2008 6.7 Cummins Turbo problems/questions...

[Zoediak]

ok.. so my buddy is having troubles with his truck...

this is his rig...

2008 Dodge 3500 dually, 6.7L Cummins Turbo 108k miles...

he took it in for an oil change today and an inquiry as to why his engine light has been coming on... they told him his turbo needs to be replaced and they want a rediculous price to replace it..

ok.. a few questions that all you cummins guys might be able to answer...

1. how bad will it be to drive it with the turbo out?? will it cause any damage to anything until it gets fixed, other than horrible fuel mileage???

2. he wants to replace the turbo.... any recomendations, prices, and lead time to get one....

3. is there something out there that is better than the stock one??

4. and just how hard are these to replace?? I mean i know my way around an engine, but have never dealt with a turbo replacement, is it something that I could do for him and save him some $$$??? pretty straight forward??

5. any other suggestions that you all might think of that I may have forgot...


any and all help is much apreciated!!!!

 

[t1h5ta3]

generaly what go's out is the vane for the vairable geometry sticks , typicly from getting carboned up from lugging and extended periods of idleing.
r&r on one is pretty easy. some people have been able to free them up.
as long as the turbine isnt making contact withthe housing it'll be safe to drive. depending on if the vanes are stuck open or closed it will ether spool quick, but then limit max boost/have high drive presure or it will be kinda lagy but work good under load.

not realy any aftermarket direct replacements that will keep the vg & exhaust brake capabilitys of the turbo.

best recomendation if he's looking to stay relitivly stock/reliable is to just try to clean it and keep the stock turbo. also teach him how to drive! quit idleing all day, lugging etc, put a load on it, get egt's up and work it.

 

[Lucky Jeff]

Very common for the turbos to go south thanks to the EGR setup on the 6.7's. It will keep killing the turbos if he doesn't get rid of it, or tow heavy with it on a regular basis to keep things clean. Yes there are a lot of aftermarket options and they are easy to swap, But as posted above, you lose some of the bonuses of the stocker. Engineered Diesel has some of the best turbos out nowadays and can give great advice on what turbo would work well for his driving style. How much were they quoting him at the dealership? My buddy had his throw the check engine light just before 100k. Had it replaced under warranty, and the next week I got a Smarty for it, got rid of the EGR and put a new exhaust on it.. Works great and his mileage jumped up, EGT's went down and no more worries about killing the turbo (He drives like a grandma).

 

[t1h5ta3]

agreed, smarty jr works awesome on these trucks a friend in kenewick almost got rid of his truck because his best tank ever was 15mpg, threw a smarty jr on and did egr delete, mpg now runs consistantly 22-23mpg.

 

[Zoediak]

ok.. great.. thx for the advice...

he has not mentioned any strange noises or anything yet...

he tows/hauls heavy stuff A LOT...

always has a miller welder in the back with a bunch of other stuff, tows the 40' goose-neck loaded with steel to jobsites, etc...

so yeah, he drives/ tows with it quite a bit...

he was quotes around $3500 at the stealership...

i will have to tell him to stop leaving it sit and idle though.. i know he does that a lot... when he is actually driving he drives like a bat out of hell... no grandma driving for him...

whenever i want to get to the airport in a hurry i have him give me a ride... :haha:




any special tricks or anything on "cleaning" up the one he has, if it is saveable???

and thx again for the help....!!

 

[Flat-Bed_3rd_Gen]

at 108k you should be able to call the customer service hotline for dodge and complain enough to get them to goodwill it... i've seen it done on these before because its so common of a porblem

 

[Lucky Jeff]

ok.. great.. thx for the advice...

he has not mentioned any strange noises or anything yet...

he tows/hauls heavy stuff A LOT...

always has a miller welder in the back with a bunch of other stuff, tows the 40' goose-neck loaded with steel to jobsites, etc...

so yeah, he drives/ tows with it quite a bit...

he was quotes around $3500 at the stealership...

i will have to tell him to stop leaving it sit and idle though.. i know he does that a lot... when he is actually driving he drives like a bat out of hell... no grandma driving for him...

whenever i want to get to the airport in a hurry i have him give me a ride... :haha:




any special tricks or anything on "cleaning" up the one he has, if it is saveable???

and thx again for the help....!!

If they're anything like Fords variable vein turbo. They are very easy to tear apart and clean up. Use some GOOD anti sieze on the surface the veins float on ones everything is nice n clean.

 

[Zoediak]

If they're anything like Fords variable vein turbo. They are very easy to tear apart and clean up. Use some GOOD anti sieze on the surface the veins float on ones everything is nice n clean.

great thanks...

if, by chance, it does need to be replaced.... any place specific where we won't get raped for a replacement??

 

[Lucky Jeff]

great thanks...

if, by chance, it does need to be replaced.... any place specific where we won't get raped for a replacement??

For a stock replacement? I honestly have no idea. There must be a place to get an OEM part for a better price then the dealer will quote you. I'd have to ask a few people tomorrow.

 

[Zoediak]

For a stock replacement? I honestly have no idea. There must be a place to get an OEM part for a better price then the dealer will quote you. I'd have to ask a few people tomorrow.

thanks... that would be greatly appreciated...

i know he doesn't want to lose his current features like the exaust brake, which he uses a lot...

 

[1982cj7]

The dealers have a kit for cleaning these turbos and a special fluid for doing it that works very well, if you do not want them to do it you can get the fluid and pour some in the turbo(works better if it is off the truck) and let it soak then run the hell out of it. The dealer kit drills a hole in the turbo and injects the fluid in the turbo while it is running and you acuate the slider in the turbo to make it work. There is also a flash for the ECM that cuts down the sooting up.

 

[Lucky Jeff]

The dealers have a kit for cleaning these turbos and a special fluid for doing it that works very well, if you do not want them to do it you can get the fluid and pour some in the turbo(works better if it is off the truck) and let it soak then run the hell out of it. The dealer kit drills a hole in the turbo and injects the fluid in the turbo while it is running and you acuate the slider in the turbo to make it work. There is also a flash for the ECM that cuts down the sooting up.

I forgot about that.. They tried that with my buddies. Didn't work so they ended up replacing it.