Turbochargers give your vehicle a boost...but be forewarned

We are seeing more vehicles with turbochargers.  Manufacturers like them because they give a smaller engine the power of a much larger engine, and the consumer likes the acceleration and exhilaration. 

Today's turbocharger will spin around 180,000 to 200,000 RPM.  That is forty times faster than a high revving engine.  It will reach somewhere into the 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit range.  Ninety percent of the time it is cooled with engine oil. With the turbocharger on the outside of the engine, upon startup the engine has to pump its oil through its internal system (which has drained down to the sump) and then out to the turbocharger so that it has lubrication. 

If I have created a good picture in your mind, then you will recognize two areas of concern: 1) the vehicle should not be started and driven immediately because the oil may not have reached the turbocharger, and 2) engine oil at 2,000 degrees is very hot. If stationary, that oil will bake onto whatever it is touching.  It needs to cool-down before it stops moving.

Give your turbocharged engine more time to warmup and more time to cool down.  Change your oil on time - every time.