[abhi9044]

Adding my two cents here:-

Turbo petrols are no doubt inherently more complex than their NA counterparts. But there are many things else that one needs to consider.

1) The turbo used on a petrol engine is not going to be the same one as on a diesel. The petrol engines produce exhausts at a higher temperature than a diesel engine. This is due to the lesser thermal efficiency of the petrol engines. So the exhaust gases that will be rotating the exhaust turbine will heat the turbo much more than a diesel engine.

2) Turbo used in a petrol engine will comparatively rotate at much higher RPMs when compared to diesel. Thus more heat.

3) Most turbo-petrol engines use Direct Injection which causes the valves to get deposited with some hard sludge that is quite difficult to remove. One of the reasons for this is the emission norms getting more and more strict which forces manufacturers to use EGRs, PCV systems. These systems introduce some oil onto the valves. The result is that the petrol engine valves (especially the intake) have reached temperatures that allow 'bonding' of oil and particles to the valve. The exhaust valve doesn't have deposits since the temperatures are much higher which makes conditions unfavorable for deposits formation.

4) One of the things that I've noticed with turbo-petrols is that they don't rev as much as a NA. If this is the case, I would rather pick the diesel(considering the minimal price difference between them).

But one thing is for sure, once the market gets flooded with Turbo-petrols, the availability of experts and mechanics wouldn't be an issue. Considering that almost every diesel engine that is sold in our country is turbo charged, mechanics wouldn't really find it difficult to repair the turbo petrol engines.

Regards,
Abhishek.

[low_rider]

Originally Posted by GTO

For instance, we'll start with the turbo-charger itself. Your best friend if maintained well (and you practice the 1-minute idling rule), your worst enemy if you are careless.

What do we do in case of "micro-hybrids" which shut down the engine immediately while stopping at a traffic signal? There is no idling mechanism built in and the vehicle shuts down and starts up immediately. Also, since you are at a traffic signal, you also have to move immediately. How can someone practice the 1-minute idling rule in such cases?

[coolmel]

Having lived with a turbo diesel for close to 7 years, Id suggest stick to the basics. Follow the golden idling rule. Heck go the mile and install an engine idle shutoff device. Since tolerance levels inside such engines are super high, use good quality additives and 100% synthetic engine oils regularly. Same goes for checking coolant levels periodically. I have seen far too many Ecosports with smoke coming from the bonnet on umpteen highway drives.

Last but not the least, be nice and it will take you a long way.

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by low_rider

What do we do in case of "micro-hybrids" which shut down the engine immediately while stopping at a traffic signal? There is no idling mechanism built in and the vehicle shuts down and starts up immediately. Also, since you are at a traffic signal, you also have to move immediately. How can someone practice the 1-minute idling rule in such cases?

You can't, unless you disable stop-start. Turbos aren't even the worst affected - imagine the stress the high-pressure fuel pump (upto 3000 bar in diesels) has to go through, going to zero and back with no lag. I can tell you from personal experience, designing for that is fun.

Originally Posted by NiInJa

To get a hang of how complicated TC Petrol engines are just open the hood and remove engine cover of any turbo petrol car and compare that with a NA petrol engine There's too many pipes/hoses/wires running around the small engine block. Too many parts = more probability of something failing.

Those pipes are to carry oil, air, and sometimes water. In all my years driving and racing turbo-petrols (over a decade) I've never heard of one of those come off in an OEM application. You're safe there. Visual complexity to a layman is no indicator of either reliability or design excellence. Else a turbine jet engine would not be approximately 120x more reliable than a piston engine.

Originally Posted by NiInJa

Plus, Turbo engine's parts have tighter tolerances as they have to deal with high pressure and temperatures

Interesting. Do you have any reference material for this?

[Voodooblaster]

Forgive my ignorance, but is idling at start and stop necessary for NA engines ?

Is there any benefit/harm in following it ?

A friend, who is a CV driver of almost 20 years religiously advocates this for all kinds of vehicles. He even follows it for his 2 wheeler. His vehicles are over 8 years old (Taxi Tavera, Auto Piaggio Ape, Pulsar) and a 4 year old private car petrol Xcent 1.2l na. All are in pristine condition. He attributes this to regular service (At a FNG, since he can watch the work being done), correct consumable change, and the Idling rule.

He insists on being physically present at the FNG while Eng oil, break fluid, filters and coolant are being changed. He handles the top ups himself.

Since then I too am following the idling rule, and strict adherence to service schedule.