Letting the puma turbo wind down

[MuzzyDelta90]

My brother who is an experienced diesel mechanic (mainly marine applications) and is into 4wd's reckons that I should let my puma engine idle for a bit before switching it off to let the turbo wind down whilst it is still lubricating - apparently if you switch it off straight away - the oil no longer circulates and if the turbo is still spinning fast, it will wear it out a lot faster.

Is this true or not?

cheers

andrew

[130man]

HI Muzzy, in my opinion that is very good practise, especially if you have been driving fast or otherwise working the engine and everything is hot. I give mine about 15 seconds but a little longer won't hurt. Cheers, 130man.

[Tombie]

Good idea, on not a long period of time.

Often discussed based on driving technique - eg. take it easy as you arrive at destination to help cool the turbo down (last 500 mtrs is often enough).

If towing hard / working hard / hot weather then a little longer wont hurt.

Often 10-15 seconds is all it takes in normal driving.


When all else fails, read your manual - it should say something.

Our work LV's (TD HiLux) just get turned off: no-one cares :eek: and they go a good 150,000km without problems.

[Matplat]

This has been discussed in days gone by and the consensus was that 10 secs is generally enough.... any longer and you are just glazing the bores....

But yes it definitely is a good idea to give it a little time before shutting down, especially if you have just come off the motorway into a servo or something...

[DeanoH]

That's why they invented 'turbo timers', don't know if they're legal any more though ?

Deano :)

[superquag]

YES.

It also gives time for the rest of the engine to stabilise (temperature wise) especially if its been working hard.

For a car turbo, "any" amount of time is better then none. I used to drive the last lap quietly, and idle for 30 seconds or till the Wife complained, whichever came first.

The habit has stuck, can't do a 'zero-zero' landing anymore...:p

[101RRS]

I have just sold my diesel freelander with 270,000km on it and it was always just turned off - never hurt it. Usually just turning into my street and then into the drive would have been enough for it to wind down.

Garry

[Tombie]

That's why they invented 'turbo timers', don't know if they're legal any more though ?

Deano :)

They have never been legal. ;)

And were from the dark old days of rubbish quality turbo units and poorer grade oils.

They're also a waste of money :).

Take the last leg gentler (not slower)
Pull up
Turn on park brake
Undo seat belt
then turn off vehicle.... Open door and get out...

Thats all it needs!

[CraigE]

Turbo timers themselves are not illegal last time I checked. What is illegal is getting out and leaving the car while it is still running. So bit of a waste of time, you may as well just sit there and wait.

[Tombie]

Turbo timers themselves are not illegal last time I checked. What is illegal is getting out and leaving the car while it is still running. So bit of a waste of time, you may as well just sit there and wait.

Craig is correct...

Sorry, I should have been clearer....

Walking away from a running vehicle is illegal.

[djam1]

I always let the EGT drop below 200 degrees before shutting down this is what a turbo specialist advised me to do.

[vnx205]

I always let the EGT drop below 200 degrees before shutting down this is what a turbo specialist advised me to do.

How long does that normally take and what sort of driving have you done in the last minute or so before you stop?



For anyone recommending turbo timers, consider that turbo timers might have been useful once, but the technology has changed.
Crank handles used to be useful once, but are a bit useless on modern engines.

[PAT303]

I've never warmed my turbo up or cooled it down on my Tdi and it's still going strong after 14 years. Pat

[djam1]

Can take from no time at all to a few minutes if stopping at highway speed on a hot day


How long does that normally take and what sort of driving have you done in the last minute or so before you stop?



For anyone recommending turbo timers, consider that turbo timers might have been useful once, but the technology has changed.
Crank handles used to be useful once, but are a bit useless on modern engines.

[Summiitt]

Agreed with all the other posts, just depends on how hard you drive it in the last 10 or so kms, my Detroit engined trucks are fitted with turbo timers and I normally leave them idle for about 3-4min but only if stopping after being driven fully loaded, otherwise 1-2 min is enough. I have mates up north running road trains that wont switch their trucks off for days(Roma Qld to Broome W.A.) as the turbos run red hot all the time
Another option which is less known is the fitting of a turbo saviour, basically it is a spring loaded filter setup that is hooked into the turbo oil feed line.under normal oil pressure the spring compresses and holds oil in the filter, when you shut the engine down it slowly releases stored oil into the turbo. I have these fitted to my excavators, with good results. Modern diesels in 4wds shouldn't need any real cool down time, idle into the drive give it a few seconds and you should be right.