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Mistakes That Turbo Car Drivers Make

Learn how to avoid them.

By John RuddPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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Mistakes That Turbo Car Drivers Make
Photo by Sven D on Unsplash

I've told you in the past how to drive a turbo-diesel or a turbo gasoline car. But now we tell you what are the main mistakes made by drivers who own a car equipped with a turbocharger, whether it is diesel or gasoline. Mistakes that send the car much faster in service.

Extremely few cars today are no longer supercharged with a turbocharger. Even the Dacia brand offers more turbo than aspirated engines. This only demonstrates the efficiency of the supercharged engine compared to an aspirated one that is on the verge of extinction.

But turbo engines, whether we're talking about diesel or gasoline, need a special operation, even if the manufacturers don't tell us what it is. And if we make some mistakes, we risk getting to the service with some very big expenses, so here's what NOT to do.

Oil change

In addition to lubricating the internal components of the engine, the oil also has the role of cooling the turbine. So it is very important to have fresh engine oil, always replaced on time, to benefit from optimal cooling.

An old oil, full of deposits, will circulate harder through the turbine cooling system, and the deposits can affect the central axis of the turbocharger which rotates at over 150,000 rpm.

Old oil risks becoming less viscous, meaning it will flow harder through metal parts, and if we far exceed the revision deadline, we may even clog some pipes with thick oil.

The right oil

As dangerous as an aging oil is an oil with a non-compliant viscosity, which is different from what the manufacturer says. The oil not only has the role of lubricating the parts inside but also of cooling the turbine, cleaning, corrosion protection, and hydraulic role.

If we do not use the viscosity indicated by the manufacturer, we risk compromising one of these categories. Therefore, we must not use oil that is thicker or thinner than that required by our car manufacturer. The turbine can also suffer if we use the wrong oil.

That is, an oil that is too thin can pass through the oil seals and reach the intake, being burned with the fuel, and an oil that is too thick will not be able to cool the turbine well.

Cold engine speed

When the engine is cold, especially in winter, the engine oil loses a little of its viscosity and needs a few minutes to circulate through the engine to warm up and reach optimum viscosity.

When it is cold, we must avoid excessive engine speed in the first 5–10 minutes of starting, because this means forcing the turbine that cannot cool properly due to the oil that will move harder through the circuit. This does not mean that we have to stay put until the engine warms up, but just not to turn it too much until it warms up a little.

Hot engine speed

When the engine reaches optimum operating temperature, things are a little different. That is, we must not shy away from running a turbo engine to benefit from its power and torque.

The shift in turbo engines differs from one to another, whether it's gasoline or diesel, but each engine transmits to the driver the moment the turbocharger speaks and puts pressure on the intake.

It doesn't hurt to run the engine even in normal city use, until the next gear changes, because the oil will circulate faster through the system and will cool the turbine, and the deposits caused by the soot from burning diesel will decrease.

Start & Stop system

Most modern cars benefit from this system designed to contribute to low consumption. But the manufacturers seem to have omitted the aspect of protecting the turbine, or maybe that's what they want so that drivers can return to service as soon as possible? Let's say you force the car and drive the engine aggressively.

The S&S system does not know that the turbine is hot and when you stop at the traffic light it will automatically stop the engine. At this point, the turbine remains without cooling because the oil no longer circulates through the system.

And this can lead to turbine failure over time, as excessive heat can deform the center shaft of the turbocharger. Therefore, if we know that we are driving more aggressively, it is recommended to deactivate the S&S system and to start it only when we drive quietly.

Going on the long road

A turbo car behaves the same as an engine with an aspirated highway engine. The only difference is when we drive on the highway at 140 km / h constantly, with the autopilot, then we turn right and stop at the gas station.

If we drive longer at high speeds, above 2500–3000 rpm, the turbine is extremely hot, at normal temperatures for it, but very high, and if we suddenly stop the engine we will face the same problem mentioned above. I mean, we cut off the cooling.

Therefore, it is advisable to either let the engine idle while refueling and using the toilet, or wait a few minutes and then stop the engine, thus protecting the turbo system.

Stopping the engine

If we have to spare the engine at start-up and not run it excessively for the first few minutes, we don't have to do anything to stop it. This, if we stop from a normal operation, at low speed, in which the turbine was not put to heavy work at all.

I mean, as long as we didn't run the car, we stop, take the key out of the ignition and see each other. If we want to stop after a race a little harder, it is ideal to wait a few tens of seconds, not minutes, until the engine makes the oil circulate a little and cools the turbine.

But maybe we increased the speed because we were in a hurry, so it is not justified to wait on the spot … So, only if we force the engine more seriously, it is better to wait 30 seconds - 1 minute.

When we buy a turbo car, no one tells us how to deal with it. And if we are normal drivers, driving within the legal limits, we should not behave differently with the turbo engine.

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