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Turbocharger Cooling Down Period

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#1
The Fiesta ST is my first vehicle with a turbocharger.

In the interest of cooling off, I've heard that I should allow the engine to idle for a period of time prior to shutting it off.

If so, how long should this period of time be?
 


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#2
Back in the days of DSM, most would set their turbo timers for 5 minutes.

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TyphoonFiST

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#3
The Fiesta ST is my first vehicle with a turbocharger.

In the interest of cooling off, I've heard that I should allow the engine to idle for a period of time prior to shutting it off.

If so, how long should this period of time be?
Don't need to do that as the center section is liquid/coolant cooled to prevent coking of the turbo with hot oil sitting in it right after you shut it off. If you deleted the coolant lines to the turbo ....then it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a turbo timer or let the vehicle run for about 3 mins after you drive it as I do with my Typhoon now that I deleted the coolant lines to the turbo.[emoji106]

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TyphoonFiST

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#5
You DONT need too....they/Ford engineered the vehicle so you can just get in drive and get out as you please= convienence.

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Capri to ST

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#6
I just let it run for a minute or so after I park while I'm unbuckling, grabbing a few things,etc. I don't spend any extra time letting it cool but I figure why not leave it running while you're doing those little things anyway, then shut it off when you're ready to get out of the car.
I wondered this too as this is also my first turbo, but I think the difference is as [MENTION=3563]TyphoonFiST[/MENTION] said above, older turbos may not been cooled by coolant lines, only by air, so if you shut the car off especially after running hard, the turbo would keep spinning and cook (coke?) the oil.
 


TyphoonFiST

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#7
It's called cokeing....when the hot oil sits in a hot turbo it forms a residue called coke....not Tony Montana Coke either...its black. Then it causes turbo issues being gummed up and bearing failure.

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Capri to ST

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#8
It's called cokeing....when the hot oil sits in a hot turbo it forms a residue called coke....not Tony Montana Coke either...its black. Then it causes turbo issues being gummed up and bearing failure.

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Thanks, am I right that some older turbos weren't water-cooled?
 


zanethan

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#9
Thanks, am I right that some older turbos weren't water-cooled?
Older Fiesta's? No they're all water cooled. Unless you're asking about much older euro specific Fiesta's

Older turbos in general? Then yes some turbos of '80s - '90s vintage weren't water cooled.
 


Capri to ST

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#11
Older Fiesta's? No they're all water cooled. Unless you're asking about much older euro specific Fiesta's

Older turbos in general? Then yes some turbos of '80s - '90s vintage weren't water cooled.
Yes, thanks, older turbos in general. That's where I (and maybe the OP) got that idea about turbos needing to cool down before you shut the car off.
 


M-Sport fan

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#12
Older Fiesta's? No they're all water cooled. Unless you're asking about much older euro specific Fiesta's

Older turbos in general? Then yes some turbos of '80s - '90s vintage weren't water cooled.
Some early to mid '80s turbo cars were not even INTERCOOLED!! [ohcrap]
 


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#13
It's not a bad idea per se to let it idle and cool, but like someone above pointed out you don't have to. It's like saying what oil is the best. I let it idle in general just because I usually arrive early to my destinations.

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Sekred

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#14
Water cooled bearing housings certainly help but in some situations its a reasonable idea to let it idle for a short period of time. If you have been driving the car hard and definitely it you have been tracking the car then anywhere between 30 seconds to five or six minutes. If you have been tracking the car then raising the idle speed to around 1500 (after a cool down lap) rpm increases oil and coolant flow.
 


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#15
I glad someone posted this, as i'm new to the turbo'd car world too! [loveboost]

Even if it's not entirely recommended,
I normally give mine 3 - 5 minutes.
 


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#17
You do not need to let it cool down. Does letting it cool down after hard driving make good sense, yes. But this is in general to the whole car not just the turbo.

With the turbo being so small it is most likely spinning at a high RPM, ~10-100k rpm, even at 2k rpms of engine speed. Ford used a small turbo to give you all the benefit of power and fuel mileage.

In general, unless this is a track car, letting the car cool down after driving is just wasting gas, as previously stated.


Note:
Also as previously stated, letting the turbo cool after hard driving more relates to 60-80's turbo charged cars.
 


jmrtsus

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#18
Common sense says let it cool....will it last through a warranty period if you don't? Yes, want it to last a Looooong time? Let it cool, don't lay into the turbo right before shutting it down and when you have time (make time) let it cool when you park. Cannot do any harm and cooler is alway better for longevity. This is my fourth turbo car, alway let them cool, never an engine or turbo failure........and change your oil often! My '78 Buick Regal Turbo glowed red at night when shutting down.....no water cooling. Did not keep for long and caused me to never buy a GM again! Traded for a '79 Capri RS Turbo four months after buying Buick.........it only ran for 2 of the 4 months I owned it.
 


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#19
I too owned a 78 Buick Regal Turbo, many call the grand dad to the grand national. I never had issues with the turbo or engine. Turbo would glow fire red at night from simple driving. The car was in the family for over 10 years and had over 150k miles on it. Since then have had many turbo charged cars and never a failure to engine or turbo. I still have my GN and it has the factory turbo in and it still runs strong. They can last for many miles if taken care of...
 




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