A boost gauge kit shouldn't cost a lot, and is easy to install. This will let you know if the turbo is working. They are great diagnostic tools, and once you are used to the behavior of your truck, you will immediately notice a problem.
Dave, you're right that a boost gauge could help and you're also correct that I'm used to how my truck acts. The deteriorating performance was quite pronounced over the last few weeks.
Everything is fixed now. I picked up a new turbo locally today about lunch time and installed it this afternoon. No more leaks, no more sluggishness, no more strange exhaust noises.
Glad to be able to schedule work again. I've been blowing off returning phone calls since I wasn't sure about the truck down time. Time to start calling people back although I'm already scheduled 4 days next week and it wouldn't break my heart if I didn't fill the other 2 days.
New one was $991 plus tax. The nearest rebuilt one was in Ft Myers and wouldn't have been here until Monday, and that would have been about $800.
I'm no turbo expert but I'm going to guess that the bearings and/or seals were shot. It was leaking oil, extremely noisy and had what I can best describe as a stutter at full throttle under load. The truck runs perfectly now with the new turbo. I don't know how many more ways I can say it but that's the best I can do. If you want the old turbo so you can dissect it and maybe rebuild it then you're welcome to it. Pay shipping and it's yours.
Well, I thought I was done. Discovered I was leaking oil today from the oil return line coming out the bottom of the turbo. The hot and cold sides of the turbo are locked together with four bolts and you have to clock the assembly before installing it. You cannot access the rear bolt once it's installed. I simply eyeballed it and threw it in there. It was almost close enough and I was able to get the non flexible oil lines attached with a little persuasion. I obviously wasn't close enough so now I have to pull it off and clock it about 1/8" or so and reassemble. You can see the smaller yellow oil feed line on top and the fatter yellow return line on the bottom.
I rescheduled tomorrow's job for Friday and will work Saturday in order to get everything on my schedule completed. I have a couple big jobs booked for next week and the following week so I need this fixed quickly. Hopefully it will only take a couple hours tomorrow since I already know what size wrenches and sockets to use everywhere.
Actually, looking at the picture it looks like I tore the gasket. I'll buy some gasket material in the morning and cut out a new one. I can use the old turbo as a template.
Lay your gasket material on the old turbo and use a small ball peen hammer to tap around the holes and outside, it will cut your gaskets to perfect size and shape without risking tearing the material.
Willie's suggestion was helpful, as was the hole punch Al made and sent to me a while back along with some other odds and ends. Took me about 3 hours to R+R the turbo with new, custom made gaskets. I had torn the original bottom gasket during the initial installation and tore the upper gasket in the removal process. I clocked the unit about an 8th of an inch to get it lined up better. That made everything fall into place the second time around. Been driving it for 2 days and no signs of oil leaking anywhere.
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