Had the dreaded p0299 code come on last fall going up a long grade out of the The Dalles,Or. I reset and cleared the computer with no issues until two weeks ago. Reset it again and 3 days later up popped the code again. The VGT looked normal with not sticking on the high or low side, ERG was also fine. Dropped into the Ford dealer and $1935.00 based on coking deposits I am a proud owner of a new Garrett turbo. I also went ahead and had them do my coolant flush while it was in the shop for another $135.00 bucks.

I am religious about using Motorcraft Cetane Booster, driving like I stole it and do not leave it idling. I guess I am just a lucky 6.0 owner.

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2010 E350 6.0 4x4 EB 50 SMB

my engine light came on and found out same problem. turbo sticking. brought it to Capistrano ford in orange county and they told me its about 3000 for new turbo. ouch! I do a lot of traveling so I didn't want to worry about it getting stuck in some far off remote location. rich is the service director who is friends with quite a few sportsmobliers. he gave me 20% off and I had it done. great guy! 2004 72000 mi. c ya!

P0299 must be contagious!

Got the error 3 days ago in high 90s heat after climbing east out of SLC in rush hour traffic on I-80. If the CEL came on, I never saw it.

Had no idea what P0299 meant until I was able to Google it when I got back in cell range. Consensus online from other posters on FTE and other forums seems to be that the 6.0 isn't being hammered enough.

For me, that's true: I baby the right pedal a lot in the interest of higher MPG. So I started hitting it harder on uphills and on-ramps, and being more willing to pass slower cars on two-lane roads, but never flooring it. I'm thinking the turbo was getting carboned up with all my wimpy driving over the last 24 months.

The UltraGauge said it was a "Pending Trouble Code". After about 10 or 15 engine starts over the next 3 days, the error stopped alarming on the UltraGauge. Never got the alarm again even after driving up to Rabbit Ear pass out of Steamboat Springs (about a 3000 ft climb in 12 miles), or the 450 miles back to ABQ today.

Is this a "one-off" or am I headed for a turbo replacement in the near future?

EDIT: Just turned the clock over to 58,000 miles this trip, if that's relevant....
I've been running DieselKleen and OptiLube Summer for the last 18 months with every fill-up.

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DesertBoat ...has been SOLD. Sad to have seen it go.

The turbo does not have to be replaced, though it does have to be removed for cleaning. Still a somewhat intensive process. Whether you want to pay Ford (or someone else to do it) or do it yourself (I have seen instructions online) is up to you, your skill level, and your patience. When it popped up on my 6.0 years ago, I took it to Ford, but luckily it was still under warranty.


Herb

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SMB-less as of 02/04/2012. Our savings account is richer, but our adventures are poorer.

The EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system is to blame for this. Mixing sooty exhaust with clean intake air is an abomination. 3 solutions. Block of EGR valve if you live in a state that doesn't do emissions testing or leave the valve and have a tuner disable the valve or do nothing and continue to get 0299 codes.

Good visual on what causes 0299.

[youtube:1pwdrbnj]

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2006 E350 6.0PSD 5R110, SMB 4X4, RB-50, ARB lockers front/rear, Aluminess galore, AMP steps.
Callsign KK6GIY

Thanks for the nice post! My Diesel tech loves SportsMobiles so he reallys takes his time to do a nice job, he is slow but his work Rocks! Thanks again

three years ago I had the same code. had the turbo cleaned for 700 dollars. they said I should drive it hard and replace it with the new design turbo when available. i didn't listen and it happened again. this time i replaced turbo and am driving it harder then i drive my turbo Porsche, which i also drive like an old lady. think speeding thickets may b in the future. c ya!

The Ford dealer here said they would clean it but their success rate was low on it lasting more than a year. With my luck I decided to replace the turbo and only pay the labor once. They also gave me a 2 years parts & labor warranty on the new one.

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2010 E350 6.0 4x4 EB 50 SMB

I had this for over a year until I decided to deal with it and uncovered a slew of issues including a blown head gasket. Regardless of that, I am familiar with the 0299. First, take the actuator ring that moves the variable veins and grind off the thickness like 0.01" so it is now looser. My turbo is otherwise brand new but acquired corrosion. Now when the ring corrodes the rust does not tighten the fit. I also replaced the inner with a billet aluminum. This is really easy to do, IMO. I let my van sit in rainy Portland, OR rain, cold and humidity.

Kent owner of Turbocharger Systems in Scappoose Oregon: 503-804-4861. Either send in your own or use one of his cores. $1300 gets you a new bearing, billet inners and even the veins are either titanium or something that is corrosion resistant. Call him for details. Improved spool up and lower EGT. http://www.turbochargersystems.com/

I suggest ceramic coat and insulate your intake and output pipes. EGR delete is a must.

Thanks for all the good info, gang. You all made me feel a tiny bit better about it.

I'm going to do a couple things:
1. Drive it harder. Maybe even floor it once in a while.
2. Remove the EGR valve and clean it and the openings in the manifold that I can reach. Got the O-rings and gasket on order.

Tapatio: Could you repost your Flash animation or provide a link? It just shows up as a white box for me....

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DesertBoat ...has been SOLD. Sad to have seen it go.