Turbo Cool Down

[brockybear]

Does anyone know if I have to allow for the turbo to cool down after long drives ? Someone said that you had to idle the car for one minute for every hour the turbo has been running. I dont drive my GTI that hard and wondered if this was just an old wives tale.

Also I noticed that the cooloing fans run for a while after I switch off the ignition. Why does this happen?

Cheers


John

[syncro]

Does anyone know if I have to allow for the turbo to cool down after long drives ? Someone said that you had to idle the car for one minute for every hour the turbo has been running. I dont drive my GTI that hard and wondered if this was just an old wives tale.

Just drive easy (low revs, light throttle etc) for the last few kms. You only have to idle it if you have been driving hard.

Also I noticed that the cooloing fans run for a while after I switch off the ignition. Why does this happen?

because it is hot.

[silverMK1]

i could be wrong but i was told that it has an electric water pump and fans that runs after you turn your car off so no need for a turbo timer at all and u still can thrash the car and it will cool the block down and turbo by itself ..

[s14s2a]

i could be wrong but i was told that it has an electric water pump and fans that runs after you turn your car off so no need for a turbo timer at all and u still can thrash the car and it will cool the block down and turbo by itself ..

Letting your car idle will be the best way to allow your turbo to cool down after a brisk drive. Dont expect the engine fans running when you leave the car to do the job.
The purpose of running the engine is not so much for the block but for the turbo itself, during heavy driving (when your engine is under load/turbo is producing boost) the turbo itself gets extreamly hot, sometimes red hot (its not uncommon for a chipped engine running higher than standard boost to have a glowing turbo if you pop the hood at night after a fang!!) so by running the engine you allow oil to flow through the turbo housing and cool the bearings that support the turbo shaft.
Not allowing the engine to cool after continual hard driving can lead to turbo failure as the bearings, whilst red hot boil/burn the stationary oil that is surrounding them and then start to go out of shape-preventing your turbo from spooling up and maintaing boost correctly.
Give it a minute or two after a hard drive or as suggested earlier just take it easy for a few streets before you get home and let it idle while you remove your belt and get yor stuff out of the car.

Turbos cost too much to replace, better to take car of the one you have

[BLKMJC]

In general after a fang give the car a few mins or drive it around, but if your driving normaly the turbo in a vag car is usually not on boost... so you should be fine to turn it of straight away.

I usually try to drive for 1 or 2k's before turning it of after a hard drive... this can be hard sometimes because it usually leads to more fanging

BLKMJC

[EUS GTIMK5]

the manual recommends a few minutes to cool down if you have been driving it hard.

[Guy_H]

The fans running & run on coolant pump pass water through the turbo after shut off - its a nice feature, but as everyone else has said, idle it down - cool it off (oil flow) is being nice to your turbo - it should last an awful long time

[Hilton_K]

Running it also stops bearing failure. If you fang your GTI and pull up immediatley it takes a while for the turbo to 'spin down'. If you shut your engine off straight away no oil is being sent to the turbo and you bearings will be spinning with no lube which will cause a premature failure.
So Idle it for 30sec to 1min after a hard fang if you pull up straight away.

[Golfer]

its not uncommon for a chipped engine running higher than standard boost to have a glowing turbo if you pop the hood at night after a fang!!

Maybe a little off topic, but an (ex) mate of mine owned an '88 Saab 9000 turbo running 17PSI on an A/M standalone computer. After a good thrashing it wouldn't glow red...

It would glow WHITE!!!

Needless to say, he had an inline turbo timer that ran a 3 minute wind down on the engine and turbo (old Saabs didn't have the same electric water (oil?) pump system, so it's kinda easy to crack a turbo if you don't look after it when it's getting THAT hot!!!)

I wouldn't have put my Ford Motorsport XR8 next to that thing on the quarter at Willowbank on a cold morning... It was too damn scary fast!

Cheers!
John

[brockybear]

Needless to say, he had an inline turbo timer that ran a 3 minute wind down on the engine and turbo (old Saabs didn't have the same electric oil pump system, so it's kinda easy to crack a turbo if you don't look after it when it's getting THAT hot!!!

Does the GTI Mk5 have an electric water pump and or Oil Pump ??

I ran an electric Oil pump on my supercharged 2002 CV8 Monaro with no problems. Was a very reliable modification done by CAPA Performance in Berri S.A. I have always had a soft spot for Superchargers, my GTI is the very first turbo car I have owned.

Thanks for all the advise guys