2003 6.0 turbo ?

RACR_73s

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I have an 03 6.0 and the turbo is starting to go out. The turbo is sticking, sometimes while pulling my 28' enclosed it will just "lay down" and will not pull the trailer until it downshifts 2 gears. I took the truck to a local diesel shop and they said the turbo was stuck and they were able to free it but made no promises how long it will last...which turned out to be the first time I used it. They said cleaning it would do little to no good and that I would be looking for a turbo soon. So I am now looking...



I have a 4" turbo back exhaust and an Edge Programmer with 3 stages (I keep it on the middle of the toggle).



I have many ?'s



1) Stock rebuilt turbo's are the cheapest...what does the rebuild usually include/exclude?



2)New stage one Garrett's are generally $400($1200-$1400) more and good for 175 x-tra hp.

A) Are they worth the extra money?

B) Do they give you x-tra hp by themselves or is it a combo of things like bigger injectors ect. that give you the 175hp?



3) Who sells the best 2003 6.0 turbo that is a direct bolt on?

A) is everybody's Garret stage one turbo made by the same company or are all these diesel shop's building there own?

B) Why is theirs the best?

C) Price is a concern as I am not a rich man.



4) Do you suggest a DIY or take it to the shop?

I am not a mechanic but I do a lot of my own work. I do not have a lot of specialty tools but I have a fairly sizable set and can cut the one down that is needed to remove the rear bolt for the turbo(saw that on youtube...haha) if need be.



5) What would be a reasonable price for a diesel shop to charge to install it?



Anything anybody else can think of that might help me decide which direction to go or what to think of what the diesel shop told me, feel free to put your .02 cents in.



~Thanks~
 

DaveBen

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First of all, your turbo is a variable turbo and it changes "gears" (moves the vanes in the turbo) as you apply the throttle. These are almost unique in their build. Not too many other manufactures use them yet. The sources for them are limited. I would stick with a Ford rebuilt as it will work with the programming in the PCM (Program Control Module). I am sure others make this turbo, but I don't know who. If you are not familiar with installing a turbo, I would suggest you pay to have a good garage (NOT necessarily Ford) do the swap. There are many things like oil, electrical, and turbo sensors that need to be checked when doing an install. Good Luck and let us know how it goes. :thumbs

Dave :)
 
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Dogman

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Try getting it cleaned first. Sounds like the turbo is coked up. There use to be a link to cleaning them here. But I don't see it. I'll see if I can find it.
 

willie "D"

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Dealer remanufactured complete turbo $1500.00, just center section $900.00, updated oil supply line $120.00, updated drain tube $? had it Do research on youtube for 6.0l turbo cleaning/ replacement. I like the ford master tech training vids best. you'll be suprised how easy it is.
 

alex3012red

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I had the same problem, had it cleaned no need to replace the whole thing, my truck is running like new again, saved over 1000 dls compared to replacing the turbo.
 

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