, and reinstall. They'll never see it and it basically eliminates the entire EGR system. That's what I would do if I was in Cali.

Also, check out the coffee table books, it will tell you where sensors are located, and a bunch of good basic info about your 6.0 DTS Articles - Coffee Table Books


1. Of course the big question is why does the turbo keep failing and what can I do to remedy that condition and still pass California smog tests?
Sitting a lot is what is causing it, my guess. Clean it following the directions above.

2. Does it really only take an hour or so to remove the turbo? I’m a decent wrench with no diesel experience but plenty of tools.
Maybe more your first time, it's not bad though. Anyone with basic tools can do it. Just have a good assortment of extensions and a flex joint. The one bolt is a PITA your first time. Once you figure out the right combo of extensions, it's cake.

3. Should I try cleaning the turbo or just replace it?
Clean it for sure. Replacement is silly if you're going to go through the same thing again...

4. If I replace it, new or rebuilt? If new, is the Garrett Powermax GT3788VA Ballbearing Turbo a good choice? If not what is the best choice?
If you must replace, get a powermax. $1250 shipped to your door, spools like stock, flows a little more than stock, sounds wicked!

5. As for the EGR valve… Clean or replace? If clean, use brake cleaner or don’t?
Clean now. I would never in my life buy a new EGR valve. A delete kit would be on my list, but you can't do that where you are. Do the sneaky delete and weld the cooler shut. This will block EGR flow completely and if the cooler does fail it just fills with coolant but can't go anywhere.

6. Is there such a thing as an EGR cleaning kit with o-rings? Do I need one?
Yeah it's called carb cleaner and a soft brush. Just pull the o-rings off first, clean it, reinstall o-rings, reinstall on truck.

Any more questions just ask, welcome to DB!

 

What he sad!!, in addition you should look for a metal CAC pipe to replace the plastic one on drivers side, pulling that kind of weight and hills you will split that plastic pipe/happens alot/ this could also be part of the problem you are having, if it has a small split it will release pressure when the boost is high, that loss of pressure can cause the codes you are getting, when the exhuast back pressure and turbo boost are not in synk you will get those codes, a leak can cause that. a 35mm freeze plug and a 30mm freeze plug welded into the ends of the egr cooler works great, as a note you can use a 35mm on the back side and just tap it in with a hammer and the cooler won't fail on you because the exhaust heat won't be going through it anymore.

 

Thanks for all the advice and the time it took to write it all down. Sitting stagnant, and driving like a grandma sounds right.

I’m now convinced that cleaning the turbo rather than replacing it is the way to go. The Bulletproof EGR Cooler is a good idea too, failure sounds like it can cause serious damage. Since I have to have the truck smogged every two years I can’t delete the EGR. BTW why would I want to delete it? Ford apparently thinks it’s important enough to update their software to see that it’s still there.

OK, here’s where I get a little uncertain again. While researching I read an article in Four Wheeler magazine that said in almost every case, 6.0L engine failures can be attributed to shortcomings in the oil cooling system. The Bulletproof website agrees and offer their oil cooler with the EGR cooler as a solution. Trouble is that the combo is over $2,000 and I’m not clear on whether it can be installed with the cab on the truck.

More Questions: (sorry)
1. Is cleaning the turbo and installing the Bulletproof EGR cooler enough to end my turbo woes or do I need the Bulletproof cooler too?
2. What’s involved with changing the EGR cooler and or installing the improved oil cooler?
3. Regarding the metal CAC pipe: I couldn't find one for the 6.0. Does anyone sell them or do I need to make one? Is this a common failure on the 6.0 with the stock turbo?

Again, thanks for saving me the time, money, and headache of figuring this out by myself.

 

The EGR system as a whole is a major downfall to the 6.0. You're taking hot burnt up exhaust gases and forcing them back into the intake. Ford did this to meet emissions standards, that's IT. The 6.0 was one of the first diesels to market (maybe was even the first!?) with a system like this. Obviously it has issues. We delete them to get them the heck off of there and save our motors. In your case, the bulletproof cooler is the answer.

As for the oil cooler... that's your call. I'm going with another OEM cooler. The oil cooler is really the root cause of failed head gaskets and failed egr coolers. The oil coolers job is to regulate the oil and coolant temperatures and keep them equal (or as close to it as possible) As the oil cooler clogs (think of it as a radiator that is submerged in coolant) it becomes less efficient and has a hard time keeping coolant and oil temps near each other. We know it's clogging by watching the oil and coolant temps (add gauges). They say anything more than 15* difference is time to replace the oil cooler. How do they clog you ask? There are a couple schools of thought here... one is the coolant itself. As it gets hot sometimes silicate can fall out of suspension and it turns to a sand like substance and clogs the cooler. Another thought (the one I believe more) is that the blocks of the engines are "sand cast" and as coolant flows through the motor over thousands of miles, it breaks away some of the casting chunks and they clog the cooler. Either way, we know they clog. A coolant filter is the first step in catching this crud. For $120 or so, you can't go wrong. Some guys switch to a different coolant type, and a full flush is required. I'm still using the Ford gold myself, but this is a whole other topic. The bulletproof unit is a VERY nice unit, but as you see, $$$. I bought a factory Ford oil cooler rebuild kit for $250... Yes it can all be installed with the cab on the truck. It's not difficult at all, just time consuming.


Cleaning the turbo is a temporary fix. The only permanent fix is to not let the truck sit so much, but that is going to depend on your situation. If it has to sit, it does. Maybe once a year just yank that turbo off and clean it up good. That should keep it going well.

Regarding the metal piping... ford sells it. You can get it through Tousley Ford Parts Depot It's ~$105 for the piping, the new boots and the clamps all together, it comes as a kit. The P/N you need is: 6C3Z-6C640-AA Yes it can fail with a stock turbo, mine did it not to long ago. Read here about it: https://www.dieselbombers.com/ford-p...oil-spray.html

 

More good info and again thanks to all that replied. I think I'll clean the turbo add the Bulletproof EGR cooler and a couple of gauges…and the metal tube. I installed a coolant filter when the truck was new. After about 2000 miles I removed it and cut it open. It had trapped quite a bit of sand. I’ve changed and dissected it a couple times since and found it clean. I’m hoping that based on that my cooler is OK but the gauges will let me monitor that…good stuff. I have a factory coolant temp gauge but I will install a matched pair for the sake of comparison. Anyone have know a good place to install the sending units? I haven’t looked but I’m guessing the ECT will be easy enough to place but what about the oil temp…install a bung in the pan? Is there an easier option?

 

the Engine allready has a oil temp sensor, there ar guages that use the engines original outputs, think one of them is the Edge Insight, not sure though, also a SCT programmer can monitor them too. Good call on the coolant filter, most people overlook them and you probably saved alot of money because you installed it.

 

It kills me because the truck has the sensors to read most of this stuff, but the "gauges" they use to display it are a joke. The coolant temp gauge is more of an idiot light than anything, it doesn't function like a real gauge.

 

I installed the Edge Insight gauge and have been watching the various parameters for a couple days. I haven’t done any heavy towing but I’m not seeing anything out of the ordinary during “normal” driving. The truck starts and runs fine and no error codes returned after resetting them originally. The codes were : PO299 (under boost), PO404 (EGR), PO478 (Exhaust control pressure high), and PO238 (Turbo boost sensor A high) now nothing.

When I returned home and had the dealer read the codes they told me the turbo was bad, said it was stuck on high which was why I still had power for the 3000 or so miles I drove after the CEL came on. It may be just wishful thinking but since everything seems normal now and I have no more codes I’m wondering if 3000 miles of pulling the trailer up some pretty steep grades unstuck it.

Do any of you know a way to test the turbo for this “stuck on high” condition? The only procedure I found involved using a WDS. I thought at first I was headed for Walt Disney Studios but later found out it means World Diagnostic System and costs more than two new turbos. Is this the only way to run a turbo test?

I have the Bulletproof EGR cooler that I plan to install and planned to swap out the turbo with one from MTW (thanks Mdub) at the same time but now I dunno.

Any words of wisdom?

 

You can cycle the vanes using AE, which is $360 with the enhanced Ford bundle.... all you need is a labtop. Though, you shouldn't need anything more than your ears and your right foot to tell if it's working right. How is the truck driving? If the turbo was stuck in one position (albeit open or closed) you would either have a truck that took off like stock then wouldn't go anywhere on the big end, or the opposite, smoky, laggy and then finally cleans out. Yours may just be sticking slightly. You can always just pull it and clean it and be rest assured there is nothing wrong with it too, that's even cheaper than the AE.

If you're pulling it for the EGR cooler, just clean it at that time. That's what I would do. If it doesn't work, oh well. It's not really that much more work to yank the turbo and replace it if need be. Especially after the first time you pull it out.