How to properly operate a turbocharged engine

HOW TO PROPERLY USE A TURBOCHARGED ENGINE

Did you know, dear reader, that almost all owners of cars with a turbo engine make mistakes while operating it? A turbocharged gasoline engine is no joke, and knowing how to operate it is important. For example, it is recommended to pay careful attention to the intake or lubrication system, as in some cases they become the stumbling block for the normal functioning of the motor. Properly operating a turbocharged engine means that you should always monitor the level and quality of the oil you pour in, start and stop the engine properly, and follow other important rules. A twin-turbocharged petrol engine LEVEL OF OIL There are plenty of tips on how to run a turbocharged engine. Let’s start with the oil level. It is always necessary to keep it under control, since oil starvation is not recommended for such an engine. Lubrication in the turbo engine is of great importance, because thanks to it the bearings and other important elements work effectively. Needless to say that if the oil level drops, the bearings don’t get the right amount of oil, and consequently wear out and fail faster. It is mandatory to check the presence of the recommended lubrication level of the turbo engine and if you find a deficiency, you should definitely top up the oil. It also doesn’t hurt to find out the reason why the oil is flowing so fast. Maybe the oil pump or other important part is out of order? That’s why in this case you need to be very attentive and fix the problem right away. DON’T STEP ON THE GAS TOO MUCH WHEN STARTING! The following advice implies not to get carried away with the gas pedal when starting such an engine. You should not keep your foot on the pedal for a long time, because the turbo engine, in order to reach normal pressure, needs only a few seconds. If it runs idle, even for a few seconds, it can quickly fail. This doesn’t apply to those car owners who have the standard Start&Stop system, which has proven to be only the best. Quality of oil Yes, this is very important: if a car with a conventional engine should be filled with oil from the manufacturer, in our case even more so. Here to save is not only not recommended, but also forbidden. It is known, that engine exploitation with poor and low quality oil is equal to a death sentence. It is necessary to pour such oil, which is specified by a producer. In addition, you should remember that the oils recommended by the manufacturer for turbocharged engines differ in their characteristics from the lubricant designed for a regular motor. Why? Well, because during the operation of the turbine the lubricant is much more exposed to high temperatures and loads. In a conventional atmospheric engine, however, the oil is not subjected to such high loads. It should be noted that mixing different grades of oil is also not recommended. In particular, it is forbidden to fill the engine with oil of one viscosity group, when there was another. It is even desirable not to change the brand of oil, but to use the same oil all the time. Believe me, this way you can significantly increase the service life of the turbo engine. So, remember – turbocharged engine oil must be the best! If the turbo engine has been repaired It is possible that your car’s turbo engine has been repaired. In this case it is essential to check the condition of the oil, which must be clean. Then check the crankshaft with the engine turned off.

Make sure that the oil is circulating under pressure through the oil system. Start the engine now and let it idle for five or ten minutes to make sure it is functioning properly. DIESEL If your car has a turbocharged diesel engine, you should check it carefully for fuel quality. If poor quality fuel is used, there is a good chance that the fuel system will quickly become clogged, which in turn will affect the loss of power. In the same case, the turbine, in order to fill the gap in rpm, will work at the limit and again will fail quickly. What can we advise? Of course, refuel at the gas stations that are most trustworthy. If you are unsure of the quality of fuel, it is recommended to filter it additionally. On the video – the turbine of the diesel engine: In general, the car should be treated with care. Again, a car with a turbo engine is even more so. If you will keep an eye on it, do not give it bad oil and fuel, it will definitely pay you back, greatly increasing its performance and service life. STARTING AND STOPING HOW TO START A TURBO ENGINE You also need to know how to start such an engine at low temperatures. Before starting it, it is recommended to crank the engine several times. And only then start it completely and let it idle. This allows the oil to circulate and fill the system, so as to prevent overloading. There are some secrets to stopping the turbo engine as well. Before shutting it down, let it cool down a bit. By the way, this also applies to conventional engines. As you know, during high loads the engine works at peak rpm and the temperature inside can be very high. In this case, a sudden shutdown can create a temperature drop, which will certainly have a negative effect on the service life of the turbine unit. In such a case, the long operating life of the motor is reduced to zero. The turbo engine has more horsepower and power at the expense of the same resource, but it leads to greater loads. Hence the consequences: wear and tear of the engine and its components and much more. If a turbocharged engine is OK, it will easily go 150,000 kilometers. A proper driving style is also very important for a turbocharged engine. It should not be forgotten that a turbine is a machine that constantly runs at high loads. This means that it is impossible to drive it for a long time at low engine speeds. It is even recommended to let such an engine work at full speed, i.e. at high revolutions, at least once a week. This way you can not only activate the cleaning process of the compressor’s charge system, but also significantly prolong the service life. It is also very important to avoid driving at high rpm for a long time, as in this case the turbine can be “over-revved”. Medium revs during driving with a turbocharged engine is the right thing to do. You should also avoid prolonged idling of the engine. Why? Did you know that if it will idle for more than half an hour, it can break down? The thing is that when the engine operates in such a mode, there is a high probability of clogging or coking of the turbine.

The oil drain tube becomes clogged or oil leaks into the engine cylinders, which also leads to the failure of various elements of the cylinder-piston group. As much as we praise turbocharged engines, they also have drawbacks. The disadvantages of turbocharged engines are not just some minor bloopers left over from their production, but real components. For example, one of the most obvious disadvantages is the increased fuel consumption. But, though this disadvantage is essential, it still has positive sides. In particular, the more such an engine eats fuel, the more powerful it becomes. For example, a 1.4 liter turbo engine produces (just think about it!) as much as 70% more horsepower than the same atmospheric engine. The appearance of the turbine The features of a turbocharged engine also force you to constantly monitor the quality of the oil. The disadvantage in this case is the fact that you need to pour oil not only in the engine itself, but also in the turbine. It is not even about the oil consumption, which will not be that big, since only about a liter is poured into the turbine, but the constant monitoring of the quality of lubrication and regular oil changes make a difference. Another disadvantage is the high sensitivity to fuel quality. Both gasoline and diesel fuel (and even more) should be of high purity. If you accidentally pour gasoline below A-92 into a standard engine, for example, nothing bad will happen. Yes, it is not recommended to do it often, but the engine will endure. But with a turbocharged engine, it’s not so simple. It will lead immediately to a problem, which turns into an expensive and impressive repair. It is the expensive repairs that are the next disadvantage of turbocharged engines. What do you think the cost of repair is today in Russia? It ranges between 60-70 thousand rubles, and this, you must agree, is not a small amount. But with all this, the work of a turbocharged engine is a head above the work of a conventional engine, as it is much more efficient and powerful. Owners of cars with such an engine can only be jealous. Keep an eye on the “heart” of your car, and it will provide a highly efficient mode of operation always and on any road.

The operating principle and the nuances of the operation of turbocharged engines

In the age of technological progress and the rapid development of the automotive industry, cars are becoming more powerful and faster than before, while manufacturers also emphasize safety and efficiency. The global auto industry for the last ten years has made great strides forward, today offering consumers a wide range of car models in different body styles, equipped with innovative systems and units. On the car market, it is increasingly possible to find cars equipped with gasoline and diesel turbocharged engines, which until recently were not so popular and were installed only on sports cars. The slow pace of introduction of engines with turbines into the masses is due to the high price of such models, besides, many motorists remain faithful to the classic variant because of the high degree of reliability.

Consumers are now eagerly “trying on” improved technology, demand is growing, which means that production volumes are also increasing. Motors equipped with turbines are no longer rare, they fill the market with breakneck speed, replacing the classic atmospheric engines. And in the pursuit of trends, buying a car with a turbo engine, it is important to understand that due to the design features of such a unit needs proper operation and proper care, otherwise it will not please the car owner longevity, not stretch out even the allotted period.

What is a turbocharged engine?

All internal combustion engines function thanks to the energy generated by the combustion of the fuel-air mixture in the chamber. The more air masses are fed into the cylinders, the more combustible mixture is burned in one cycle, which directly affects the amount of energy released to the pistons. The difference between atmospheric and turbocharged types of internal combustion engines is in the way of air supply, and the power units, despite design differences, can be both gasoline and diesel.

Ongoing development work has shown that volume is no longer the deciding factor in a unit’s power, dynamics and torque. By equipping engines with artificial superchargers, there is no need to increase the size of the engine. Since atmospheric engines draw air from outside the engine naturally through the vacuum in the intake manifold to create the mixture and ensure its ignition in the combustion chamber, the volumes of the power units had to be significantly increased to improve performance. By using exhaust-gas turbocharging, it is possible to achieve high performance in a compact size. Let’s consider in more detail what a turbocharged engine means.

The design of such an engine implies the presence of a turbine or a mechanical compressor. The task of the supercharger is that the air masses for the formation of the mixture are delivered into the cylinders under pressure, which accelerates the combustion processes, contributing to an increase in torque and power. Initially, the automotive industry put turbines on diesels, and it is because of this that diesel engines are no longer associated with tractors. Today there are diesel powered turbo engines, which are included in the most modern models of cars from the world’s automotive giants. Forced-air injection systems were not advisable for gasoline engines because of their high cost and reduced reliability. But now that turbocharged units have moved on to a new round of evolution, the problem has been solved, and now supercharged engines are actively used in gasoline unit variants as well.

Structurally, a supercharged motor differs from the usual atmospheric internal combustion engine, which gives it both advantages in the form of increased performance with compactness and low weight, as well as disadvantages. Due to the complication of the design, reliability is greatly reduced, so in the wrong operating conditions, the risk of failure increases significantly. In contrast to the unpretentious atmospheric engines, supercharged units require increased attention from the car owner. If the atmospheric engine is not much affected by the use of low-quality fuel or oil, the engines with supercharger are very fastidious in this regard. You should not neglect the rules of operation and maintenance, because it can lead to unfortunate consequences.

Advantages and disadvantages of a turbocharged engine

• Recently, sales of cars equipped with turbocharged engines have increased significantly. Motorists are divided into two camps: those who do not recognize the need to install a compressor, particularly in gasoline engines, preferring the classics, and those who love the wind of innovation, considering that the atmospherics time to retire. Both are right in their own way, so when deciding to buy a car, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of a turbocharged gasoline engine or diesel, as well as take into account and other factors that determine the feasibility of the acquisition.
• The advantages of turbocharged engines are obvious:
• increased power characteristics at the same volume;
• compactness and low weight of the unit;
• high torque, starting from the lowest revs, demonstrating stability

low fuel consumption in relation to its power characteristics;

• lower volume of exhaust emissions.
• The disadvantages of turbocharged engines are as follows:
• higher fuel consumption during high-speed driving;
• the need to warm up the engine in cold weather;
• presence of “turbo” (the phenomenon of power failure at a sharp pressure on the gas pedal is characteristic for old designs of units)
• high heating;
• high cost of repair;
• Sensitivity to low-quality fuel and lubricants, as a consequence – the dependence of the resource on the means used;

frequency of oil replacement, as well as oil and air filters more often than in the case of atmospheric engines

high maintenance cost, caused by the need to use only high quality working fluids.

For many drivers, the disadvantages of turbocharged engines greatly outweigh the advantages. Especially frightening are the costs and the need for constant monitoring of the condition, as well as the scrupulousness of the care, which is due to the complexity of the construction of the unit. No one questions the reliability of atmospheric engines, while in the case of engines equipped with a supercharger, the resource is entirely up to the owner.

1. Service life of turbocharged engines
2. Peculiarities of care and fastidiousness of engines with artificial air superchargers are directly related to the complexity of the design. The basics of turbocharging, one of the methods of supercharging that involves the use of exhaust gases, reveal the principle of engine operation:
3. Air enters the turbocharger inlet through an air filter;
4. the air masses are compressed, the level of oxygen saturation increases, the process also involves heating the air, and its density decreases;
5. from the compressor the air flows to the intercooler, where they are cooled and regain their temperature, the intercooler also reduces the susceptibility to detonation of the air-fuel mixture;

The air masses pass through the throttle, passing to the intake manifold, and on the exhaust stroke they enter the cylinders of the turbocharger;

after the mixture is ignited, the combustion residue enters the exhaust manifold. Passing through the turbine, the flow of hot gas drives the shaft, on the reverse side of which the compressor is located. Thus, the next batch of air is compressed.

1. The amount of oxygen that fills the chamber is significantly greater than in natural air intake, so more mixture is burned per stroke, resulting in increased power performance.
2. The life of a turbine is slightly less than the wear life of the engine itself, and proper care of the unit and its components is expected. The main enemies of a turbocharged engine that significantly reduce service life are:
3. Low-quality engine oil;
4. low quality fuel;
5. oil starvation;

High loads “on cold”;

untimely replacement of oil, oil and air filters.

Frequent scheduled maintenance and continuous control of oil level and quality of materials used can significantly extend service life. We can’t say that you can pour everything into the atmospheric engines, but they are less exposed to these factors, and if the oil or fuel of poor quality gets into the engine, there will be no deplorable consequences, as in the case of a turbocharged unit. Unlike atmospheric engines, a turbocharged engine maximizes its potential, which is why it is more susceptible to wear and tear. Resource turbocharged engine can reach 150 – 200 thousand km. mileage, but with the proper care, while the engine of the atmospheric type, characterized by a simple design, pass all 300000 km. Failure to follow the recommendations of the manufacturer can reduce the service life by at least two times.

1. Tips for turbocharged engine care and operation
2. There are a lot of nuances in the maintenance of turbocharged engines, which should be taken into account during operation, if there is a desire to extend the life of the engine and turbine:
3. An engine that is constantly running at the limit of its capabilities will wear out quickly, so you should not constantly stomp on the gas pedal, unless you are a participant of auto racing. In addition, aggressive driving increases fuel consumption. To prolong the life of the motor, you should drive a car with a turbocharger in moderation.
4. It is important to observe the intervals of oil changes in the engine and in no case allow oil starvation. The intervals can be significantly reduced due to difficult operating conditions. Filters must also be changed when changing the oil.
5. In the case of turbochargers, saving on lubricants is inappropriate, because it can lead to higher repair costs later. It is necessary to use the oils recommended by the manufacturer of the unit, not using analogues and not mixing different grades.
6. It is also necessary to use high-quality fuel, because low-grade contains various impurities and clogs the fuel system, reducing the resource.
7. When operating in cold weather, it is recommended to let the unit idle beforehand, to ensure the circulation of the lubricant. In particular, you should not neglect this rule in the case of a diesel engine.

When starting the engine, you should not hold the accelerator pedal for long, because this will force the turbine to idle, which reduces its life. This is due to the fact that in supercharged units the high pressure is provided already at low revolutions.