Protecting your turbo - turning off the motor

[tacorancher]

I have read that you should idle for a minute before turning off your motor, especially after heavy load, to let the oil in the turbo drain out fully so it doesn’t cook inside the turbo. When it cooks in there and cannot drain, the oil loses life and the turbo can get clogged over time by coked oil. This all leads to a shorter life for the turbo. Is this true? If it is, how does this work exactly? Because when I idle my engine is already shut off automatically by the ECU as I drive a hybrid. Car care nut says to do this so it must be true, but I want to understand the idling part.

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[Astewart23]

Every turbo car I have ever owned will automatically keep the fans going even after the vehicle is off to allow the turbo to cool, it's basically called a turbo timer. I've never idled my vehicles, my last turbo car went to 208,000 miles and i never idled the car. I've many friends who tune turbo cars, and they even don't do this.

 

[tacorancher]

Every turbo car I have ever owned will automatically keep the fans going even after the vehicle is off to allow the turbo to cool, it's basically called a turbo timer. I've never idled my vehicles, my last turbo car went to 208,000 miles and i never idled the car. I've many friends who tune turbo cars, and they even don't do this.

That makes a ton of sense.

 

[Pootklopp]

That makes a ton of sense.

I think the manual says something like idle for 1 min after sustained highway driving or hill climbing. So if you get off a highway and hit a light or sit in traffic you're doing it anyway.

 

[tacorancher]

I think the manual says something like idle for 1 min after sustained highway driving or hill climbing. So if you get off a highway and hit a light or sit in traffic you're doing it anyway.

Oh shit it does??

 

[StreeTaco]

Every turbo car I have ever owned will automatically keep the fans going even after the vehicle is off to allow the turbo to cool, it's basically called a turbo timer. I've never idled my vehicles, my last turbo car went to 208,000 miles and i never idled the car. I've many friends who tune turbo cars, and they even don't do this.

I’m sorry , but in an attempt to keep false information from being spread, that is not an accurate description of a Turbo Timer. A Turbo Timer allows you to turn the ignition switch to the off position, remove your key and exit the vehicle, , all whilst the engine remains idling for a pre-set time to “cool the turbo” Fans don’t cool turbos, oil and coolant do but only while the engine is running, hence the need for idling after heavy load,, ultimately justifying the need of a convenient “turbo timer” that will never forget to idle the engine.

 

[tacorancher]

So far nobody has answered my question about the hybrid always turning off the motor when I come to a stop — how would I be able to cool down the turbo oil / drain it out if it never really “idles?”.. also does it have a turbo timer or not?

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