Hey,

I know the turbos can glow when they're run hard, but is it normal to get a faint red glow when all you do is run it fairly gently (i.e. primary only, never more than 5 psi or so) for about 20 minutes?

I ask this because when I turned off the car I noticed a whisp of smoke or steam coming from under the hood, popped it and it seemed to be coming from the airpump or turbo area. I also smelled something cooking or burning...a kind of burned plastic smell. Closer inspection showed the turbo had a faint glow to it.

I'm currently having many other troubles with my car...its running rich, fouling plugs, stalling, idling roughly, and generally acting like a bitch...and I just bought a wiring harness since it is currently the most likely culprit anyone can think of...so I don't know if this is related or not, or even a problem (well, I'm pretty sure the burning smell and smoke is not good, but I guess I don't really know if the turbo is really any hotter than usual).

jds

 

What about clogged cats?
Meow.

 

do you have an open exhaust???....if not, the cats could be contributing to the heat....especially with all the extra hydrocarbons being sent to them....

 

I'll mention that fairly gentle driving equates to closed loop mode wherein air/fuel ratios close to 14.7:1 are tyrpical, which is pretty lean, which creates lots of exhaust gas heat, which heats up the turbo housing pretty nicely. As a data point of one, I see my turbo glow lightly after "normal" non lead foot driving. I can only see the glow in the dark. I have a DP and my main cat is fine. I think most others have a faint glow, they just don't have a reason to look at their turbos after normal driving.

Previously, I have advised cycling your temps using the fan mod to get coolant to flow through the turbo housing and remove that heat. I'm beginning to re-think this, as temp cycling could lead to housing flex, and burnt O-rings. Hmmmm..

Anyway, I've found that running the car for about three minutes at about 1K rpm tends to take most of the glow out. Below 1K rpm and coolant is not being circulated by the water pump real well. So I just pull into the garage, turn on the fans to low, pop the hood, get out and open it, take a quick peek at the turbo housings. If no glow, I shut off the car. If glow, I run it for three minutes or so listening to NPR, then shut off.

You should be EXTREMELY concerned about your whisp of smoke from air pump area. this is most likely a leaking turbo coolant hose, which can split and cause coolant to spill everywhere and an overheat. Even worse, old, dried coolant from previous leaks CAN and WILL catch fire when subjected to high temperatures, such as the turbos under a full throttle run. As much of a bitch it is to do, PULL THE AIR PUMP and check these coolant lines. This was the subject of a recall, btw.

burned plastic smell = sweet smell, like coolant?

 

You know, that's a possibility. I have a downpipe, stock cat and stock catback. The cat used to be fine, but you're right, I'm throwing a lot of extra crap through there. Is there a way to verify this without taking it all apart? Probably not...

jds

 

Do you ever notice a sulphur smell (like someone farted in your car)? I was getting that a lot with my stock cat - turned out it was clogged.

 

sounds like you stock cat needs an enema perhaps you should just go with a mp, catback and control boost.

 

That's actually the one symptom I would have expected with a bad cat that I *haven't* had.

jds

 

Its a possibility I guess, especially given that in S. Florida I don't have to put up with emissions testing. However, I'm a bit concerned that I may not be able to control boost with a fully open exhaust and no ported wastegate. Maybe one of those high-flow cats, Random Technology maybe?

jds

 

just leave the stock cat-back and put a mid pipe on it....itll be fine......

 

Well, I pulled the exhaust apart...now I'm not sure how to tell if any of it is clogged...the cat is part of a long, curved bit of pipe, its just not obvious to me if something is wrong with it. FWIW, if I bang on it or shake it it makes no odd rattling noises. Now, my muffler, on the other hand, sounds like a tin full of sand or possibly rusted metal flakes when I shake it. Has anyone ever seen a muffler clog and cause issues with backpressure like this?

jds