What is turbocharger,What are the the function and precautions when using?
If the engine is the heart of a truck, then the turbocharger is the "super booster" that accelerates the heartbeat, which can increase the power by up to 30% on top of the original engine power. At the same time, it has significant advantages in increasing power, improving economy, and reducing emissions.
Working principle of turbocharger
The turbocharger is mainly composed of a turbine and a compressor. The turbine is like a huge fan, which is pushed by the exhaust gas from the engine to drive the compressor impeller to rotate, promoting fuel economy through turbocharging.
A compressor is like a vacuum cleaner, which can suck in fresh air and compress it, thereby increasing the density of air entering the cylinder and ultimately increasing engine power. Thanks to its unique technique of turning waste into treasure, the turbocharger is also known as the "lung" of the engine.
If the turbocharger is not properly maintained, it is prone to oil leakage and other phenomena, affecting engine performance and lifespan
What are the reasons for the turbocharger oil leakage?
1 . Long idle time
When the engine is idling for a long time, the speed of the turbocharger cannot increase. A certain negative pressure or vacuum state will be generated at the oil seal on the opposite side of the turbocharger turbine impeller and compressor impeller, which will cause the oil flowing out of the floating bearing to leak out under the pressure difference, resulting in oil leakage. In the long run, this will affect oil consumption.
If the vehicle idle for more than 20 minutes, there is a potential risk of oil leakage to the turbocharger. If the oil leakage is severe and the intake system has a large amount of dust, it can cause coking of the pressure shell expansion surface, leading to a decrease in the performance of the turbocharger.
2. Floating bearing wear
Long term failure to change the oil can cause severe wear on the floating bearing, resulting in excessive bearing clearance and unstable oil film. At high speeds, the turbocharger is prone to imbalance, which exacerbates the vibration of the rotor shaft system, thereby damaging the sealing rings at both ends and causing oil leakage.
3.The air filter is too dirty or blocked
When air supply is poor due to excessive dust in the air filter or deformation or leakage of the intake pipe
It can cause the negative pressure of the compressor intake to be too high: causing the internal pressure at the compressor end to be higher than the external pressure, and the oil will flow out of the intake pipe end under the pressure difference, resulting in oil leakage and poor oil return.
4.Poor oil return
When the engine oil flows out of the turbocharger floating bearing, it flows back to the oil pan by its own gravity.
However, if the return oil pipeline is deformed, blocked, or there is pressure in the return oil pipeline due to high exhaust gas pressure in the crankcase, the oil flowing out of the floating bearing will not flow back to the oil pan smoothly, but will flow out from the sealing rings at both ends along the rotor shaft, causing oil leakage.
So how do you determine if your turbocharger is leaking oil?
The method is very simple
Visual inspection during shutdown
Is there any oil stains at the outlet of the turbocharger pressure housing
If oil stains are found, there is a high possibility of oil leakage. It is necessary to deal with them as soon as possible to avoid causing greater losses.
Pay attention to regularly replacing the air filter and oil filter, regularly checking the sealing and bearing condition of the turbocharger, and achieving early detection and troubleshooting can better maintain the healthy operation of the turbocharger.