[zaks]

Originally Posted by sanjaymugur

turbo gone kaput is because of petes tuning box & not due to FIAT's turbo quality...

in few international fiat forums people are against petes box as it has been frying turbos consistently.... even in india it has know to fail turbos.....

I don't have any Petes in my car but have observed the acceleration going soft during high speed gear change from 4-5

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by lejhoom

If you happen to read the Owner's Manual that came with Palio MJD, it says you can drive the car off as soon as you start the engine. It explicitly states that you don't have to wait like you do with other cars. There is no mention of idling before switching off the engine though.

Browsing through this thread again brings to the fore for me this subject, where letting the engine idle for 90 seconds or so before shut down is still very much a requirement for long and trouble free turbo life. I am pretty sure that while turbo diesels have become very popular here, not too many people know this, and therefore probably do not do this. Turbos will always have premature failures if the engine is shut down right away, and this is probably the most common reason for the large number of failures. By and large I have seen that the commercial drivers observe this discipline.

[autogeek]

Originally Posted by lejhoom

Hi,
If you happen to read the Owner's Manual that came with Palio MJD, it says ....There is no mention of idling before switching off the engine though.

I would say you refer to the manual again. There is a section which says that after a spirited drive do not switch off the engine immediately. I don't remember the exact sentence, though.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by autogeek

I would say you refer to the manual again. There is a section which says that after a spirited drive do not switch off the engine immediately. I don't remember the exact sentence, though.

Its not just spirited driving, its every drive where the turbo has run long enough to reach its normal operating temperatures. When the engine idles, the turbo shuts down, but engine oil continues to flow inside it and cool it down to a temperature where the oil inside the turbo moving parts won't burn and turn into coke - as it would if the engine is shut down right away without some time at idle. Turbos can fry very quickly this way.

[zaks]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Its not just spirited driving, its every drive where the turbo has run long enough to reach its normal operating temperatures. When the engine idles, the turbo shuts down, but engine oil continues to flow inside it and cool it down to a temperature where the oil inside the turbo moving parts won't burn and turn into coke - as it would if the engine is shut down right away without some time at idle. Turbos can fry very quickly this way.

Unless your oil temperatures are hitting the high line you don't have to idle. These are modern engines and not age old designs which trucks have which required them to idle after every run.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by zaks

Unless your oil temperatures are hitting the high line you don't have to idle. These are modern engines and not age old designs which trucks have which required them to idle after every run.

I disagree. This is an input I have from a current turbo maker. Idling is recommended after every run that gets the turbo to operating temps, which happens in as little as 15- 20 minutes of turbo usage.
PS: It helps to know at what rpm the turbo kicks in on your particular make of engine, because if you drive the last bit home where the engine is not revving hard enough for that to happen, then the idling can be done away with.

[vikasb]

Originally Posted by jyobeb

My car has done 18K kms. ac condenser under warranty thrice!

3 times is too much.
What was the exact issue you experienced? Cooling problem?
What is the price of the condenser?

[architect]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Idling is recommended after every run that gets the turbo to operating temps, which happens in as little as 15- 20 minutes of turbo usage.

I do idle the turbo before shutting down, but one difficult thing is to idle for 90 seconds religiously at traffic jams or similar situations.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

PS: It helps to know at what rpm the turbo kicks in on your particular make of engine, because if you drive the last bit home where the engine is not revving hard enough for that to happen, then the idling can be done away with.

When you say the turbo kicking in, you mean when the real impact of the acceleration due to the turbo is felt. IIRC the turbo is running whenever the engine is running, albeit at lower RPMs. The 'kick' is felt when it reaches it operating RPMs. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by architect

When you say the turbo kicking in, you mean when the real impact of the acceleration due to the turbo is felt. IIRC the turbo is running whenever the engine is running, albeit at lower RPMs. The 'kick' is felt when it reaches it operating RPMs. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Correct, that is when it provides the boost that you feel as the kick. It is then that it is spinning at maybe 20000 rpm and heats up to operating temp. When it spools down and stops providing the boost, it is in idle mode and if it has been that way with the engine running for a minute or two, whether with the car halted or coasting slowly, that is good enough for shut down. If you shut the engine down on a turbo in boost mode, oil circulation stops inside it, and oil left in the turbo can turn into carbon on the turbo bearings that are at a much higher temp than other engine parts, which is not good for its life.

[Sawyer]

Missed a zero there, the speeds are 100000 to 200000 rpms at full boost.

[jyobeb]

Originally Posted by vikasb

3 times is too much.
What was the exact issue you experienced? Cooling problem?
What is the price of the condenser?

Yup! Zero cooling! The condenser has been replaced under warranty after fighting with Fiat. This time however, I am being asked to pay for the gas re-charging. The condenser has failed in the same joint all three times.

[vikasb]

I hear a screeching sound from somewhere when starting the car. It happens only when the car is cold started (in the morning). Searched in google and the pointers are that it might be linked to the alternator belt. Battery looks absolutely fine. Has anyone faced such an issue

[architect]

Not yet, but get the belt checked.

Could it be a timing chain issue? The ASC repeatedly mentions that the multijet timing chain lasts for 1 lakh km when I ask them, but it is supposed to be checked at 60 k km. In either case, get it checked. A broken belt is bad but a broken timing chain could be much worse.

[trrk]

Hi Vikas,

Originally Posted by vikasb

I hear a screeching sound from somewhere when starting the car. It happens only when the car is cold started (in the morning).

Cold start screeching is usually the alternator belt.

A tightening if a little loose or change if it is worn should solve the problem.

[vikasb]

Originally Posted by architect

Not yet, but get the belt checked.

Could it be a timing chain issue? The ASC repeatedly mentions that the multijet timing chain lasts for 1 lakh km when I ask them, but it is supposed to be checked at 60 k km. In either case, get it checked. A broken belt is bad but a broken timing chain could be much worse.

Originally Posted by trrk

Hi Vikas,
Cold start screeching is usually the alternator belt.

A tightening if a little loose or change if it is worn should solve the problem.

Thanks for the pointers guys.
Planning to get it checked soon.
Will keep you all updated