Has anyone got any hints and tips for the care of turbos. I have not had a turbo car before. They will get serviced as per Jaguar instructions. But is there anything else I should watch for?

For example, I have been told I should let the engine run for a minute when I come to a stop to let the turbos cool before I switch off. But I remember that as a child with the first Saab turbos. Surely it is not an issue now?

 

Delta, as for special things you need to do, just need to make sure you know what type of turbo you have. There are some self oiling units and then you have some that require the engine oil to pass through them. The self oiling unit require an oil change on them periodically.

As for letting the engine idle for a minute before turning it off, there is some truth to that. It isn't so much for letting the turbo cool as it will never truely cool with the motor running. But, remember me talking about how the engine oil is what lubricates the turbo (as most turbos are set up this way). Imagine if you came screaming into your driveway and shut off the engine. The turbo is still spinning at a pretty good clip (10,000 RPM or something in that neighborhood). Once you kill the engine, the turbo is still spinning but you are no longer feeding it fresh oil. What do you think will happen to the bearings over time? Are the bearings better, YES. Are they perfect, NO. So, as long as you can keep the RPMs down before you park the car (under about 2000 or whatever point the turbo begins to spool up) for around 30 seconds, you should be good. If not, it is advisable to let the car idle for a little bit to allow the turbo to slow down as much as possible.

The other thing that I would do is to say every 20,000 miles or so, use a carb cleaner (if it is suitable for the coatings of the turbo, if not, other suitable cleaner) and spray that over the blades of the turbo. This will help keep the turbo running efficiently.

 

Thanks for that Chris. I'll hunt about to see what turbos are in the car. The last part of my journeys to the house and to work are at a crawl through side roads looking for parking. So that will have helped slow the turbo down.

 

I agree with Thermo, always let the turbo's spool down at idle to keep the lubrication flowing.

 

You also need to let the hot oil ciculate and cool down so it doesn't sit there and cook which will cause a residue to buildup that will eventually clog your oil lines..