Hi all i am new to this forum and i have bought myself a 95 wrx wagon 3 weeks ago i am having all sorts of fun with it but one of my freinds told me that if you turn your car off strait away after going for a run it damages the turbo he says you sould leave it for a while running. is this true and for how long??? cheers

 

If you have been thrashing it the turbo will be very very hot, if you then turn of the engine the oil supply and cooling water to the turbo is cut off, the turbo is more than likely still spinning with no oil feed and no cooling water now hence damage can occur. After a good blast before turning the engine off let it tickover for a few minutes to let things cooldown and get back to normal operating temperatures.

You can buy whats called a turbo timer, when installed these keep your engine running after the ignition key has been turned off for a preset time to allow the above to occur. Trouble is, its actually illegal in the UK to leave a car running with no driver in it but its your choice

 

The sticker on my door says that you should leave the car idleing for at least a minute after a hard drive. This is to let the oil circulate and help cool the engine. If you just turn off straight away oil sits in the turbo and can bake, causing blockages, not good news.

I usally let my car site for 30 seconds regardless of how ive driven, and 3-5 minutes if ive really been out on a mission.

There is a better explaination on the SIDC site, under "2.6 Starting and Stopping your Engine ( including Turbo Timers)". http://www.sidc.co.uk/faq.htm

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers lads spot on now i can drive without wondering if im messing it up!

 

or before you get to your destination drive off boost for a few miles. this has much the same effect.

 

I am the same a Power Junkie.... 5 minutes from my destination I will start to wind things down and drive off boost as much a possible.