Cutaway of Ford compound turbo system that came with the 6.4-liter Power Stroke.

Ford is making repairs on its 6.4-liter Power Stroke a little easier and less expensive with the introduction of a dual-stage replacement turbocharger.

In the past, repairs to the unit meant ordering individual turbos and peripheral parts, such as an installation kit and oil-supply line. Now there’s an option of replacing the entire unit with all the necessary hardware using a single part number: 8C3Z-6K682-CRM. This kit will work with 6.4-liter Power Stroke engines built for the Ford F-250 through F-550 from 2008 through 1010.

Birds-eye view of the 6.4-liter Power Stroke, showing arrangement of both turbos.

“We’re making it simpler for customers and dealers to order both turbos assembled together (plus gaskets) instead of ordering each turbo individually,” explains Ford truck spokesperson Mike Levine. “Offering both turbos together also saves labor and assembly time.”

As you know, the 6.4-liter Power Stroke came with a compound turbo system featuring high- and low-pressure turbos. Incoming fresh air first enters the low-pressure turbo where it’s compressed and sent to the high-pressure turbo, which is the smaller of the two turbos. There the air is compressed further and sent to the intercooler before entering the intake manifold. Exhaust pressure is routed to spin high-pressure turbo first, then the remaining heat energy is used to spin the low-pressure turbo before exiting through the truck’s exhaust system.

The high-pressure turbo is unique in that the vanes can be closed at low engine speed where there is little energy from the exhaust to spool up either of the turbos. This action boosts the pressure in the turbo housing, causing the high-pressure turbo to act like a smaller turbo and start generating boost. During high-engine speed the vanes are fully open and providing maximum boost to the system.

Ford says that about one-third of all high-pressure turbo repairs includes a new low-pressure turbo. The ability to purchase both turbos as a unit saves on such repair costs, and can eliminate future downtime by replacing both turbos on vehicles with high mileage.