Turbochargers are the magical bhp boosters capable of spreading huge smiles from ear to ear, but treat these snail-shaped engine components with disrespect and they’ll throw a hissy fit of diva-spec proportions. With this in mind, we thought it a good idea to identify the most widely reported causes of turbo failure and offer advice helping you to avoid frustrating (and expensive) repair work. As you’ll discover, turbochargers are far from the prissy prima donnas many people mistake them for. These performance enhancing components are actually tough pieces of hardware enduring some of the harshest operating conditions your Porsche’s powerplant can muster. Looked after properly, they’ll last the lifetime of your car, but they also require other engine components to be kept in tiptop condition. Read on and discover the thirteen most commonly reported turbocharger failures and what you can do to prevent them.
1. Oil Starvation
The most common cause of turbocharger failure is oil starvation. A turbocharger’s turbine shaft runs at speeds of over 150,000rpm and at temperatures exceeding 900°C. It can do so almost endlessly, but only when lubricated with a constant flow (and pressure) of clean, good quality oil. This not only works to lubricate the thrust and journal bearings, but also helps stabilise the rotating shaft and journal bearings, as well as acting as a coolant. This requirement is intensified as the turbocharger speed and engine load increases – even a small reduction in oil pressure can be enough to kill your turbo in seconds. The condition can be identified by either ‘bluing’ on the turbo shaft or seized bearings. The main causes of oil starvation range from oil pump failure, low oil levels and contaminated oil, to broken or blocked oil feed pipes, which can obstruct the flow of the oil to the turbocharger, even if your car’s oil pressure gauge is
