Help diagnosing this turbo boost issue?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,225
Likes: 169
Help diagnosing this turbo boost issue?
I've had this issue for years and it still bugs the heck out of me when it happens....
Occasionally, and more frequently when cold or at high altitudes, my turbo boost seems to flutter. I know that “flutter” has some specific meaning in the turbo world, and I’m not sure if what I’m experiencing is technically flutter, but I'd sure like to figure out what is causing it and fix it.
100% stock drivetrain except for an SCT off-the-shelf tune, but the same thing happens (though less frequently) with the stock tune loaded.
Not all that frequent, but easy for me to to reproduce when I take the truck over a 12,000 foot mountain pass or on cold mornings. Higher engine rpms (forcing to stay in lower gears) seems to help avoid it as well.
Anyone know what is causing this and what I might do to fix it? Is this the turbo stalling? My blow-off-valves being commanded to open? Too much boost pressure for the blow off valves? (though it holds pressure at other times just fine)
2011 F150 Ecoboost 3.5L super crew FX4, owned since new, 70K miles.
Occasionally, and more frequently when cold or at high altitudes, my turbo boost seems to flutter. I know that “flutter” has some specific meaning in the turbo world, and I’m not sure if what I’m experiencing is technically flutter, but I'd sure like to figure out what is causing it and fix it.
100% stock drivetrain except for an SCT off-the-shelf tune, but the same thing happens (though less frequently) with the stock tune loaded.
Not all that frequent, but easy for me to to reproduce when I take the truck over a 12,000 foot mountain pass or on cold mornings. Higher engine rpms (forcing to stay in lower gears) seems to help avoid it as well.
Anyone know what is causing this and what I might do to fix it? Is this the turbo stalling? My blow-off-valves being commanded to open? Too much boost pressure for the blow off valves? (though it holds pressure at other times just fine)
2011 F150 Ecoboost 3.5L super crew FX4, owned since new, 70K miles.
Last edited by pfbz; Feb 28, 2019 at 01:50 AM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,225
Likes: 169
Does it do it when stock?
Do you have the weep hole in the intercooler?
Does it do it on different tunes?
When was the last time your sparkplugs were changed? What gap?
5 Year Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 66
Likes: 22
I've had this issue for years and it still bugs the heck out of me when it happens....
Occasionally, and more frequently when cold or at high altitudes, my turbo boost seems to flutter. I know that “flutter” has some specific meaning in the turbo world, and I’m not sure if what I’m experiencing is technically flutter, but I'd sure like to figure out what is causing it and fix it.
100% stock drivetrain except for an SCT off-the-shelf tune, but the same thing happens (though less frequently) with the stock tune loaded.
Not all that frequent, but easy for me to to reproduce when I take the truck over a 12,000 foot mountain pass or on cold mornings. Higher engine rpms (forcing to stay in lower gears) seems to help avoid it as well.
Anyone know what is causing this and what I might do to fix it? Is this the turbo stalling? My blow-off-valves being commanded to open? Too much boost pressure for the blow off valves? (though it holds pressure at other times just fine)
2011 F150 Ecoboost 3.5L super crew FX4, owned since new, 70K miles.
https://youtu.be/60O5SLFD_3o
Occasionally, and more frequently when cold or at high altitudes, my turbo boost seems to flutter. I know that “flutter” has some specific meaning in the turbo world, and I’m not sure if what I’m experiencing is technically flutter, but I'd sure like to figure out what is causing it and fix it.
100% stock drivetrain except for an SCT off-the-shelf tune, but the same thing happens (though less frequently) with the stock tune loaded.
Not all that frequent, but easy for me to to reproduce when I take the truck over a 12,000 foot mountain pass or on cold mornings. Higher engine rpms (forcing to stay in lower gears) seems to help avoid it as well.
Anyone know what is causing this and what I might do to fix it? Is this the turbo stalling? My blow-off-valves being commanded to open? Too much boost pressure for the blow off valves? (though it holds pressure at other times just fine)
2011 F150 Ecoboost 3.5L super crew FX4, owned since new, 70K miles.
https://youtu.be/60O5SLFD_3o
My guess would be a sticking wastegate
King Hater
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 6,973
Likes: 874
From: MONTANA
Drill the weep hole for one. What is "properly gapped"? Look at my sig line and see what mine are gapped at. It helped a lot with hesitation issues on my truck.
My truck would also have some intermittent turbo issues. Kind of a hesitation, kind of a turbo boost flux. Weirdest thing, I took it in for the vacuum pump TSB replacement and when I got it back, it didn't do it. I asked on here and no one could answer why but the truck runs a ton better after that fix.
My truck would also have some intermittent turbo issues. Kind of a hesitation, kind of a turbo boost flux. Weirdest thing, I took it in for the vacuum pump TSB replacement and when I got it back, it didn't do it. I asked on here and no one could answer why but the truck runs a ton better after that fix.