6.0 diesel: Turbine carbon issue ??

parisdakar · 07-24-2012, 03:47 PM

Hey Team,

I have an 2010 Ford E350 6.0 diesel. SMB West did the 4x4 and top conversions, but I picked it up with no interior build. I drove it from new for 5500 miles with no interior (save the 2 front seats), and then took it in for an interior build in Prescott, AZ. The van just got out of the interior build, which accounted for 8 months of downtime (I'll post photos soon).

A few days ago, on the way back from Prescott at around 6000 miles on the clock, a check engine light came on. It seemed to run fine, but I now have it at the local Ford dealership here in Santa Barbara County. At service drop off earlier today, the mileage read 6704.

Here is what I was just told on the phone by the Ford Service Tech.:

There is an issue with a turbo, possibly a vein of the turbine. He said it is probably carbon build up - due to infrequent use. He stated that if the turbo/turbine is damaged for whatever reason, then the parts+labor are covered under the Ford warranty. But, if they take apart the turbo and discover that its just carbon build up (from lack of use??), then I need to pay for the cleaning and labor, which is estimated at around $600 with tax.

Besides chiding me for not racking up more miles ;-), does anyone have some insight into 'carbon build up due to infrequent use' (this is my first diesel). Likewise, has anyone experienced the rather interesting caveat from the Ford dealership that if something is NOT broken, then I need to pay for the fix (which in this case comprises a turbine cleaning)!

Many thanks in advance for input. pd

AndrewST · 07-24-2012, 04:02 PM

I had the same issue with my 2009.
If it is infrequent use it is not carbon build up but rust that prevent the vanes to move free.
If it is idling for a long time them carbon build up could happen.
You have no mileage on your van, I don't see the carbon being the issue unless you idle it often and long periods.

In my case it was the rust issue, they changes my turbo under warranty. No cost for me.
The turbo's are known to be affected by rust when not used frequently. They improved the material used but not sure when.

saline · 07-24-2012, 04:05 PM

Ford did mine under warranty. It had carbon buildup and rust from sitting. The previous owner did not drive it much and it sat for months. This is a common problem with VGT turbos on the 6.0L.
The fix:
Drive it every 6-10 days
Don't idle for long periods of time
Use cetane boost

**BroncoHauler** · 07-24-2012, 04:24 PM

Maybe Jeffrey will chime in with which Ford dealership in or around Santa BarbaRA he had his SMB at. He had a good experience (albeit a different issue) with seemingly knowledgable diesel techs.

8 months of downtime? That had to be difficult. Yeah, we need pics.

Herb

Zeta · 07-24-2012, 06:34 PM

An article in the latest DieselPower magazine about cetane claims American diesel fuel is kinda poopy. The Europeans get cetane ratings of 51 in their fuel which is better for modern, Euro designed diesels like our 6.0 PSDs. American diesel has around a 40 cetane rating. Apparently lower cetane numbers can lead to carbon issues and other problems.

I use a witch's brew of 8oz Ford cetane enhancement and 8oz Stanadyne to 40 gallons of fuel to, hopefully, avoid this issue. Can't find anywhere how much this increases the cetane number.

Z

BIGVANS · 07-24-2012, 07:13 PM

Hold on, how can the dealer say with a straight face “carbon deposits are from lack of use”? Carbon is a byproduct of the combustion process as in “Running Engine” NOT “Engine not in use”??? Sounds like a dealer trying to get out of a warranty repair and get cash from the customer instead.

Zeta is dead on with the fuel issues.

robtbritn · 07-24-2012, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIGVANS

Hold on, how can the dealer say with a straight face “carbon deposits are from lack of use”? Carbon is a byproduct of the combustion process as in “Running Engine” NOT “Engine not in use”??? Sounds like a dealer trying to get out of a warranty repair and get cash from the customer instead.

Zeta is dead on with the fuel issues.

What he said... I would find another shop!

IheartDieselVans · 07-24-2012, 09:05 PM

I bought my 2008 in 2011 with 19,000 miles...I know it sat for at least 9 months without being driven. Soon after, I got a check engine light (0299 code) which is a turbo under-boost, often caused by corrosion from not being driven. Larry Miller Ford in Salt Lake replaced/rebuilt the turbo under warranty. I think you should push back and insist they at least rebuild it. Great points about carbon being a byproduct of combustion...ie, driving. Be sure to bring that up. I think if you're stubborn and persist, they'll fix it. Removing the turbo is the ONE thing that's easier on a van...evidently doing it on a truck is a hassle but not so on a van.

Also, pics would be nice, although I can't seem to post my own so who am I to say? That's horrible someone had your van for so many months!

PatO · 07-24-2012, 09:41 PM

I've had this turbo situation 4 times @ 12K, 20K, 32K and 54K (2 weeks before 7 yr warranty expired) all completely handled under warranty. In fact the service manager actually said "you must not drive a lot" when I came in for the last repair. I would not accept the situation you described. Keep very good records on your repairs if you are a low mileage user. Four similar repairs is the Lemon Law magic number in California.

BIGVANS · 07-24-2012, 10:08 PM

The turbo’s DO rust all the time (The EGR issue talked to death) but the question is warranty or not? You guys may like this PDF it just explains some of the inner parts of the turbo unit.