BorgWarner S410 Turbocharger: High-Flow Semi Truck & Industrial Applications

The BorgWarner S410 Turbocharger is a heavy-duty member of the S400 family in BorgWarner’s S-series line, built for heavy on-highway and industrial diesels. BorgWarner lists S410 compressor inducers of about 75 mm, inside the S400 size range, so the model name alone does not tell you how much air a given unit flows. It is a fixed-geometry charger built for high mass flow, and it shows up on large Caterpillar engines, Mercedes-Benz commercial diesels, and as a listed replacement unit on Detroit Diesel platforms. If you are trying to source the right one, the single most important thing is to match the number on the data plate, not just the “S410” name on a listing.

At PT Turbo we have been rebuilding turbochargers since 1978, more than 45 years, and we stock both new and remanufactured S-series units. This guide walks through where the S410 fits, how it compares to its smaller siblings, what fails first, and how to get the correct part the first time.

Where the BorgWarner S410 Turbocharger Fits

The S-series is organized by frame size, and the frame tells you roughly how much air the turbo can flow. The S400 family covers compressor inducers from about 67 to 88 mm and ratings in the 400 to 1,575 hp band. The S410 is a commercial heavy-duty unit within that size range (BorgWarner lists S410 inducers of about 75 mm), and the S500 sits above the S400 family in the 900 to 1,875 hp range.

On the engine side, the catalog lists the S410 family for large Caterpillar engines and for Mercedes-Benz OM460 and OM502 commercial diesels. Single-turbo Caterpillar C-15 engines (the 6NZ and MBN serial prefixes) are listed with either a Garrett GTA4702 or a BorgWarner S410G, depending on the rating. The C15 ACERT engines (BXS, MXS, NXS and SDP prefixes) are a different animal: they run two turbos in series, so an S410 is not the part for those.

You will also see S410-family numbers tied to the Detroit DD15. Those are replacement units rather than the original equipment turbo. A factory EPA07 or EPA10 DD15 carries a Holset HX55-type fixed-geometry turbo working with a turbo-compound power section, and the GHG14-on engines use Detroit’s own asymmetric turbo. The BorgWarner S410 turbochargers listed under Detroit numbers like 57889882400 (2017-2022) and 57909882500 are supply replacements, not a factory upgrade and not the OE part.

S400 vs S410 vs S500: Picking the Right Frame

Because the S-series shares so much design DNA, the model number is what keeps you from ordering a unit that is a frame too small or too large. Here is how the frames stack up for heavy-duty and industrial work.

Frame	Compressor inducer range	Typical flow class	Where it shows up
S400	About 67 to 88 mm	400 to 1,575 hp	Mack E7/ASET, Detroit Series 60, John Deere 6125, Mercedes OM457/OM460/OM501
S410	About 75 mm (inside the S400 range)	High-flow heavy-duty / industrial	Large Caterpillar engines, Mercedes OM460/OM502, Detroit DD15 replacement listings
S500	Up to about 88 mm and above	900 to 1,875 hp	The largest high-flow industrial and on-highway diesels

The S410 is a fixed-geometry turbo: no vanes, no unison ring, no VGT actuator. If you are cross-shopping variable-geometry units for a different platform, note that a fixed-geometry charger and a variable-geometry turbocharger fail and get diagnosed in very different ways. The S410’s job is straightforward high mass flow, and that simplicity is part of why these units hold up well in demanding duty cycles.

How the S410 Is Built and How It Fails

Like the rest of the AirWerks S-series, the S410 runs a cast-iron center housing on a journal-bearing shaft, a compressor wheel on the cold side, and a turbine wheel in an exhaust-side housing matched by A/R to the engine’s rating. BorgWarner’s tag with the part and serial numbers lives on the compressor housing, so that is where you look to identify a unit on the bench. You can read more about BorgWarner’s commercial turbo range at borgwarner.com.

Most turbo failures trace back to the oil supply, and the S410 is no exception. Starve the bearings, feed them coked or contaminated oil, or let a restricted drain back oil up past the seals, and the shaft will suffer. A clean oil feed, the correct drain geometry, and good crankcase ventilation do more for turbo life than anything else.

Symptom	Likely cause	Check first
Low boost, slow spool	Exhaust leak before the turbine, or air inlet restriction	Manifold and up-pipe joints, air filter, charge piping
Oil in charge pipes	Compressor-side seal, or normal crankcase vapor	Breather, oil level, drain, air filter before the seal
Noise or felt in-and-out shaft play	Worn thrust or journal bearings	Axial play and wheel contact with the housing
Blue-gray smoke	Oil past a seal, or a restricted drain	Drain routing and crankcase pressure before condemning the turbo

On any journal-bearing turbo, some side-to-side rock at the wheel is normal and does not condemn the unit. What you are looking for is in-and-out play you can feel, or a wheel that touches its housing when you rock it. Judge radial play at the wheel against the maker’s limit for that unit, not against “any movement at all”.

Identifying the Right BorgWarner S410 Turbocharger

BorgWarner numbers run six digits on the older S-series and eleven on the newer listings, and the engine maker’s part number appears as a separate field on the nameplate. Casting numbers stamped into the housings are not part numbers: one casting serves many different turbos, so a casting number only narrows the search while wheel sizes and the turbine housing A/R confirm it.

That matters most on platforms where more than one turbo was fitted across model years and ratings. A Detroit DD15, a large Cat engine, and a Mercedes OM460 may all touch the S-series, but the correct unit for a given truck is decided by the tag number, not by the engine name alone. When you have the number off the compressor housing, we can match the exact unit and confirm the housing A/R and wheel specs.

If you are not sure which frame your engine should carry, our guides on related heavy-duty platforms can help you reason through it, including the Cummins ISL turbocharger guide and the Cummins QSB marine and industrial guide. The same discipline applies: identify by tag, not by nameplate wishful thinking.

New, Remanufactured, or Rebuild Your Core

For an S410, you generally have three paths: a new unit, a remanufactured unit on exchange, or a rebuild of your own core. Each has a place depending on downtime, core condition, and budget.

• New: fastest to install with no core concerns, ideal when the old unit is damaged beyond reuse or the truck is down and waiting.
• Remanufactured: a balanced cartridge and fresh wear parts in a known-good housing, on a core-exchange basis. Browse our remanufactured turbochargers for availability.
• Rebuild your core: we open your unit, replace bearings, seals and thrust parts, and VSR-balance the cartridge. See the turbo rebuild service and the rebuild price list for pricing by model.

A rebuild kit holds bearings, seal rings and thrust parts; there is no separate “balance kit”, because balancing is a machine process on the VSR, not a part. Most rebuilds ship in 3 days or less, and the rebuild price is confirmed after inspection and before any work starts. Our remanufactured turbos carry a 12-month, unlimited-mileage warranty, with a 30-day core return window.

Fleet operators running multiple trucks on the same platform can arrange priority turnaround and have us stock their common cores. Those arrangements are set up by phone; call the shop at (909) 824-1020 to talk through it.

First-Start Steps After Installation

Whether the unit is new, reman, or rebuilt, the first start is where careless installs turn into warranty claims. Follow the engine maker’s first-start steps: fill the oil inlet with clean engine oil, turn the compressor wheel by hand, then crank or idle the engine for a few minutes before putting it under load.

If the old turbo shed any metal, replace the charge air cooler and inspect the charge piping. Debris trapped in the intercooler fins sits downstream of the compressor, so it goes straight into the engine, not back into your new turbo. A fresh oil feed line is cheap insurance after any bearing failure or coked oil, since you cannot reliably flush that line clean. For background on how a turbocharger moves air through the system, this overview is a solid reference.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the S410 a variable-geometry turbo?

No. The S410 is a fixed-geometry charger with no vanes, no unison ring, and no VGT actuator. It controls airflow purely through its wheel and housing sizing, which is why it is diagnosed and serviced differently than a sliding-nozzle or vaned turbo.

How do I know if I need an S400 or an S410?

Go by the number on the turbo’s data plate, which lives on the compressor housing, and match it to your engine’s rating. The frames overlap in appearance, so the part number plus the wheel sizes and turbine housing A/R are what confirm the right unit. Send us the tag number and we will match it.

Can PT Turbo rebuild my existing S410 core?

Yes. We rebuild S-series cores in-house with new bearings, seals and thrust parts, then VSR-balance the cartridge. Pricing is confirmed after inspection and before work starts, and current rebuild pricing by model is on the rebuild price list; call (909) 824-1020 if you want to talk it through first.