Turbo Exploded

[analog]

I had a catastrophic turbo failure on my signature truck this weekend. I was driving on the highway at about 45mph, unloaded, and did a near full-throttle (5th gear) passing attempt when a loud pop like a shotgun went off and lost power immediately and trailed a ton of white/grey smoke. I quickly pulled off the highway, shut down, and looked around for oil or pieces of the engine on the ground. Saw none and started back up with a little shudder in the engine, but managed to idle/low throttle myself off the highway to await a tow home.

Once I got home, I pulled the intake off the turbo and found the compressor to have completely failed. Turbo/exhaust manifold and intercooler all came out yesterday and I'm going to definitely need a new turbo and possibly a new intercooler. I'm worried about metal parts having made it into the intercooler. There's definitely some oil coating on the intake side of it, but the exit of the intercooler is still clean. Can the intercooler be trusted again?

I'm wondering what could have caused the failure. I've been running a Smarty on level 3 for about 40k miles. I also recently (about 10k miles ago) installed a new exhaust manifold because the stock one had warped enough there was a small exhaust leak. I put on the two-piece BD manifold and that solved my exhaust leak. I occasionally tow heavy (truck camper and car trailer) and am pretty careful to let EGTs cool down to ~300 before shutting down after towing, but I cannot say I've been perfect about that.

So, I'm hoping to figure out if this was just a failure of the turbo due to age or if I have a more fundamental problem going on that needs to be looked at. The truck was running perfectly before this failure with no odd noises and could make ~30psi of boost. Here are two pics of the failed turbo. Any ideas out there if I have bigger problems going on?

 

[promisedland]

Wow!
Shaft failed? (snapped)

If you can, (epa) I would talk with turbo resource in AZ about a moded stock turbo or slightly bigger one.

 

[analog]

The shaft definitely snapped. The turbine is completely loose in there. Not sure if the snapped shaft was the initial failure or if the shaft snapped due to some other failure, though.

 

[Motorhead]

With your Smarty on level 3 as your signature says, you could have been over boosting on the compressor. As to your intercooler.... a NEW one is a lot cheaper than a NEW engine. I don't know if I would trust it being just cleaned out.
Got a near new Garrett GT3782R Ball Bearing shaft turbo built by Tom at Turbo Resource. For sale in the classifieds, complete kit.
https://www.turbodieselregister.com...TT-GT3782R-Turbo-Charger-and-installation-kit

 

[BILTIT]

At ~30psi i don't think he is over boosting.

 

[Motorhead]

At ~30psi i don't think he is over boosting.

So where do you see that he is only running 30 psi??

 

[BigPapa]

So where do you see that he is only running 30 psi??

Toward the end of the first post.

The truck was running perfectly before this failure with no odd noises and could make ~30psi of boost.

 

[Motorhead]

I stand corrected.
Only 30 psi with a Smarty on 3 seems low.

 

[mwilson]

Maybe the wastegate malfunctioned. A snapped shaft is almost always a sign of overboost. Bring me a Cat turbo with a snapped shaft and I'll show you the rivet or the zip tie marks from a blocked line. Every time....

 

[mwilson]

I also call the truck's owner and explain why he is spending a couple of grand due to an ignorant driver...they always appreciate the call...

 

[mwilson]

Boost gauge could be defective....

 

[analog]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've had this ISSPRO boost gauge since I installed it on my 2001 back in about 2005. I moved it to my 2007 back in 2012 when I got it. It could very well be defective as it makes some clicking noises every now and then. I wasn't looking at the gauge when the turbo blew up, so don't know what it read, but I did look at it after the event and it read zero.


Does the Smarty allow higher than factory boost? I looked at the turbo for sale in the classifieds, but that's a bit more extreme than I want. I wouldn't mind a small upgrade that will suit the Smarty I run, but I don't want to get into water cooling. Do you guys have any recommendations? I'll also get a new intercooler, because Motorhead is right, a new intercooler is way less expensive than a new engine!

 

[Motorhead]

It is not that the Smarty changes the boost maximum, it is the extra fueling that creates more DRIVE pressure on the turbine side of the turbo which in turn turns the turbo faster and creates more boost than the waste gate can dissipate.
As to a replacement turbo, Contact Tom at Turbo Resource and have him build you another stock Holset like on your truck but build it with the 6.7 turbine and machine the exhaust scroll to fit the 6.7 turbine. I did the same and kept the STOCK Holset 5.9 compressor wheel. My truck runs well with this combo. Can't hardly exceed EGT limit, even towing hard.

 

[cerberusiam]

If you don't shut off the WG, put a boost fooler on it, add a boost elbow Smarty doesn't change the boost limit of about 30 psi. It might over boost a couple lbs but nothing that will stress the turbo. WG will set boost to ZERO if it opens, drive pressure is something else entirely. At 30-32 psi drive pressure is not an issue.

 

[analog]

I think I'm going to replace my intercooler with another OEM unit since my 2007 has the thicker/non-plastic version. I finding part number 5170704AJ out there for my truck, but I can't verify if it hasn't been neutered to the thinner model used in the later 6.7. Does anyone know if part 5170704AJ is the thicker intercooler used originally on my 2007 5.9 truck?

 

[mwilson]

Provide either your ESN or truck VIN and I will look it up while I eat lunch. PM if you prefer.

Mike.

 

[analog]

Thanks, Mike. I PM'd the VIN to you.

 

[Motorhead]

I looked up your year truck on ebay and any of the Mopar sites that are selling a new cooler, that part number you have fits up to 2009.

 

[mwilson]

I just did it by the VIN and the 5170704AJ is what is called for....BUT in my experience as MOPAR changes vendors or has design revisions they change the letters on the end of the base part number....so "AJ" indicates several revisions to me.

I went online and found the part numbers that are replaced by the "AJ" and there are many with fitment up to 2009 as Motorhead says. It would only make sense to me that if Mopar figured out that the new style charge air cooler was backwards compatible they would change the parts book to match.

The only sure way to know is to have someone take a new one out of the box, maybe your dealer would order one with the condition that you would purchase it if it's the style that you want and you could refuse it if it's the newer thinner style??

I'd do that here for a customer for sure if I couldn't get my mitts on an engineering diagram but don't know if a Dodge dealer would...

 

[Bob4x4]

If you were local I have a factory origonal.not interested in trying to pkg and ship