Turbo Maintenance

[CamaroxGuy]

Is there anything people do to keep their turbos in good repair?
I don't seem to have the same sharp whistle of the turbo spooling up like I used too.

 

[shibbs]

The best thing to prolong the life of your turbo is to let the car idle for a minute or two before shutting down the car if you've been driving it hard. Letting hot oil sit in the hot bearings/journals is a quick way to reduce oil flow, leading to premature bearing failure.

 

[CamaroxGuy]

That a very good point, I always wait on start up but not after I park.
Thanks

 

[Llia]

Wonder if we can use turbo timers?

 

[zomby woof]

Neither of those will make any difference on modern water cooled turbos.

 

[Blue Moon Sonic]

One of the best things besides letting the car warm up and letting it sit for about 30 seconds to cool off before shutting it off, is changing your oil every 5000-7500 miles and to use full synthetic only for the engine oil. This will keep the turbo happy and prevent sludge build up in the engine, oil feed/return lines and the bearings in the turbo itself.

 

[carsNskis]

Driving slowly or keeping revs low for the last few minutes before you stop helps. Putting it away super hot isn't good no matter how much the cooling systems have improved

[emoji593][emoji809][emoji472]

 

[mysterslyckster]

Unless you've modified the boost side PCV to run through a catch can instead of back into the compressor inlet, every once in a while, you'll need to take your intake tract apart and give it a good cleaning. That includes the intercooler, charge piping and, compressor side of the turbo. Thanks to emissions regs, GM piped the boost side PCV right back into the compressor inlet downstream of the air filter. Thanks to this and depending on how many miles you have on your 1.4L, everything downstream of the compressor inlet will be coated with a nasty black oily mess, including your compressor wheel. Give it all a good cleaning and then run the boost side PCV hose through a catch can and then back into the compressor inlet, or even just run it overboard somewhere so there's no more sludge and junk going back through your compressor and intercooler.

 

[Natesriv]

Use Mobile One Synthetic, it doesn't bake like dinosaur oil does
Don't drive hard the first few minutes, let the car warm up a little
When starting cold, don't drive off until RPM's drop down
When driving hard, let the car idle for a bit prior to shutting if off.
If you're not home and HAVE been driving hard, just drive normal for a couple of minutes to let the oil cool a bit. Turbo timers aren't really necessary then.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Wonder if we can use turbo timers?

I have a 1980 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am that my parents bought new. It specifically says in the manual to let the engine idle for about 30 seconds before shutting it down to prevent oil "coking". We've adhered to that rule since October 1980 when we bought it....it does only have 26,000 miles on it though .

 

[skurtov]

Good regular oil and filter changes. 5W-40 oil. Making sure that that coolant system is properly serviced.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Good regular oil and filter changes. 5W-40 oil. Making sure that that coolant system is properly serviced.

I wouldn't recommend 5W-40 oil for the Sonic. That grade is typically used in severe duty service diesels. I don't believe it's Dexos1 compliant either, it's typically CJ-4 compliant for diesel use.

5W30 is what GM recommends for the Sonic as far as grade goes.

 

[Llia]

What about shutting the car off and locking the car. Then use the remote start and let it run that way as a turbo timer? It shuts off automatically anyways.

 

[skurtov]

I wouldn't recommend 5W-40 oil for the Sonic. That grade is typically used in severe duty service diesels. I don't believe it's Dexos1 compliant either, it's typically CJ-4 compliant for diesel use.

5W30 is what GM recommends for the Sonic as far as grade goes.

Those certifications don't really mean that much, its basically licensing for oil, manufacturers pay GM to be certified as Dexos. Since our turbos are ball bearing based and are lubricated from oil, the extra grade and better shear protection that's formulated into oils such as Rotella T6 and Motul's Fully Synthetic X-Cess, can benefit long term performance. I've owned 1.8T VW's for years now and I won't put anything lesser in them. Those engines have been known to coke oil, and the extra heat tolerance that 5W-40 brings to the table is invaluable.

But honestly, this isn't the place to discuss oils. Bobistheoilguy has several 1.4T oil analysis' from Cruze owners. If you want to read on what the best grade is for your engine. I suggest hopping over to them.

I personally use nothing but Motul's X-Cess on Amazon. And if your oil change intervals are below 5000 miles, the grade of your oil won't really matter as long as it is fully synthetic

 

[Ponchoguy]

Those certifications don't really mean that much, its basically licensing for oil, manufacturers pay GM to be certified as Dexos. Since our turbos are ball bearing based and are lubricated from oil, the extra grade and better shear protection that's formulated into oils such as Rotella T6 and Motul's Fully Synthetic X-Cess, can benefit long term performance. I've owned 1.8T VW's for years now and I won't put anything lesser in them. Those engines have been known to coke oil, and the extra heat tolerance that 5W-40 brings to the table is invaluable.

But honestly, this isn't the place to discuss oils. Bobistheoilguy has several 1.4T oil analysis' from Cruze owners. If you want to read on what the best grade is for your engine. I suggest hopping over to them.

I personally use nothing but Motul's X-Cess on Amazon. And if your oil change intervals are below 5000 miles, the grade of your oil won't really matter as long as it is fully synthetic

I'd rather use what GM recommends. In that fashion if you have a problem, you have receipts showing what you bought and that it's in compliance with with the warranty requirements.

If you try to argue your point and you use an unapproved oil, you might have an uphill battle on your hands.

As many people said, "ain't got time for that......"

 

[skurtov]

I'd rather use what GM recommends. In that fashion if you have a problem, you have receipts showing what you bought and that it's in compliance with with the warranty requirements.

If you try to argue your point and you use an unapproved oil, you might have an uphill battle on your hands.

As many people said, "ain't got time for that......"

Yeah if you're within your 100k power train warranty shops will fill whatever is GM graded. If you do your own the techs will never see any wear or benefits from the change in what you use.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Yeah if you're within your 100k power train warranty shops will fill whatever is GM graded. If you do your own the techs will never see any wear or benefits from the change in what you use.

They recommend what they recommend for a reason, so it pays to follow it. I do my own oil changes and I think with receipts and proof of what you put into the engine, you'd have an easier time with warranty should you have a problem.

If you use something other than what was recommended, I think you'd have an uphill battle trying to prove that you did proper maintenance.

 

[suitcasejefferson]

I recommend 10w30 oil and changing it every 3000 miles. I believe that waiting 5000-7000 miles to change your oil will shorten your engines life by close to 30%. The super thin oils and extended oil change intervals are nothing but EPA lies.

 

[Ponchoguy]

I recommend 10w30 oil and changing it every 3000 miles. I believe that waiting 5000-7000 miles to change your oil will shorten your engines life by close to 30%. The super thin oils and extended oil change intervals are nothing but EPA lies.

I disagree. Oil is better than it has been in years. Full synthetic oil is better than the dino oil of the past. I wind up going 4,000 miles or so between changes and I still have over 40% oil life (but I do it anyway). I use full synthetic Dexos1 compliant oil (so far Quaker State Ultimate Durability, but I'll probably use the Walmart full synthetic Supertech Dexos1 next) and Delco filters (which are made by Hengst for Delco).

Why would you try to pump 10W oil in the winter time when GM recommends 5W? It's like trying to pump peanut butter through a straw. LOL.

I stick to what the manufacturer recommends and use the "severe service" interval. If you follow that, your car should last a while with no real problems, assuming it's designed right.

 

[5.0]

I recommend 10w30 oil and changing it every 3000 miles. I believe that waiting 5000-7000 miles to change your oil will shorten your engines life by close to 30%. The super thin oils and extended oil change intervals are nothing but EPA lies.

And this is based off what scientific data? The engineers that designed and built the engine know a lot better than you what to run in it.