RE: Care and feeding of turbos?

[Peter Henriksen <peterhe@microsoft.com>]

Lag depends on the implementation - on my 91 200 (3B engine) there's
some lag, but then it comes on furiously. Not as much lag as my 88 Saab
9000 Turbo though and nothing you can't live with.

Boost gauges also depend on the car. Mine has a digital gauge integrated
into the computer display, whereas the later S4 models and the A4 1.8T
don't have one at all.

No user-operated controls are standard. There are aftermarket mods
though.

No regular maintenance of the turbo is required, but some common sense
is, i.e., don't run the car hard and then just turn it off - leave it to
cool down a little bit at idle or low loads with oil still circulating
through the system. Also, using synthetic oil and frequent (3000 miles)
oil changes becomes very important. It's pretty expensive to blow your
turbo, so good care and feeding is important. It's not a major chore
though.

I have no hesitation in choosing an Audi turbocharged engine. Some
manufacturers do better that others with implementation, but I think
that overall most do well by now.
- peter
  peterhe@microsoft.com - http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/1001
  91 200qw
  94 acura legend gs
  issaquah, wa, usa


>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Lynn Smith [SMTP:lynn@dvcorp.com]
>Sent:	Monday, January 13, 1997 2:36 PM
>To:	quattro@coimbra.ans.net
>Subject:	Care and feeding of turbos?
>
>
>I seem to be narrowing my search for a new quattro to the 200 models.  I've
>never owned a turbo before, so I'm wondering what to expect.  How's it
>behave while driving?  Is there a lag in acceleration while the turbo kicks
>in?  Is a boost gauge standard?  Are there any user operated controls,
>other than the throttle?  For instance, some Audi's have a switch to
>disengage the ABS, can you turn off the turbo?
>
>How about maintenance, is there any regular maintenance required?  Should
>I expect a 200 to be less reliable overall than the same model 100?  One
>dealer indicated as much.  What is the failure mode for a turbo?  What's
>the cost to recover from it?
>
>No doubt my ignorance on the topic of turbos in general is showing.  I
>have a pretty good understanding of most of the systems on a car, but I
>don't know anything about the principle behind turbo charging.  Anyone
>care to give me a high level education?  How does a turbo wring out more
>hp from those same 5 cylinders?  Can you recommend references for further
>reading?
>
>TIA,
>
>-- 
>Lynn Smith
>lynn@dvcorp.com
>