turbo

[dsw]

What would the benefits and downfalls be if one was to fit a larger turbo unit on to their diesel engine ?

 

[oldsaltoz]

You first find out if your engine can handle a turbo, many won't and many have blown engines trying.

All a turbo does is pot more and more air into pot providing a boost in power because you have more volume compressed into the same space.

Advantages:
Provided the engine was designed for a turbo you get more HP for less weight, higher top end RPM and better fuel economy.

Disadvantages:
Another bit added to complicate the number the items that can and do fail. More heat in the engine compartment as the turbo housing gets very hot, being driven by exhaust gasses I suppose this is no surprise.

The engine in my ford Transit has a turbo and despite covering over 400,000 Km is still working OK but the seals have a very small leak, not enough to drip yet, but will no doubt not see 500K.

Hope this helps.

Avagoodweekend.....

 

[vyv_cox]

On a sailing boat auxiliary engine, it seems to me that the big disadvantage is that the turbo only comes into its own at the higher end of the rev range. My personal choice is to run my engine towards the bottom end of the rev range, with occasional high-rev bursts to keep the engine sweet. Having to motor or motor-sail at 3000 rpm for hours on end simply to keep the turbo turning is not my idea of fun or logic.

 

[bedouin]

The problem with turbos is that they only operate over a restricted range of revs - particularly on a diesel. This is not a problem for cars as they have gear-boxes to ensure that you are always operating the engine in that rev range.

However on a sailing boat the engine spends 95% of its time at the low end of the range where a turbo is of little or no benefit, unless of course we start fitting 6 speed gearboxes to our boats /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I believe that turbos are fairly common on diesel-powered MOBOs

 

[savageseadog]

Would supercharging be appropriate? I know a supercharger is directly pumped by the engine so it gets round some of the objections to a turbo. I don't know if it's practical for boat engines especially small ones.

 

[PeteCooper]

Fitting a larger turbo might not work - or at least possibly give less power as it might not spin up to the correct revs to work properly.

 

[status]

To my mind, being a bit slow about these things, would alteration of the turbo not also require re-calibration of the injection system.

More air volume + same fuel volume = same power
More air volume + more fuel volume = increased power

 

[dsw]

thats more like it ! they are the sort of answers i need and my engine is a cummings 6bta 5.9 ltr 180hp at 2500rpm loads of engine room space as my boat is a work boat 37ft so no heat problems and the turbo i have been offerd is bigger than the one i have already but will fit .

 

[vyv_cox]

Maybe it would have helped us to answer the question if you had told us the details in your first post. There's a lot of difference between what you have in a workboat and what many of us have in sailing yachts.

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Vyv,

Most turbo's kick in at just over 1,000 Rpm, hardly the high end of the operating rev range, 1,200 RPM provides a torrent of exhaust gasses, plenty enough to spin a turbo.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Stuart, (Status) and welcome aboard the YBW fomums with your first posting.

Avagoodweekend......