Vehicles with a turbo have far more power than your normal, stock standard vehicles. You can add a turbo to your vehicle to get maximum power out of your vehicle.
What does a turbo do?
A turbo forces air into your vehicles cylinders- this also means it uses some extra fuel to add that extra load of power throughout the cylinders.
Where is the turbo located?
The turbo is connected to the vehicles exhaust manifold-this exhaust manifold then goes from the cylinders to spin the turbine (works as a gas turbine).This turbine is then connected with a shaft to the vehicles compressor, which is located between the vehicles intake manifold and air filter.
Let’s look at some common causes of turbo failure
Turbo failure causes:
- Cracked or damaged oil seals: When any seals are cracked or worn that is in between the engine and compressor, oil will then leak into the exhaust system. This will then lead to reduced power and difficulty in boosting. The turbo has to then work harder in pushing out the oil that leaked into the exhaust system.
- Lubrication: Normal engine oil is often used as a lubrication for the turbo system- the oil keeps all the moving parts lubricated and prevents corrosion. The oil that oil that are used to lubricate the turbo needs to be of the correct grade and quality. If the wrong type of engine oil is used, it can cause harsh damage to the inside of the turbo.
- Dirty turbocharger: The turbo should always be obtained with clean engine oil. Some causes of turbo failures are from dust/sand particles, leaves and/or even small to medium sized stones. These objects can cause major damage to the turbochargers turbines.
There are ways to prevent major damages on the vehicles turbo charger by having a look out for failure symptoms that can often occur when the vehicles turbo charger is on its way out.
Typical symptoms of turbo failure:
- White/Black smoke: Smoke coming from your vehicles exhaust pipe can be a clear indication of a failure state turbo. The smoke is caused by the turbo leaking and burning engine oil. This is causes by worn or torn seals.
- Loss of power: Your vehicle may feel like it’s going into LIMP mode. The main purpose of a turbo is to generate more power. If you feel that your vehicle is losing more power it may be an indication of a turbo that is failing.
- Winding sounds from the engine: The turbo makes the engine more quiet, so when the turbo is in failure state it may cause a winding noise from the engine.
Be sure to check out these typical symptoms of turbo failure to ensure that you get the turbo checked out before extreme damage can be caused to the turbo.
Stay tuned for more tips and tricks to keep you vehicle in top shape.
