02 F250 7.3 Eating Turbos

[scotschult]

02 F250 Super Duty 7.3--

3 Weeks ago I installed a new (rebuilt, bought from Ford) turbo. The owner of the truck likes to be "pro-active", and since there was a minor amount of wear at the inlet side, he thought it should be replaced. That one lasted about 300 miles. Limped back to the shop with a fine oil film all over, and a massive amount of play in the inlet. Ford did a parts warranty on the turbo, figuring "bad rebuild". Installed the second turbo, after pouring oil down the feed & return holes to verify they weren't plugged. I just heard "thur the grapevine" that it's failed again, I'm guessing with well under 100 miles. Had no issues (other than the rear clamp fighting me the first time) with either installation. Truck is used 6 days a week in a landscaping company, city/highway driving, with very little if any towing (outfitted with boxes for parts). Only 3,000 since the last oil change (changed about every 5K due to company owners wishes), and oil level verified full after both turbos. Truck is idled about 5-10 minutes after first start in the morning, and driver isn't "hard" on it. No other mods that I know of (chips, etc.)

Any thoughts/ideas on why turbos are suddenly so tasty?

Scott

[Selectron]

As it's a company vehicle it may not always have the same driver, so do you know if the regular driver changed recently? The 7.3 is the diesel engine, eh, and some diesel drivers believe it's either necessary or good practice to rev a diesel engine just prior to switching the ignition off. That's really bad for a turbo diesel because it can lead to the turbo running on after engine switch-off with, of course, no oil pressure.

I drive a regular diesel Escort but the section in my owner's handbook for the turbo model says this:

Switching off a turbo engine:

Release the accelerator pedal. Wait until the engine has reached idle speed and then switch off.

If the engine is switched off at high speed the turbocharger will continue running after the engine oil pressure has dropped to zero. This will lead to premature bearing wear.

It's a bit of a long shot but I'd ask if the regular driver has recently changed.

[fordtrucksonly]

check IPR and high pressure oil pump..