Tell me about turbo timers

Question:

I have a 1980 Trans Am Pace Car and want to improve the performance. The Turbo runs hot and I want to install a turbo timer as well as an oil cooler. Any help would be great.

Answer:

Because they are driven by hot exhaust gases and they normally spin very fast, turbochargers reach very high operating temperatures. This is particularly challenging for the turbo’s shaft bearings.

To alleviate the heat load on the bearings, most turbochargers are cooled with a steady flow of engine oil around the shaft. The problem is that once the engine is shut off the oil flow stops, causing considerable heat saturation in the turbo. The heat can cause the static oil surrounding the shaft to “coke,” a chemical transformation that solidifies the oil, which aggravates the heat control problem and eventually clogs oil passages.

A turbo timer is a relatively simple device that allows the engine to continue running at idle speed for a programmed length of time after the ignition is shut off. The running engine continues to circulate oil through the turbo, cooling it down considerably.

And, obviously, an auxiliary oil cooler would further assist your efforts to cool the turbo. A variety of companies, including HKS, Blitz, Greddy and Apexi, make turbo timers.