Awise turbo specialist once said: ‘Turbos don’t die; they’re killed.’ And they were right.
Turbochargers get a bad rep for being temperamental old things that like to play up in anything other than 100% perfect conditions, but that’s not really fair. Turbos must put up with some of the harshest conditions your engine dishes out – those immense heat cycles would put an enormous strain on any piece of hardware, but a well-cared-for turbo will happily cope. Looked after properly, a good turbo can last the lifetime of your car, even on a tuned engine. But they’re not indestructible. They rely heavily on other component parts of your engine – not to mention your mapping settings – being in tip-top condition too. That’s why we’ve compiled this guide to the most common causes of turbo failure and how to prevent it from happening.
OIL STARVATION
Without question, the most common cause of turbo failure is oil starvation.
A turbocharger’s turbine shaft runs at speeds of over 150,000rpm and at temperatures exceeding 900°C, and it can do so almost endlessly – but only when lubricated as it was designed to be. To work effectively, a turbo needs a constant f low and pressure of clean, good quality oil. This not only works to lubricate the thrust and journal bearings, it also helps to stabilise the rotating shaft
