BorgWarner S369 Turbo Rebuild Service

PT Turbo rebuilds and remanufactures BorgWarner S369 turbochargers in-house at our San Bernardino, CA shop. Every unit goes through a full teardown, OEM-spec or better parts replacement, CIMAT VSR balancing, and final quality inspection before it ships back — backed by a 12-month unlimited mileage warranty and nationwide mail-in service. Commonly found on Performance Diesel.

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Trouble Codes Often Seen on Performance Diesel Equipped with the S369

These are generic diagnostic trouble codes commonly associated with turbo boost control issues on this application. They’re triggered by the vehicle’s ECU, not the turbo itself, so confirm with a scan tool before assuming the turbocharger is at fault.

• P0299 — Turbocharger/Supercharger Boost Pressure – Low (underboost)
• P0234 — Turbocharger/Supercharger Overboost Condition

Also Known As

Buyers searching for this turbo often use a handful of different names for the same unit.

• S369 SX-E
• BorgWarner S369 performance diesel turbo
• S369 SXE
• BW S369
• S300 series S369
• S369 64mm turbo

Vehicles We Commonly See With the S369

The S369 is a larger-frame performance turbo that shows up almost exclusively in built diesel setups rather than factory applications.

Cummins 5.9L and 6.7L Builds

• 1994-2002 Dodge Ram 12-valve and 24-valve 5.9L swaps
• 2003-2007 5.9L common rail trucks running single-turbo upgrades
• 2007.5-2018 6.7L Cummins on tuned and deleted builds

Power Stroke and Duramax Swaps

• 7.3L and 6.0L Power Stroke single-turbo conversions
• LB7 through LBZ Duramax builds using the S300 platform
• Drop-in single replacements for failed factory variable geometry units

Sled Pull and Race Equipment

• Competition diesel pulling trucks running repeated full-load pulls
• Dyno and drag diesel setups pushing past stock fueling
• High-horsepower towing rigs built around the S369 frame

Common S369 Failure Symptoms

• Audible shaft play or a rattling sound from the center section under throttle
• Oil pulling through the compressor and showing up at the intercooler or boots
• Slow spool and lazy boost response compared to how it behaved when new
• Boost falling off at the top of a hard pull instead of holding
• Visible blue smoke under load from oil getting past the seals
• Excessive endplay you can feel when you wiggle the shaft by hand
• High-pitched whine or grinding from worn journal bearings
• Oil weeping from the turbine side after sustained high-RPM operation

Real S369 Failures We See in Our Shop

• On the S369 units we rebuild, thrust bearing failure is the number one issue. These turbos get pushed past the compressor’s efficient range on big-fuel trucks, and that overspeed loads the thrust system hard until it wipes the bearing.
• We frequently see journal bearing wear from oil supply that can’t keep up at sustained high RPM. Guys running long pulls or holding boost on the highway starve the bearings just enough to chew them over time.
• Shaft play after repeated hard pulls is constant on the units that come through our door. The back-to-back load cycles in pulling and racing trucks beat the bearing package until you can feel measurable endplay and radial play.
• We pull a lot of S369s with oil in the compressor housing, almost always traced back to worn bearings letting the shaft drift and breaking the seal rather than a bad seal on its own.
• Compressor wheel tip damage from ingested debris is common on these, usually because the air filter or intake tract wasn’t sealed properly after a build.
• On older units we see coked oil galleys in the center housing from hot shutdowns, which restricts flow and accelerates the bearing wear we already mentioned.

Preventing Future S369 Failures

A few simple habits go a long way on a turbo that lives this hard.

• Run quality diesel oil and stick to a 5,000 mile interval, tighter if you tow or pull regularly
• Let the turbo idle down for a minute or two before shutdown to avoid coking the center section
• Give it a real warm-up before any hard pulls so oil is flowing at proper pressure and viscosity
• Keep the compressor inside its efficient range and avoid overspeeding it chasing numbers it wasn’t built for
• Check the intake tract and air filter regularly so nothing gets ingested into the compressor wheel
• Inspect the oil feed and drain lines for restriction since this turbo is sensitive to supply at high RPM
• Run a boost leak check after any build or boot change so the turbo isn’t working harder than it needs to

Common S369 Upgrade Paths

Customers rebuilding an S369 often ask what they can change while it’s apart. The most common questions are around upgraded thrust bearing packages to handle the load these turbos see past their efficient range, billet compressor wheels for better flow and durability, and stronger 360-degree thrust setups for trucks that pull or tow hard. Some builders moving more fuel ask about stepping up to a larger frame entirely, while towing-focused owners usually just want the reliability-oriented internals that hold up to sustained high-RPM operation. All of these are practical considerations based on how the unit is actually used.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Identify Your BorgWarner Turbo

The identification tag is typically located on the compressor housing, bearing housing, or center section of the turbocharger. It usually lists the model number, assembly number, and serial number. If you’re not sure which BorgWarner model you have, send PT Turbo a photo of the tag and we’ll help identify it before you ship anything.

PT Turbo Warranty

• 12-month, unlimited mileage warranty against defects in parts and workmanship
• Final quality inspection on every rebuild: leak test, visual inspection, actuator or wastegate function check
• In-house CIMAT VSR balancing with a balance report included
• Nationwide mail-in service — you don’t need to be local

What the S369 Rebuild May Include

• Complete teardown of all major components
• Ultrasonic or parts cleaning to remove carbon, oil residue, and contamination
• Journal bearing, thrust bearing, and seal replacement
• O-rings and hardware replacement
• Shaft and wheel inspection, with compressor or turbine wheel replacement if needed
• Wastegate inspection and actuator linkage service, when equipped
• CIMAT VSR balancing
• Final inspection

Why Customers Choose PT Turbo

• Rebuilding turbochargers, including BorgWarner, since 1978
• In-house CIMAT VSR balancing on every unit, not outsourced
• Full housing sandblasting and OEM-spec or better parts replacement
• Inspect first, quote before work begins — no surprise charges
• Nationwide mail-in service from our San Bernardino, CA shop

PT Turbo Inspection Process

Every turbocharger goes through the same evaluation before any work begins:

1. Initial evaluationcompressor wheel, turbine wheel, shaft, bearing housing, VGT assembly (if equipped), actuator, and seal surfaces are checked first.
2. Complete disassemblythe turbocharger is fully torn down and every major component is inspected individually.
3. Cleaningcomponents are cleaned to remove carbon, oil residue, rust, and contamination.
4. Measurementcritical tolerances are measured against OEM specification.
5. Reassemblyrebuilt using new wear components matched to your specific model.
6. CIMAT VSR balancingthe rotating assembly is balanced in-house, with a balance report included.
7. Final inspectionleak test, visual inspection, and actuator or wastegate function check before shipment.

No work begins without your approval. You receive a quote after inspection, not before.

Pricing

Most rebuilds require inspection before final pricing. Standard rebuild pricing depends on the turbo model, parts availability, wheel condition, shaft condition, housing damage, and whether upgrades are requested. PT Turbo inspects every turbo and sends a quote before any work begins — no surprise charges.

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