How To Clean 6.0 Turbo Without Removing
Turbocharged cars come with their own set of maintenance challenges. For starters, turbocharged engines tend to have a shorter lifespan than naturally aspirated ones (especially if poorly maintained). This is because turbos are prone to getting clogged with excess oil and grease from the lubrication system. Moreover, because of their compact nature, cleaning a turbo is no easy task.
Luckily, it’s not that hard to clean your 6.0 Turbo without removing it from the car. In this post, we will go through some simple yet effective methods for cleaning your turbocharger in as little time as possible. If you would like to know more about your 6.0-liter V8 before reading on; be sure to check out our article on the Ford F-150’s 5.0 and 3.5-liter V6.
How To Clean 6.0 Turbo Without Removing
What You’ll Need
Depending on the method you use to clean your turbocharger, you may or may not need certain tools. Here’s a quick rundown of the items you’ll need in order to get the job done.
- Tow Strap or Ropes and a Jack: If you plan on taking your turbo off the car, you’ll need a way to support it. We recommend using a tow strap or a set of ropes and a jack.
- Engine Oil Drain Plug: You’ll need this to drain the oil from the turbo.
- Engine Oil Filter Wrench: You’ll need this to remove and replace the oil filter.
- 12-inch C-clamp and a Small Wire Brush: These will come in handy when you go to clean the inside of the turbocharger.
- Grease and a Clean Rag: You’ll need these to oil the piston rings and the valves on the turbo.
- Cleaning Solvent and Paper Towels: These will come in handy when cleaning the outside of the turbo.
- Vacuum: You might want to use one to suck out the oil and dirt from inside the turbo.
If you are planning to clean only the inside of the turbocharger, there is no need to remove it from the car. If you have some time, it’s a good idea to perform an engine flush in order to flush out the accumulated dirt and grease inside the engine. This will extend the life of your turbo and reduce the chance of cleaning it in the future. Once you’re done with that, you can move on to cleaning the inside of the turbo. If you are in a rush and want to clean the inside of the turbo in a matter of minutes, you can use some engine flush solvent and water. Simply pour the engine flush inside the turbocharger through the oil drain plug, let it soak for a few minutes, and then flush it out with water. You can also use this method to clean out the inside of your engine. To clean the outside of the turbocharger, you can use a solvent, a hose, and a vacuum. Start by spraying the solvent on the turbocharger to remove any visible grime. Next, use the hose and clean water to rinse off the solvent. Finally, use a vacuum to suck out the remaining water from inside the turbo.
Shaking Out the Grime
This method is useful for cleaning the outside of the turbo. What you’ll want to do is take a hose, attach one end to the outside of the turbo, and the other end to a car wheel. Then, start shaking the wheel back and forth against the outside of the turbo. This will help loosen up any dirt and grime stuck on the outside of the turbo. Next, use a brush to brush off the loosened grime.
Greasing the Inlet and Exhaust Valves
Next, you’ll want to grease the inlet and exhaust valves located inside the turbo. This will protect the valves from getting stuck in the future. To do this, remove the oil filter. Then, pour engine oil into the filter. After that, re-install the filter. Be sure to use a new filter every time you clean your turbocharger. This will prevent dirt and grime from getting into your engine.
Conclusion
Turbocharged engines are often plagued with poor longevity due to frequent clogging of the turbocharger. When this occurs, you will see a substantial reduction in power, fuel economy, and overall vehicle performance. Because cleaning a turbo is not easy, many drivers opt to replace the turbo with a new one rather than cleaning it. However, if you follow the guide above, you can clean your turbocharger without removing it from the car.
