turbo timer

[turbodsm_125]

i am not new to dsms, but i have for some time been considering a turbo timer. I have fmic, k&n Filter, full 2 1/2 inch exhust, rebuilt motor, bsek, and a few other misc mods,. What are the advantages to having one? do i really need it?

 

[turbosax2]

A turbo timer is a device that allows your car to idle for a specified period of time before shutting the engine off. This helps prolong the life of your turbo.

Do you need one? No. Is it nice to have? Yes. Or you can just sit in your car for a few extra seconds before shutting the engine off. Many people will argue that the stock turbo doesn't require a cool down period anyway.

 

[BloodWolfRonin]

I bought one so I wouldn't be tempted to just shut off and run. The thought of that oil cooking in the turbo lines irritates me. When I come home it's nice to just hop out and the timer shuts her down for me, especially nice after some maniac driving like I've been known to indulge in. My blitz also shuts the car down if "someone" jumps in and disengages the e-brake while it's coolin. If your disciplined enough then you probably don't need one, but if you have anyone else drivin your ride occasionally(my wife, once in a blue, very blue moon) then it's added reassurance.

 

[Defiant]

I bought one so I wouldn't be tempted to just shut off and run. The thought of that oil cooking in the turbo lines irritates me.

It won't. As I've posted many times:

"When you shut off, the oil circulation stops, but the water doesn't- it'll thermosiphon through the block. The hot water will migrate upward toward the cooler engine area, while pulling in cooler water from the lower part of the block and cooling system. Even when the thermostat fully closes, you have the engine's coolant that'll be moving through this phenomenon until all the coolant is the same temperature. With a pressurized cooling system, the maximum temperature will be on the order of 225°. Oil's good to about 280°. It's why you're seeing so many 14-year-old turbo'd DSMs still running around.

It only takes about a mile of driving to cool a turbo housing down, particularly if you're doing no-boost running at speeds over 30 where the air coming through the radiator will cool things right down."

If you want to get a turbo timer as a toy, or one of the ones that have other features, have at it. But it won't be doing anything to help a water-cooled spool, unless you just can't keep yourself from abusing the car.

 

[crimsondragon]

Is this all theory?

 

[BloodWolfRonin]

It won't. As I've posted many times:

No offense but, I don't know you and yes, I've noticed your posts. So I'll just play it safe and follow my own opinion of, the thought of oil cooking in the turbo oil lines..etc It certainly doesn't hurt for me to go the extra bit to be overly safe and have peice of mind with my hobby/investment. And yes, I do "rod" it quite a bit on the way home, so she's good and hot when I get there. It's a disease I've had since my first car.To the OP, it's your car, your choice, and enjoy!

 

[bjbaxter]

Yes sir, is definately something thats worth spending a few dollars on. As everyone else has said, it allows your car to idle for a short period of time and at the same time it is allowing the turbo to slightly cool down from driving it. It will definately prolong the life of the turbo and is kind of conveinent at the same time. You can set it, pull your keys out, lock your car up, and go do whatever it is that you are doing and when the car has finished the idle process that you set with the timer, it will shut off automatically. Coming from me that has a turbo timer, it's definately nice

 

[silvreclips]

Its more for turbo that are not water cooled. I have one because I dont have any water lines running to my turbo. And after some hard/interstate driving that turbo will glow red.

 

[Defiant]

All turbos glow, and it doesn't take that much load to get them lit. But only in the exhaust snail, not the spool.

And yes, the self-cooling when off is a fact.

 

[Burnett03]

It won't. As I've posted many times:

"When you shut off, the oil circulation stops, but the water doesn't- it'll thermosiphon through the block. The hot water will migrate upward toward the cooler engine area, while pulling in cooler water from the lower part of the block and cooling system. Even when the thermostat fully closes, you have the engine's coolant that'll be moving through this phenomenon until all the coolant is the same temperature. With a pressurized cooling system, the maximum temperature will be on the order of 225°. Oil's good to about 280°. It's why you're seeing so many 14-year-old turbo'd DSMs still running around.

It only takes about a mile of driving to cool a turbo housing down, particularly if you're doing no-boost running at speeds over 30 where the air coming through the radiator will cool things right down."

If you want to get a turbo timer as a toy, or one of the ones that have other features, have at it. But it won't be doing anything to help a water-cooled spool, unless you just can't keep yourself from abusing the car.

Does this apply to oil cooled only turbos?

 

[Defiant]

No, it only applies to watercooled turbo spools. Turbos whose only bearing housing cooling is through oil circulation do need turbo timers (or, a good long [two minute] cool-down at idle), which is why they were created in the first place.

 

[Captain D]

What temperature can the oil inside the turbo of an oil cooled only turbo reach after the ignition is turned off in a vehicle without a turbo timer?

 

[Defiant]

How hot was it when you parked it?

 

[4G63_Attack]

It won't. As I've posted many times:

"When you shut off, the oil circulation stops, but the water doesn't- it'll thermosiphon through the block. The hot water will migrate upward toward the cooler engine area, while pulling in cooler water from the lower part of the block and cooling system. Even when the thermostat fully closes, you have the engine's coolant that'll be moving through this phenomenon until all the coolant is the same temperature. With a pressurized cooling system, the maximum temperature will be on the order of 225°. Oil's good to about 280°. It's why you're seeing so many 14-year-old turbo'd DSMs still running around.

It only takes about a mile of driving to cool a turbo housing down, particularly if you're doing no-boost running at speeds over 30 where the air coming through the radiator will cool things right down."

If you want to get a turbo timer as a toy, or one of the ones that have other features, have at it. But it won't be doing anything to help a water-cooled spool, unless you just can't keep yourself from abusing the car.

Thats news to me, this is the first time that i have heard of it. I just learn something new today

 

[Captain D]

How hot was it when you parked it?

According to the Garrett turbocharger website, "following a hot shutdown of a turbocharger, heat soak begins. This means that the heat in the head, exhaust manifold, and turbine housing finds it way to the turbo's center housing, raising its temperature. These extreme temperatures in the center housing can result in oil coking." Doesn't this mean that the highest oil temperature inside an oil cooled turbo reaches its highest temperature after the ignition is turned off?

 

[Defiant]

Again, that applies to an oil-cooled housing, not a water-cooled one. That same soaking is what makes thermosiphoning work. However, to a large extent, Garrett's writer is full of crap: the "heat in the head" will be going into the coolant, not the turbo: the turbo will be considerably warmer than the head (ever seen a head glow? I didn't think so), as will the turbo be warmer than the exhaust manifold. Heat flows from warm to cool.
Yes, if you can't idle an oil-cooled turbo for the minute or so recommended by the manufacturers, then a timer is a good idea for them.
"It's still a waste of money on a water-cooled spool," he kept repeating, as though his audience was all smuggling pearls in their ear canals.

 

[Captain D]

[Heat flows from warm to cool.
/QUOTE]

So if heat flows from the turbo housing to turbo's center housing on an oil cooled turbo, would it be prudent to use synthetic oil in combination with a turbo timer?

 

[spawn7037]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Heat also builds after you shut off the car and the turbo is still spinning, on an oil cooled of course, because now there is little to no oil circulation to cool the turbo and the bearing spinning causes more heat.

 

[tkelly27]

They sell turbo cars with 100,000 mile power-train warranties nowadays, and there are many turbo cars with 250k+ on the clock with the stock turbo. None of them have timers. None of them need timers.

Not only do water cooled turbos still have coolant flow, the bearing sections don't get as hot to begin with. A turbo timer is worthless unless you have an oil cooled turbo, or you love to go full load moments before you cut off the ignition and can't wait 25 seconds.

Coking was a big problem in old turbo cars. We have better oils, water cooled housings, and better tolerances in this day and age. I wouldn't even bother running a timer in an oil only housing, but then again, I wouldn't run an oil only housing.

It will make high schoolers think you're cool when you walk away and your car is still running "O M G, it'z gotta turbo timer!"

 

[Defiant]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Heat also builds after you shut off the car and the turbo is still spinning, on an oil cooled of course, because now there is little to no oil circulation to cool the turbo and the bearing spinning causes more heat.

Builds from where? The heat source is removed once the engine's turned off. From idle, the turbo will coast for less time than it takes the oil to drain from the spool, and it will slow down more quickly because both sides are now dragging through their air. If that bearing is generating any heat, it's a week away from failure.

However, an oil-cooled/non-water cooled spool isn't an issue to DSMs unless there's been some serious messing around going on. I don't comprehend the fascination with the theories about them on this site.

You might want to shift your worries to starting a turbocharged engine without pre-oiling the turbine spool.

Yes, synthetic oil will withstand higher temperatures than conventional oils will. But contemporary conventional oils are sufficiently fortified to withstand even an oil-cooled turbo's shutdown so long as prudent cool-down procedures are adhered to.

 

[1990AWD]

I believe that it is very important to idle your engine and especially your turbo after driving. I don't really know why the engine, just something I've always been taught, especially when working with large diesels. Idling anengine that is turbocharged is always a good idea because its lets the turbo slow down and cool off. I don't really like the idea of letting my turbo run at tens of thousands of rpms when there is no oil circulating through it. There are three basic ways of doing this. Either sit in your car and wait, drively nicely for the last few miles home, or have a turbo timer. I like the idea of a turbo timer because I don't have the patience to wait very long and if I'm late for something I don't have to sit in my car and wait impatiently for the turbo to spool down.

 

[jrohner]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Heat also builds after you shut off the car and the turbo is still spinning, on an oil cooled of course, because now there is little to no oil circulation to cool the turbo and the bearing spinning causes more heat.

The turbo doesn't just keep spinning when you shut the engine off. Maybe on some giant turbo that the wheel weighs 20 pounds it could spin for a few seconds. Really there is no air moving when the engine is not turning so the turbo should stop anyways since it would otherwise create pressure on the intake side and vacuum on the exhaust side if it kept spinning which would basically 'put the brakes on'.

 

[1990AWD]

The turbo doesn't just keep spinning when you shut the engine off.

Have you ever listened to the exhaust of a straight piped engine or diesel? When you shut it off you can hear the turbo slowing down AFTER the engine has been shut off. Those few seconds that the turbo has no oil circulating through it can add up over time.

 

[Calan]

Have you ever listened to the exhaust of a straight piped engine or diesel? When you shut it off you can hear the turbo slowing down AFTER the engine has been shut off. Those few seconds that the turbo has no oil circulating through it can add up over time.

Maybe if you shut it down immediately after boosting. If you shut it down from an idle after parking, the turbo isn't spinning much (and won't keep spinning, what little it is) enough to matter. It's not like the compressor is running under a load with no oil in the bearings. And if it did do this, how would a TT help? You will have the same condition when the timer turns it off.

What is with all the fascination with turbo timers for water-cooled non-race cars? It must be the "ooh look...I have a turbo timer!" factor

As Defiant and others have said ad nauseum, put the money somewhere else unless you fit within the tiny group of people that actually need one...get some neon undercarriage lights or chrome lighted windshield washer nozzles

 

[1990AWD]

Maybe if you shut it down immediately after boosting. If you shut it down from an idle after parking, the turbo isn't spinning much (and won't keep spinning, what little it is) enough to matter. It's not like the compressor is running under a load with no oil in the bearings. And if it did do this, how would a TT help? You will have the same condition when the timer turns it off.

your right that the turbo timer wouldn't take away the whole problem, but considering that turbos spin at over 100,000 rpm, I'd like to shut my car off with the turbo spinning as low as possible