2003 Turbo Upgradeon

[Turbo1Ton]

Ok, my turbo is starting to blow oil through it so I posted in the classifieds looking for a used but re-buildable factory turbo for my '03. That was a week or so ago, I haven't heard anything and that got me to thinking about possible upgrades. I am not looking for faster, lots of increased power, etc. I've been down that road on my daily driver back in the day and I prefer the reliability over the seat of the pants feeling. I'll leave the go fast parts for the race cars.



So all of that being said, I've done a few searches here but can't come up with what I think is a reasonable replacement turbo that is possibly equivalent or a slight upgrade from the factory one, that doesn't require modification to any of the factory parts on the engine. Does anyone have a suggestion on manufacturers/models I should be considering for this?



Thanks,



Jeff

 

[DaveHess]

I've been leaning towards the BD Super B. Seems tame enough for daily driving but with a little extra for towing. The price seems to be not a whole lot more than a stock replacement either. Just my. 02

 

[TCDiesel]

I have been happy with My silver 62/65/12 in both trucks close to 6 Years.

 

[rscurtis]

I have the Super B and their manifold on my signature truck. It works great with lower backpressure than the stocker. The only thing I had to do was shorten the engine pipe by about 2", as the unit I have (now 3 years old) requires an adapter between the turbo and the elbow. The new Killer B does not, perhaps that feature has been transferred to the super. If you're going to do the labor, you may as well get some benefit from it. The manifold is also a big improvement over the factory unit.

 

[AH64ID]

The cheapest would be an HE351cw off of an 04. 5-07. Same turbine, but a slightly larger compressor for a little better flow.

Next would be any one of half a dozen turbos, but honestly I wouldn't go much bigger than a Super B from BD or a Garrett, both of which will be a lot more $$ than an HE351cw.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Thanks for the replies guys. Not long after I posted this I got a PM from a member who has a factory one from an '04 that was pulled off when he upgraded. Seeing as how it has done me well so far, and its much less expensive than a new one, I'm gonna go that route for now.

Jeff

 

[RVTRKN]

The cheapest would be an HE351cw off of an 04. 5-07. Same turbine, but a slightly larger compressor for a little better flow.

Next would be any one of half a dozen turbos, but honestly I wouldn't go much bigger than a Super B from BD or a Garrett, both of which will be a lot more $$ than an HE351cw.

OP has an 03, doesn't that have the 3" exhaust and would need an adapter from 4"to 3"?

 

[NIsaacs]

'03 was the first year of the 3. 5".

Nick

 

[TCDiesel]

The flange is the same 03-04+ the elbow was the choker. The Cheetah from Fleece has some good reviews also,its spend$$$$ , 98-02 3. 0,03 3. 5 / 04+ 4. 0

 

[AH64ID]

The flange is the same 03-04+ the elbow was the choker. The Cheetah from Fleece has some good reviews also,its spend$$$$ , 98-02 3. 0,03 3. 5 / 04+ 4. 0

Exactly. You can use the 03-04 flange/exhaust on a HE351, but many do a 04. 5-07 flange/exhaust at the same time as the HE351, or even on the HE341 for an improvement.

 

[CumminsBu]

Not to hi jack or bring a thread back from the dead... How does the new BD Killer SX-E S361 Comp Wheel: 61.44mm 2.42in,Turbine Wheel: 76mm 2.99in, A/R Ratio: 0.80 Flow: 77 Lb/min, compare to the old BD Killer or did they add to the name "SX-E"? Want a better turbo to tow 10K lbs, but everything I have read says this would be too big and need a smaller turbine wheel for better spool or I could be wrong. Thanks!

 

[BILTIT]

I run a tater turbos 62/65 he341 in my 03. Basically a stock housing machined for larger wheels. Works just fine.