Smooth running

18 June 2009  

The product support engineer for Honeywell, which produces turbos under the Garrett brand, says that oil contamination and lack of lubrication are the most common reasons for premature turbo breakdown.

Trevor says engine performance problems are often incorrectly blamed on turbo faults resulting in needless replacement, “simply replacing a turbo means the new unit may well suffer the same problem,” said Trevor. “A turbo relies on oil supply, drain and filtration, air filtration, air pressure, the exhaust system and the ECU in order to run correctly. For example, a blocked air filter decreases flow into the compressor which reduces pressure, so oil is drawn over the centre housing and into the compressor housing. That’s when you tend to get smoke or overspeed problems”.

For more information on the latest turbo technology look out for the July/August issue of Aftermarket, published on July 14