turbo timers?

[murrayscod]

hey guys, just wondering what people's thoughts are about turbo timers, especially for turbo diesel engines. i have just bought an abused 2.8 litre turbo diesel rodeo which appears to have a rooted turbo.

on the way into town tonight dads 3.0 litre turbo diesel patrol gave up the ghost after a long period of whining coming from the turbo area on take off. a bit of a rattle then most of the engines power was gone and running rough. thus another suspected rooted turbo..

and ive heard other people with similiar problems. is there some connection here saying turbos are just not made to last or is it the lack of turbo timers on most cars which are causing them to pack it in so prematurely. rodeo is 6 years old and patrol is 4 years old.

would you agree with me in saying they should all have turbo timers installed to prevent such damage?

cheers Luke

[adrian]

turbo timers are there so that the turbo gets the chance to cool down . they run at extreme temps and rpms .the timers give everything a chance to cool off i'm a bus driver and we idle down the buses for 1 to 2 mins after tripshaven't lost one yet . they are a good idea i would get one fitted

anzac

[Jack_Lives_Here]

Have run one on my Rodeo from new. Long runs I just time it at 5 mins. As Anzac said and my understanding, it gives the turbo a chance to cool - oil in the galleys gets a chance to clear and cool. Turning the engine off immediatley, virtually cooks the oil and bearings.
There are knockers but I figure a $150 is better than how manyl thousand for a new turbo. [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]
Check that your insurance company will allow it. I've heard of some not providing cover because the car is left unattended and running.

[murrayscod]

ok so they are worth only about 150 hey? considering im gonna spend thousands on a new motor that sort of money will be nothing..
next question any brands stand out?

[Big_Kev]

Boggard.

[murrayscod]

thanks Kev, thats the name i was hoping youd say.. ill sort that out then. is it best to order them straight from boggard or thru opposite lock or the like?

[Jack_Lives_Here]

Yep mines a Boggard. Was able to fit it myself in around an hour. Pretty bloody fiddly though.

[Big_Kev]

We use them all the time at work and I don't know where they get them from sorry. RS Components purhaps.
The timer will be OK on the old Rodeo, it is only some of the new vehicles with electronic engines and tranny's that I have seen problems come into the system and do all sorts of funny things.
Talk to Japanese engineers and they do not consider them necessary. They actualy look at you funny and don't have the foggiest what you are talking about.LOL
I can't actualy qualify or not that they do work as suggested, and I have heard all the theory behind them, like many unproven theories I have heard in the past. But I figure it can't hurt.
I have only ever seen them come out from factory on some of the bigger American type equipment, such as Haulpak that run sequential systems and often can pull up at the top of a ramp with the turbo's running at around 800 c.
With a motor car but this instance would occur not to frequent.

Cheers Kev. :)

[murrayscod]

yeah thanks again Kev, found a place on the net called rocket industries which sells the boggard unniversal timer for about $200. so unless i find something better ill go with them..
yeah well as i said at the start of this topic it just seems to me that the tubos are under threat of premature ageing without them..

you say that the jap engineers dont like them, could it be that their vehicles for one hardly get used, do short trips, and are taken off the road at an early stage, thus in their lifetime the turbos havent yet packed it in..

as mentioned earlier i think $200 is a good investment rather than $2000 down the track.

[Big_Kev]

Rocket industries, sounds like Grahame Cowin sells em too.

Don't get me wrong I didn't say the japs don't like them they just don't know much of them.

And like I said it can't hurt to have a turbo timer as like you said for the cost variance the timer is cheap, and is also a good selling point when the time comes.
Cheers Kev. :)

[murrayscod]

yeah cheers.. my mind is made up then.. im getting one. hell whats another 240 or so on a hugely growing debt... :)

[Sniper]

Just bear in mind that turbo timers make it a piece of piss to steal so I've been told. all the have to do is cross the wires or something. Can't see it myself but that the rumour. Have a 2.8 intercooled Triton thats not quiet a year old and don't have a timer fitted and not going to either. Would rather sit in the car for a few minutes then switch it off myself and know that its in gear. The cops up here are getting a bit stupid on the rules lately plus its a piece of mind for me if the hand brake fails shes not going to go far ( I hope lol). It is illigal to leave a vehicle unattended out of gear (apparently). I also back off on the right hoof about 10 minutes from home too. And another thing I've been told to is not to idle a diesel for too long. They carbon up. These motors are designed to be under some load. Not too many truckies leave their trucks idling for ages any more. Have heard of a cruiser glazing the bores after idling the vehicle for over an hour whilst sitting in the air con listening to a footy game. Expensive footy ame that one lol.
Well thats my two cents worth
Cheers
Bill
[smiley=rifle.gif] [smiley=rifle.gif] [smiley=rifle.gif]
P.S. If you do get a timer, make sure its got 4 wires as these are designed for turbo diesels, but if its a intercooled patrol then use the 3 wire ones. Any good auto shop can supply them. Either digital ones or set time ones.

[blaze]

I dont like turbo timers, like Bill said sit in it and idle down for a couple of minutes and use a good quality oil. Left my old L300 4x4 in nuetral, engine stoped, handbrake ON, walked in to a shop and next minute people yelled ya bus is rolling away, bloody did too, across the middle of a roundabout and 50 meters down the road. Luckily it missed other cars going around the roundabout and run into a mesh wire fence. Cost me $500 to repair fence. HANDBRAKE CABLE SNAPPED
cheers
blaze

[murrayscod]

lol unlucky that it.. yeah i dunno i suppose they have their good and bad points, im thinking that id be too lazy to sit around for ages everytime i drive. but yeah i know for one thing i will be dong either letting it rest or the timer.

thats another point worth talking about the fact that so many guys pull up and rip the handbrake on as tight as it goes.. got to be the worst thing you can do for it.,. put it on enough to hold the car which usually isnt much, why cause something to age so prematurely.. thats my thoughts anyway

[blaze]

The reason the turboed engine is idled down is because at the speed the turbine inside spins, so after running hard all day, full revs on governor 10hrs (thats quite normal for a diesel engine) idle down time require is 5 to 10 mins. Drive the turboed diesel 15k to work, pull on handbrake, check hair in mirror, idle time 1minute, turn the bugger off and do ya thing. Service regular with qualiy oil = years of trouble free motoring
cheers
blaze
ps
when my cable broke i had pulled it on hard, laugh about it now

[murrayscod]

what vehicle do you have now blaze?
lol im picturing me turning up to work the last couple of days.. fly in the car park turn motor off and sprint for the front door running 5 mins late.. yeah i might just try the manual idle first and see how lazy i become

[blaze]

Got a range rover, got a bigger boat and needed a bigger tow bus, had the L300 for about 10 years (love hate relationship) Had the RR for about 10 months, 20000km and (touch wood) only had to do services.
cheers
blaze

[Dug]

I believe the problem comes in when the motor is turned off the oil supply to the turbo is shut off but it is still spinning at several 1,000 rpm.

Turbo timers give things a chance to slow down and cool down with a constant supply of oil so no damage is done.

We have a new Peugeot turbo diesel and all enquiries are that the newer european cars do not need timers as the oil pump is now connected to the turbo, not the motor, so while it is spinning it gets a supply of oil.

This may all be crap though:-) I would like to have one fitted just in case but it is my wife's baby so I don't get to fiddle and modify it :-(

Check out the last service tip!!!

From #http://auto.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=turbo.htm&url=http://www.turbointernational.com

Turbocharging forces compressed air into an engine to achieve improved engine performance and fuel efficiency, with reduced exhaust emissions.
The turbocharger is driven by waste exhaust gases, forced through an exhaust housing onto a turbine wheel. The turbine wheel is connected by a common shaft to a compressor wheel. As the exhaust gases hit the turbine wheel so both wheels rotate simultaneously. Rotation of the compressor wheel draws air in through a compressor housing, forcing compressed air into the engine cylinder.

The increase in air fed into the engine creates more combustion force and power.
#Turbochargers operate at very high temperatures, high speeds and high pressures. Optimum performance can only be achieved by the proper operation, maintenance and service.
Service Tips
* Make sure your turbo is serviced at the recommended intervals.

* Use only qualified and experienced specialists to service your turbo.

* Check out any oil leaks, excessive or unusual noise and vibration as soon as they occur.

* Lack of power, excess noise, black
and blue smoke are more likely to indicate engine problems, than turbo problems.

* Wait for the engine oil to reach normal operating temperature before "revving".

* Let the engine idle for a couple of minutes before switching off.

:o

[murrayscod]

cheers dug that was some good info there.. thats one thing ive never heard of anyone doing getting the turbo serviced...

[blaze]

hi mcod
a turbo service
remove inlet and exhaust sides of turbo, check for oil leak either into inlet side or on the exhaust side. check impellor with a dial indicater to make sure the shaft/impellor are in spec, normally checked on 1000hr service with heavy machinery, probable wouldnt hurt to check every 100 000km.
cheers
blaze

[murrayscod]

i fired up the rodeo again today to see if a mate could pick whats wrong with it.. we did notice some oil around the turbo but it seemed to be spinning ok.. there is some distinct rattle or slap sound like a piston slap but yeah ill have a better idea next week when the mechanic checks it out.. gees it would be nice if it was an easy fix.. ;)