The Garage 354

Oil – the lifeblood
of a turbocharger
By Tom Wright,
Product Manager
at Melett
Lubrication is a key element to ensuring a turbocharger is doing
its job correctly. It is essential, therefore, to check that a vehicle’s
oil is the correct grade. When fitting a replacement turbo, it is
important that the oil system has been primed and is in full working
order. If this is not the case, it can lead to premature failure.
In this piece, Tom Wright, Product Manager at Melett, outlines
the core purpose of oil in relation to the turbocharger. Wright
argues there are many ways in which oil related issues can damage
the components, and in that respect, outlines why oil is the
lifeblood of a turbocharger, while also explaining the preventable
steps a technician can take.
Oil contamination
Causes
Wright advises: “Dirty oil, often referred to as ‘oil contamination’,
is one of the top killers of a turbocharger and can happen in a
multitude of ways. When repairing the vehicle, if the oil system is not
emptied, purged and changed correctly, it can leave debris from
the previous failure, which can contaminate the new oil and cause
premature failure.
“If a damaged, or poor-quality oil filter is used, this is another
way debris can pass through the filters and into the oil system. In
addition, liquid contaminants can lead to premature oil degradation,
and increased corrosion and wear, while oil degrading can also be
caused by excessive temperatures or extended service intervals.”
Prevention
If a turbo has failed, it’s important to ensure that all the oil systems
are purged and free from any foreign objects.
“A simple way of preventing dirty oil from affecting the
turbocharger is by taking extra care when changing the oil during
servicing to prevent accidental contamination,” adds Wright.
“It is also key to check for engine wear that could leave swarf
deposits.
“Something that must be done is to replace or clean the oil
inlet pipes and in-line micro filters, as this helps to prevent carbon
deposits entering the oil flow to the bearings.”
Wright concludes: “It is important to get a vehicle serviced every
year or every 10,000 miles, as well as changing the oil in accordance
with the vehicle manual, as it gives a turbo the best chance of having
a longer life cycle.”
Insufficient lubrication
Causes
Insufficient lubrication is also known as oil starvation or lack of
lubrication.
“It is often caused by blockages in the oil feed pipe and micro
filters within, damaged or bent oil feed pipes, a lack of priming of
the new turbo, as well as a damaged or worn oil pump, or sludge
and coke build up in the bearing housing from hot shutdowns,” says
Wright.
Prevention
“Using the correct grade of engine oil specified by the OEM engine
manufacturer is essential to give the turbocharger a long-lasting life
cycle. If the incorrect grade is used this can lead to overheating or
insufficient lubrication.
“Equally, oil supply is critical to the turbo, so it is important that a
technician ensures the oil flow is correct. Priming the turbocharger
and oil systems can stop the turbo from instant failure. Oil inlet pipes
should also be cleaned or replaced to remove carbon deposits or
sludge that could restrict oil flow to the bearing systems.”
Perhaps more crucially, Wright goes on to share a little-known fact
that many vehicle owners are unaware of: “It is important that drivers
26 THE GARAGE
22-27 Feature Oils and filters.indd 5 30/08/2023 15:17