New guy, First truck. Need some engine advice! 3406E power.

Ahh. Do you know how to use that test kit you were talking about?

 

The reason spraying starting fluid will not find a boost leak is that a Diesel engine does not have vacuum in the sense a gasoline engine does. I think you posted something about being into gasoline turbo engines. If you notice there boost gauges show vacuum then zero then boost pressure. So at idle a leak will still suck on a gas engine once the turbo starts spinning the suck turns to blow or pressure. A diesel lacks this initial suck. The best way to check for boost leaks is take the intake pipe off the front of turbo. Find a coffee can or oil filter what ever will fit in the rubber elbow, put it in the top and clamp it. Take the plug out of the elbow on the left side and put 10 pound or so of shop air to it thru a regulator. If you don't hear it immediately start looking with soap and water. You will loose a little thru the engine but not enough to get worried over. This checks everything as if the engine is running, not just air to air. Tgere is a 1/4 inch pipe plug directly under elbow on the bottom of the head that gets left out. There are freeze plugs on the bottom of the head that seal the intake to that do not come installed on a CAT reman head that could leak if they are not put in straight. Hopefully it's much easier than the freeze plugs I have only seen that one time.

 

Yep what he said.

I've only ever checked from turbo to intake via the air to air. It never occurred to me that I could check the whole engine without leaking a bunch past the open valves. Sensing that I might be about to learn something here.

EDIT: yeah the light bulb just went off. The key is to cap off the turbo.

 

A little googling says that it is a 600 hp turbo for 3406e, C15 and C16.

http://miketurboinc.com/products.php?product=Caterpillar-S410G-16L-Turbocharger--600HP--#175963-
http://www.turbochargersnz.com/s410g-turbo-caterpillar-c16-3406e-3456-440kw-600hp/

Someone has been fiddling with that motor. Sounds like they just bolted on a 600hp turbo expecting that kind of power or maybe they needed a turbo and got that one to grow into?

 

You have the part # wrong. It's a 174259. Its a replacement borg Warner turbo for a 410-435 hp E-model.

 

Wrong !
That turbo you listed is a 175963. Yes it's for a 600 hp 15.8 L cat.
He has the 174259. For a lower hp 14.6L cat.

 

That is the correct borg Warner replacement turbo for your 435 hp engine. 174259 pn.
Now that you put a 550 file in your ECM be very carefull you don't over speed that turbo. It's on the small side for a 550.