Is it hard to install a turbo timer? Let's say I got the turbo timer and the harness kit, would I be able to install it myself? Just wondering because I want to know if I should buy one and have them install it or do it myself. Thanks for info guys.

 

Its fairly easy. If you can install a radio, you can install a turbo timer (a radio is actually harder). The difficulty will be influenced by where you choose to place the timer.

Good luck

 

Take off the plastic around the steering column (3 screws I think), find the same kind of plug (close to the dash), plug in harness, find a ground, connect ebrake wire under center console.

It's very easy, takes 15 minutes with a smoke break.

 

15 minutes tops. unless you pass the job off to your younger brother.
you know i am never going to let you live that whole thing down.

 

as long as you get the harness it wont take that long and is very easy.

 

Except if the stock plastic connecter thingy won't come unplugged. All the other ones under the column were no problem except the ignition one. That took me 20 minutes and a lot of swearing.

Then the rest took me 5.

 

No sweat!

 

You don't need a turbo timer. Save the hundred bucks for something else.

 

Man it's a bitch to sit in the car for that 30 seconds sometimes, especially if you had to rush there and your late....then you have to wait another 30 seconds, and the people your late to see could be watching.

 

By the time you get into a parking space, you have no need to idle the car. Only way I can even see a reason to cool the turbos down would be if you do a 10minute full boost run to work, boost through the parkinglot and boost into a parking space. Even then I don't see the need. It's just a toy. Think about it... What is going on while you are at idle? Oil is circulating. What's happening when you are boosting? Oil is circulating. Either way, it's the same hot oil. Even more so at idle. The turbos would literally have to be GLOWING RED to even start to cook oil.

 

jdhuegel1 is absolutely correct that the temps of the flowing oil are exactly the same. It is when the oil stops circulating that the cooking could occur. He is also correct that it would take a GLOWING RED turbo to cook even non-circulating oil...the timer merely decreases the possibility that the turbo remains hot enough to cook the non-circulating oil.

I also agree that a short conservative drive prior to parking is the equivalent of a 120 sec. idle in the lot.

However, if you do park it after some pretty heavy boost, the cool down can't hurt EXCEPT you need to be aware that the coolant temps are going to rise while idling and should the timer shut you off JUST before the fans were going to kick on, your coolant temps will be higher after the idle than they might have been if you just shut down.


After all that, yes I do have a turbo timer in the car, I just use it carefully.

 

Thanks! I was getting ready to add that!

 

If your turbo's are still spinning when the car turns off then problems happen, like oil stops flowing through them and they don't get lubricated. Therefore your turbos can seize.....I would just rather be safe then sorry. I let car sit with the hood up for a good 10 minutes with the fans on if im parking it at my house a friends house.

 

Haven't done the fan mod yet, but I always turn the a/c on 2, while the car idles. That helps the coolant temps a bit, but if I'm away from the car for a short time notice that they're always a little bit hotter than when I left the car.

 

I DON'T idle my car without the fans on. Just to be safe. I remember the day I let the car idle for a few seconds in the driveway... As I walked back to it BANG!! The friggin cooling hose to the primary turbo went... That was SCARY.

 

I don't have the fan mod either, i meant i just let it sit with the acessory power turned on and the AC so the fan blows.

 

Your not understanding the basic operation of turbos here.

First thing if the engine is running, even at idle the turbos are spinning. Second they don't spin very fast at all while the engine is idling. Even if the engine was at full boost 15 sec earlier.

You see the turbos spin at 100,000+ rpm under full boost, as soon as you let off the throttle they slow down to barely spinning (relatively speaking). When you shut off the car they might spin for ~1-2 SECONDS. Then they stop, even if the car was at full boost a few seconds ago.

Turbo timers don't let the turbos "spool down", the theory is that the extra time idling lets them cool down. The problem is newer turbos (since mid 80s) are water cooled and not really likely to have coked oil in the bearings. Coked oil is basically oil that has been overheated and burned onto the bushings in the turbos.

Jeff

 

Glad to see I wasn't the only one who thought that connector was a PITA..


Really installing a turbo timer with the vehicle specific harness is easy.

 

I just find it hard to believe that turbines spinning at 100,000 rpms can come to a neraly complete stop in 15 seconds, even if they could....which im not saying they can't. Im just saying it's hard to believe, and you may know a lot more about turbos then i do. So i could look like a dumbass. But Having a turbo timer just makes things a little easier, plus it's only 100 bucks. Letting your car run for 30 seconds or so after you park it is a good idea, but some people let it run for 5 minutes or more and thats rediculous.

 

I think it's really personal preference on this one.

 

I'm not trying to call you a dumbass at all. A good indication of turbo speed is the "whistling" you can hear if you have a DP. When your just cruising along you can't hear the turbos, dip into the throttle and you can hear them spool up.

Another way to think about it, How long do you think it takes the turbo to spin up to 100,000+ rpm? If you started up the car (and it was warm), and floored it in gear, you could have them pushing full boost in 1-2 sec. They are pumping a lot of air, if the exhaust stops flowing (throttle plates close) then they stop pumping air very quickly. You've heard the BOV right? Woooosh. When the wooshing stops, the turbos are basically idling, ie barely turning... That woooshing sound out of the BOV only lasts 1 or so.

Jeff

 

yeah, the "whistling" sound is like music to my ears same with the "whoosh" from the BOV.
-Dan

 

You know... in addition to a boost guage, why hasn't someone developed a "turbocharger tachometer" so we can really see what's happening? Should be easy with a magnetic armature and pick-up coil, and most likely digital. Or do they spin too fast to get an accurate readout and cause confusion when compared to the boost guage?

 

I don't know, but it sounds like a cool idea!

 

Right up there with air fuel meters and EGTs. I would rather spend the money on a case of OEM oil filters, and those fresh filters and oil changes every 1500 to 2000 miles or so would do a lot more to ensure the longevity of the turbos (and the engine) than a timer.