turbo cool down

[turbomangt]

I detailed an Eclipse the other day for a customer (Turbo) and when I turned off the ignition the car kept on running. I said to myself, for God's sake, I turned off the car with the key and its still running? WHAT DO i DO NOW? after the initial panic, I noticed on the dash and guage with a timer running. It was counting down seconds, from 20 to zero. when it hit zero the engine automatically turned off. THAT WAS SO COOL. I asked the owner about it, and he had it installed becuase of the fact the turbo needs to cool itself down, and since we never do it on our own, this guage forces it to happen everytime we turn it off. does anyone have this timer on their car? is this something of value to prolong the turbo engine life? Just thought I would share since I never heard or saw this before. p.s. he also had a huge tach on his dash, with a spot light that shines right in your face when you run up the RPM's. don't like that one as much.

[PK Cruiser]

everything I have heard point to a turbo timer being one of the best investiments a turbo owner can purchase. I'm planning on purchasing one next payday.

[Ian-PT-GT]

I have one installed in mine. It works great!
You can see my instalation pictures here:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290013855

I have the Greddy Full Auto Timer, It is very compact, I installed it inside my glove compatment so nobody can see it. There are a few out there, I would reccomend you go with the major brands: Blitz, HKS, A'PEXi or Greddy.

I got mine from Exhaust Depot (Hector). He can ship it with the installation harness and vehicle specific instructions. Buy the one that suits your needs and budget.

Ian

[Gear_Head]

Yes, I have a Blitz Dual Turbo Timer. It sets a base time (user controllable) and then has 2 add on timers. One for a selectable anount of time when achieving a user programmable boost level, or a second (which I use) which adds 130 sec for every hour of run time until shutdown. The Stock alarm will arm with the TT running the engine. I agree that this is one of the best investments that a Turbo owner can make. I love it. The blitz unit has a display unit separate from the control unit with a long cord and connector so that the display can be mounted remotely wherever it fits best in your vehicle. I fabricated a bracket and mounted it above the rear vier mirror to operate as a heads up display (the control unit is under the dash behind the drop down panel under the steering column). Exhaust depot has them (where I got mine) for the best price that I have seen. Check out their web site
www.exhaustdepot.com

Alan

[DTs_PTGT]

Ian,

Does the turbo timer play well with the alarm system, and how does the car keep running once you've removed the key (assuming you have a "chipped" key programmed for your PT)?

Right now I wait for a full minute when I park before I shut the car off, but that minute can seem like an awfully long time when you have to just wait.

turbomangt,

You should've received an addendum (yellow sheet of paper) with your owner's manual detailing shutdown wait times (I think it may be in the manual as well).

TURBOCHARGER "COOL DOWN" CHART

Driving Conditions Idle Time (in minutes) Before Shut Down

Normal Driving Not required.
Aggressive Driving or Heavily Loaded 3
Trailer Tow 5

[Stephen R.]

Speaking from a theoretical standpoint here, isn't there something better? Walking away from a hot, running car doesn't sit well with me.

Possibly a better (albeit more expensive) solution may be: http://www.preluber.com/ProductFrameSet.htm and click on "Testing". Not only is the engine not running (therefore not creating more heat), but you can also pre-lube the engine... which is something rarely talked about even though I remember this product from over 15 years ago. In addition, you can pump out the old oil easily and save some bucks AND down time maintaining your PT. The other option would be relocating the oil filter above the engine and/or using an Oberg or System 1 stainless mesh filter. I'd really like to see someone put together a system like that!

I don't work for the Pre-Luber company, but it seems to be a more well-rounded product with several distinct advantages. Maybe a Group Buy can take some of the bite out of the cost [:I]

[Cal Cruzer]

The pre-luber is a great product that has been around for a long time. I think some big-rig tractors come with them from the factory these days, of course on a much larger scale. I saw one on a new tractor but didn't ask if it was stock.

[dgc333]

The fact that I put 240,000 miles on my first turbo Daytona (son totaled it at that point) and currently have 176,000 miles on my Shelby Daytona and never had a turbo failer or any issues would suggest that the turbo timers may be over kill (never did anything extrodinary to cool off the turbo).

The only thing I have ever done in the way of a cool down was if I was romping on my car I would make sure I drove it for a mile or so easy (no boost) before shutting it down or let it idle for a few seconds. I also use synthetic oil which has a much higher break down temperature. The reason for the cool down was so you do not cook the oil in the bearing housing of the turbo. This issue was significant when turbo's did not have water cooled bearing housings, chrysler has had a water cooled housing since the first turbo car in 1984. At that time they actually made a big deal out of the fact the water would continue to circulate through the housing after the engine was shut off to cool and protect the turbo.

[TurboT]

quote:I also use synthetic oil which has a much higher break down temperature.

There is a good part of the answer. Unless you shut it off right after coming off the strip, that syn oil is going to do the job for you. First oil change, I switched to Mobil 1. Thanks for the confirmation.

[Ian-PT-GT]

quote:Originally posted by DTs_PTGT

Ian,

Does the turbo timer play well with the alarm system, and how does the car keep running once you've removed the key (assuming you have a "chipped" key programmed for your PT)?

Right now I wait for a full minute when I park before I shut the car off, but that minute can seem like an awfully long time when you have to just wait.

turbomangt,

You should've received an addendum (yellow sheet of paper) with your owner's manual detailing shutdown wait times (I think it may be in the manual as well).

TURBOCHARGER "COOL DOWN" CHART

Driving Conditions Idle Time (in minutes) Before Shut Down

Normal Driving Not required.
Aggressive Driving or Heavily Loaded 3
Trailer Tow 5

It works perfectly when I remove the key. I guess that the key monitor only works a few secconds after ignition start. The car will lock up in the Cooldown run with no problems but the alarm will not be heard, just the lights will turn on and off like when the car is normaly off.

Ian