kariayam

Hi, i m wondering what engine oil do you use for track events?

I am tracking my fd, stock twin turbo setup pushing about 330rwhp at 14.7psi of boost. I am currently using mineral oil 20-50. The ambient temperature is 30-37deg.C (Sepang F1 circuit Malaysia, 5-6km length clockwise circuit)

I found the oil cant take the heat from the turbos, and damaged the primary turbo in each event. The compressor side of the primary turbo leaked oil and the intercooler piping is full of leaked oil.

I found that the primary turbo bearing is damaged and observed exscessive radial play on the compressor wheel.
This problem happened as early as 3 laps. Water and oil temp were below 100deg.C when this problem occur and it doubts me if it had to be cooling issues for the turbos.

It costs me a pair of turbos in each track day events which only lasts for only few laps..which i think is abnormal

1)Do you think the mineral engine oil is the cause since it is the lowest grade engine oil and has the least ability to sustain extreme temperatures compared to synthetic oil?

2)Whats your opinion on switching to synthetic oil? fyi my car is still running with the OMP, which is my biggest concern switching to synthetic oil.

3)My friend suggested to use Lucas SAE50 oil. The oil is in very sticky form, in weird blue color..i read in Lucas page the oil is added with extra additives.What do you think about this oil? Any downside or bad side effect of this sae50 oil?

4) could it be the oil sump has a lot of positive 'blow by' pressure and decreases the oil drain flow from the turbo? Will an oil catch tank give improvements on this?

5) what oil do you usually use for track events and how reliable are your stock twins? Do you use oil catch can too?

Looking forward formyour advise and suggestion.

Have a nice day!!

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

It certainly makes sense to switch to synthetic. I use Mobil1 15w-50 most of the time.

I'm not sure whether your turbos failed due to localized overheating of the oil or whether your oil temps simply went through the roof. It can happen, especially if you have only the single stock oil cooler. The R1/R2 dual cooler helps. If you're going on the track you really should have both oil and water temp gauges or logging.

Oil catch can may be necessary.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

^Agreed. But you're running nearly 50% higher boost than stock. That alone will tend to create more heat and stress on the turbos. You're also right at the end of efficiency. If you stay with the twins, consider reducing boost levels.

I would also look at over-all cooling....
*Bigger radiator
*Dual oil coolers (if you don't already have them)
*Sound ducting
*Straight distilled water with some water-wetter for pump lubrication.
*Since it's a track car, a vented hood to reduce underhood pressure and improve air flow.
*Auxillary injection to reduce combustion temperature and heat load on the oil from the rotors. Doesn't have to be fancy, a simple boost-activated system and water only. More info in the Auxillary Injection section stickys.

Copeland

iTrader: (42)

Also don't forget that the primary turbo pulls vacuum for the oil system via the 90* intake plastic elbow. If you're running without a catch can, you could just be puddling oil from the oil fill tube. I ran the stock twins at 15PSI very hard for about two years (back roads and some autocrossing) and they would puddle oil there but never failed.

kariayam

Thanks for the info guys.

Here are some infos of my car:
1). Yes, it has re amemiya vented hood
2) radiator is koyo aluminum. Never hit above 105degC
3) intercooler is trust fmic. air temp 40-50degC
4) yes, it has oem twin oil cooler. Oil temp never go above 110degC
5)power fc, tuned at335rwhp on dynojet dyno
6) no aux injection
7) running on oil metering pump

My friend has a similar setup as mine, but he was boosting at 0.8bar, and he too had the same problem...the primary turbo leaked oil at the compressor side. Intercooler was filled with oil and bov was spraying oil all over the engine bay

So i might say that
boosting at 1bar or 15psi is not the main cause.
I am suspecting oil failure(mineral oil cant sustain too much heat) and excessive oil sump pressure.

However,

1) is it possible if the seal fails and the bearings are still in good condition? Explaination?
2) or will the damaged bearings affect the seal to fail?*