turbo timer is screaming

[vanjuggler]

Hi,

I haven't used my delica for a few weeks, after that cold snap. My fuel lines gelled up (too much biodiesel, my bad), but my wife got it to start this morning!

But now my turbo timer screams 100% of the time, unless the car is off and the doors are closed. Any ideas why this would be? The turbo timer doesn't respond to any button presses - it seems fubar.

I discovered that it's the Razo Turbo Timer cause I noticed that moving the wires coming out of the back of it changes the pitch - it seems like there is something loose here. When I get some time, I'll take more of it apart.

Thoughts? Ideas? Anyone seen this before?

Cheers,
Luke

[Chewy]

Sounds like a short, are your footwells wet? the moisture may have gotten into the unit from just condensing in it, or down the loom even. Let us know how it goes.

[jessef]

Disconnect it and use the old fashioned method.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Have you checked to see if your throttle is pulled out? Just a thought. My turbo timer is a manual one.

Falco.

[impalator]

Forgive my stupidity... but what the heck is a turbotimer / what does it do?

Thanks, and cheers
Chris

[konadog]

what the heck is a turbotimer / what does it do?

It's an electronic device that keeps the motor running for a short period after the key is removed to insure that the turbo has sufficiently cooled. Like Falco's mine is a manual. In other words, on those rare occasions where I need stop after running hard, say a fuelling stop on the open freeway, I might keep the motor going while I write in the fuel log, get out my gloves, etc. Generally though, with puttering about town and the like, it's not a concern

[impalator]

Thanks very much... didn't know about the terminology.. but do keep it running for 30+ seconds when stopping after a good drive - so I guess that is what is referred to as "the manual" method then...

Have a good night,
Chris.

[Erebus]

Thanks very much... didn't know about the terminology.. but do keep it running for 30+ seconds when stopping after a good drive - so I guess that is what is referred to as "the manual" method then...

If you pull off the highway and stop, several minutes is more like what you should wait. I've got an exhaust gas temperature gauge in mine, and I let it cool down to 500 F before shutting off. In town that usually is about 30 seconds. Pulling off the highway after an uphill run, it can be 3-5 minutes. If it was a downhill foot-off-the-gas run, then the temp might be down at 200 when I pull off.

Give it more time. Your turbo will thank you for it.

[FalcoColumbarius]

The way I understand it is that you are not "cooling down" your turbo so much as you are "spooling down" the turbo. When you get straight off of the highway and your engine is shut off immediately then the turbo is still spinning at a very high speed. Now that the engine has stopped; the turbo (which is still spinning at a tremendous rate) is now spinning with no oil feed, as the engine has stopped ~ and this can lead to wear on the moving parts of the turbo. The idea behind a turbo timer is that it allows you to get out of the vehicle with your keys whilst the engine still runs on at idle speed for an extended period of time, thereby allowing the turbo to slow down to a slower revolution with oil being fed to it. When the engine eventually stops the turbo does not have to spool down so much and this will extend the life of your turbo. It doesn't take long for the turbo to slow down so 30 to 40 seconds is ample time. More often than not by the time you shut your engine off you have been driving at slow speeds at a lower RPM (such as reversing into a parking spot) which is usually a lower RPM than plain idling. Thirty seconds is ample spool down time and I am usually filling in my log book anyway so I have not installed a timer. I owe this information to Garyo and to Glen at CC Autos.

Falco.

[CVI]

Just to add more information, Main reason we need to idle the engine for a few more minutes is basically to cool the turbine shaft down up to a temperature where the engine oil on the master assembly (main housing of the turbo) will not boil over and carbonize. The reason we have some bit of oil coming out of the turbo on a lot of units is because the carbon seal (which controls the oil and seals it from coming off the compressor side and turbine side) will not function effectively if the oil supply on it burns and carbonizes. This happens if the previous owner never cools the engine down before turning it off or when you shut the engine off immediately after a long drive. The turbine will not be spinning at a high rpm on idle and will spin regularly depending on the engine load. It reacts pretty fast. It's the temperature of the turbo that we want to cool down. That's the reason why Mitsubishi came out with the new water cooled master assy on the newer models as a preventive measure. To cool off the master assy at a faster rate than if it cools by radiant heat alone (air). They've routed your engine coolant to pass thru your turbo housing.

Another thing is that if the engine is running on full load (say on a highway or up the hill) and you suddenly shut the engine off, That's the time the turbine is spinning over 65,000rpm and suddenly the oil supply gets cut off and that ruins the bearings of the turbine shaft and at that rpm, boils over the what's left of the oil and will wobble the turbine and compressor side and hit the compressor and turbine housings and unbalance these rotating components...which means you can kiss your turbo goodbye. ...just a bit more information.