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-LeonFR-
Guest
Hello, just a quick question about these here turbos.
I've recently bought a Mk1 leon FR TDi with 80k on the clock. It has FSH and runs like a dream but I'm wondering....how long can you generally expect a turbo to last if the car has been serviced correctly? 100k? less? more?
Many thanks
I upgraded to a new turbo at about 240k miles, but there wasn't anything wrong with my old one. I was just looking for a bit more power and an improved turbo was the next step in the upgrade path.
I think what kills turbos the quickest is asking for lots of boost at low rpms. The turbos try to push too much air into not enough space, and this puts extreme stress on the turbo vanes. Ease into it until you get above 2000 rpm (2500 if climbing a steep grade), then your turbo should last a good long time.
yep, some have easily seen over 200k.
As long as they arent treated badly, or mapped to high boost they will be fine.
As long as they arent treated badly, or mapped to high boost they will be fine.
Also, oil coating the vanes and causing them to stick can reduce the life of the turbo.
a CCV bypass mod is good to prevent this, as well as turning the EGR system down.
Also try to avoid booting the car on full boost before the car is warmed up.
a CCV bypass mod is good to prevent this, as well as turning the EGR system down.
Also try to avoid booting the car on full boost before the car is warmed up.
I should explain that it is the shaft which breaks in these high-stress conditions, not the vanes themselves. The shafts in a Garrett turbo are very skinny, no bigger in diameter than a pencil. Some upgraded turbos have stronger shafts.
Keep your revs up. Work your engine hard, but baby your turbo.
-LeonFR-
Guest
Ah, so it's the back pressure that wears them out rather than the speed they spin at/frequency of use. That's really useful advice - I've been driving a Mazda V6 petrol for years and have got to know it pretty well, so it's strange to have an engine that is completely new and to not know where to start! Thanks for the info - I'm sure I'll be back with more stupid questions soon
EDIT: Actually, another question right now - why/how is it less damaging for the turbo to ask it for more boost at higher rpm? I assume it's because the engine is turning over more quickly, so the pressure generated by the turbo goes straight into the engine rather than causing back pressure?
EDIT: Actually, another question right now - why/how is it less damaging for the turbo to ask it for more boost at higher rpm? I assume it's because the engine is turning over more quickly, so the pressure generated by the turbo goes straight into the engine rather than causing back pressure?
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That's generally true. Remember, the capacity is 1.9 or 2.0 liters, multiplied by the number of revolutions per minute. The higher the rpm, the more air can be squeezed into the cylinders each minute. If you try to squeeze in maximum air (boost) at low rpm, it just seems logical that this would be harder on the turbo than similar boost at higher rpm.
A boost valve is cheap protection from this kind of damage. Ideally a boost valve wouldn't be necessary, because the VNT actuator would be so accurately adjusted that the turbo would never spike and never lag.
Partly the reason for me getting my backbox chooped out was to reduce the EGT's, I have no actual proof/data to back this up but surely if the hot gases can escape quicker with less back-pressure then the turbo should have a longer/easier life.
I found that after removing the middle box and rear box from my PD130, the car is a lot easier to drive at lower revs in higher gears. Before the car used to feel like it was suffocating due to the exhaust gasses not freely escaping.
ffoxy
Guest
Another turbo killer is no warm down after a blast. A turbo timer is useful so the turbo can spool down with some lubricant in the shaft bearings when you shut the motor down.... You can do this yourself by letting the motor run at idle for a minute or so before switching off.
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