Do Turbo Engines Have Special Maintenance Needs

There are 2 Answers for "Do Turbo Engines Have Special Maintenance Needs"

1. Diesel says:

   YES,
   1. oil is changed every 1,000 miles or 3,000 for synthetic.
   2. Turbo Time (let engine idle for 30 seconds to a minute) after driving car, depending on how hard it was driven.
   3. 93 octane fuel, nothing less or engine will knock.
   THATS IT.
2. albo888888 says:

   1. The oil is not changed every 1,000 miles. The oil is changed when required, usually every 5,000 miles (or 7,500 for synthetic). If using synthetic oil, use a heavier grade synthetic than Mobil 1 synthetic (the turbo will consume Mobil 1 synthetic oil in my experience). Castrol synthetic is heavy enough.

   2. A turbo timer would only be useful for oil cooled turbos. Oil and water cooled turbos have no requirement for a turbo timer or cooldown period since coolant continues to circulate after engine shutdown. In either case, a good practice is to drive conservatively (out of boost) for a period of time before turning off the car. This will avoid turbo coking without the need for an extended cooldown period.

   3. The fuel octane is important, but I don’t agree that “anything less than 93 causes knock”. What will happen on computer controlled vehicles will be that the ECU will retard timing and the engine will not knock. Here in California we get only 91 octane. My 2005 WRX never knocked on this.

   However, currently I am running 91 pump and injecting 116 octane methanol for an overall octane of about 100 during turbo boost, and I can say that octane was very useful in producing an extra 30 whp with dynotuning.

   4. New or rebuilt turbo installation and break in instructions. If installing a new turbo there are special installation and break-in procedures described at http://www.boostplanet.com.

   5. Intercooler maintenance. Many turbo cars have intercoolers which are mostly maintenance free. Once in a while, for maximum efficiency, its a good idea to run some pressurized air over the intercooler to remove debris.

   6. Air filter maintenance. Always use a clean air filter to avoid debris damaging the turbo. If, for example, a small pebble gets through it will damage the wheel.

   7. If the turbo needs service you can usually tell because it will not be boosting as normal, or reaching the typical boost levels. To this end, a boost gauge can be recommended to monitor the turbo boost.