Thread: long periods of idling a problem

5 minutes at a traffic light is normal city driving these days. I really dont think that this will be an issue...half an hour might be.

I think from memory that the 300 Tdi manual recommended that 10 seconds was all that was needed to let the turbo cool down if you have been working the motor hard. For normal diving just idling to a stand still is sufficient.

The puff of diesel soot on start up is normal albeit antisocial.

Originally Posted by fender22

The old bloke I bought it off also suggested letting it idle for 30 seconds to let the turbo wind down while the oil was still pumping. I notice if O let it idle for a while before I switch it off you get a little puff of smoke (soot not oil) next time I start it.

You should let ANY turbodiesel idle for at least a minute after a driver, longer than that if you have been driving all day long.

I would recommend you fit an EGT gauge and then let it idle down to 160C before switching off.

if you back off as you arriving to your destination there is no need to let it sit idle, by the time you pull up, reverse, select neutral or first, apply the handbrake etc i reckon thats enough

oh the puff of smoke, mine gives a good puff and when i get the opportunity to start her just as an unsuspecting person is walking past i hit the starter......the puff of smoke is normal

On a HOT day, working HARD, 30 secs isn't enough. I would do as suggested and fit an EGT gauge, I let mine drop to 200Degrees (Pre turbo), but 160 is better if you can wait that long.

5 minutes is fine, 30 or 40 is too long.


The start up puff is normal for a Tdi, Thats one of the the reasons they were out of Europe in the late 90's.

SO, you can Stop worrying, and ENJOY your new 110.


JC

I find that the 10 second reverse up a slight incline on my driveway before parking sends the EGT upwards to a bit over 200 deg - slight load on low revs. 30 seconds on the turbo timer brings it back down to about 150. The concern with a timer is that you have to leave it in neutral but it's not so much of an issue on flat ground.

As Naks says, an EGT gauge is a good investment, and easy to fit the probe in the right place on a standard 300Tdi manifold. It's quite interesting to learn what makes for high EGTs. It's not necessarily high revs or quick acceleration but more engine "load".

whats this 110 business, are you going off road?

Regards Brad

Drive it like you stole it .Put 500 000 km on mine from new and only waited until i took my seatbelt off to shut down. No turbo or intercooler issues ever.My opinion is turbo timers just something else to buy. Even Caterpiller fitters at work recomend no more than 30 sec for their engines.

Surely the time needed to cool the turbo depends on how you have been driving it in the minute or two before you pull up. I would have thought that if you pulled into a service station on the side of the freeway, that it would need a little bit more time to cool down than if you had just had a couple of goes at parallel parking because you misjudged the first attempt.