[nytrainer]

I'm a newb to the Turbo scene but helping my son with adding a turbo to his DD. Question regarding oiling turbo.
I believe we will be taking the oil feed from a port that feeds the oil pressure sending switch (install a T so retain switch function) but not sure about the return. Not a big deal to drop oil pan and put in a fitting but is there an easier/better way? Thanks

[Tom Vaught]

Originally Posted by nytrainer

I'm a newb to the Turbo scene but helping my son with adding a turbo to his DD. Question regarding oiling turbo.
I believe we will be taking the oil feed from a port that feeds the oil pressure sending switch (install a T so retain switch function) but not sure about the return. Not a big deal to drop oil pan and put in a fitting but is there an easier/better way? Thanks

Oil Feed to the turbo needs a -4 aeroquip (teflon liner) preferred. If using copper tubing then you want a tube with at least .125" inside diameter.
You can hook it up at the oil filter adaptor or at the Oil Passage Plug next to the distributor. Next to the distributor will have less heat transmitted to the tubing.

As far as the drain goes. Taking the Water Pump/Timing Cover off is easier that the oil pan and you can drill a oil return hole in the Timing Cover in the Timing Chain / Mechanical Fuel Pump area. Which side are you putting the Turbo on? I have seen Turbos drains installed in either side of the Timing Cover.

Tom V.

[GTOGEORGE]

I will also add Synthetic oil is a must in a turbo engine!


GTO George

[JSPONT]

Originally Posted by GTOGEORGE

I will also add Synthetic oil is a must in a turbo engine!


GTO George

I do not run synthetic, no need for it.

[JSPONT]

Originally Posted by nytrainer

I'm a newb to the Turbo scene but helping my son with adding a turbo to his DD. Question regarding oiling turbo.
I believe we will be taking the oil feed from a port that feeds the oil pressure sending switch (install a T so retain switch function) but not sure about the return. Not a big deal to drop oil pan and put in a fitting but is there an easier/better way? Thanks

Tom is correct 4 an in 8-10 an out. I know this sounds silly, but make sure you have the oil intake and return correct. One turbo I had was blowing oil,but the center section of the turbo had an inlet and outlet. Was not labeled, you had to look in it to figure out which was was up and down.
No uphills in the return line either.

[GTOGEORGE]

Originally Posted by JSPONT

I do not run synthetic, no need for it.

Just because you don't use it doesnt mean a racer doesnt need it in a turbo application specially in drag racing.......just saying.
A lot of racers run normal petroleum oils in their engine.............I would NEVER run anything BUT Synthetic, that doesnt mean you have to run it.....its just BETTER. It is the OIL that goes to the turbo's that run HOT (exhaust gases).
GTO George

[JSPONT]

Originally Posted by GTOGEORGE

Just because you don't use it doesnt mean a racer doesnt need it in a turbo application specially in drag racing.......just saying.
A lot of racers run normal petroleum oils in their engine.............I would NEVER run anything BUT Synthetic, that doesnt mean you have to run it.....its just BETTER. It is the OIL that goes to the turbo's that run HOT (exhaust gases).
GTO George

Unless you are a lazy car guy or have people work on your car for you, most of us change the oil way before the 3000 mile mark. We are not talking a race car. Synthetic is a waste of money with how much I change the oil versus the miles.

[GTOGEORGE]

Originally Posted by JSPONT

Unless you are a lazy car guy or have people work on your car for you, most of us change the oil way before the 3000 mile mark. We are not talking a race car. Synthetic is a waste of money with how much I change the oil versus the miles.

I run synthetic and i guarantee you I change it more then you, ALL 12 quarts! I take no chances......my engine is worth it. In fact I use synthetic in my trans and cars rear end. It has NOTHING to do with how often you change it......seriously.
I lost oil pressure one time in my race engine...........synthetic saved my engine BUT heck you can run what ever you want.

GTO George

[charlie66]

You can also return it into the fuel pump area in the timing cover if you run a electric pump. All you do is weld a return line to the delete plate and bolt it on. But you would have to have the turbo on the driver side to do this...

[Tom Vaught]

The oil coming out of the turbo will have lots of air in it. From the shaft speed of the turbo interacting with the journal bearings or ceramic ball bearings.

That air mixed with the drain oil has lots of air bubbles in it. That is why the drain needs to be much larger vs the inlet oil feed side of the turbo. If you dump the drain oil in the timing cover you are guaranteed to be above the oil level in the pan. That is what you want.
You DO NOT want to put the oil drain below the oil level, EVER!!!!!!
The pressure will build up in the line and the CHRA and you WILL push oil past the Turbine oil ring seal and into the exhaust.

If you do that, hire your vehicle out to kill Mosquitoes.

We have run convential oil in turbos for many years in small sales volumes. When we got into the 2 Million Volume level now we had people driving the cars/truck winter or summer in hot and very cold conditions. So the oils today are more like 5W 30 synthetic blends. Mostly this is for cold starts to get the engines running quickly and stop/start engine strategies.

Typical turbos have water cooling built into the CHRA housing so they could live for many years without synthetic blends. We put the synthetic blends in the engines not for the turbos that ALREADY have cooling provisions) but for F.E. and 5000 mile oil changes.

Tom V.

[nytrainer]

Thanks for all the info. His daily driver is a 2980lb 4 banger (Civic SI) that he uses for commuting to school, autocross, track days, etc. He's shooting for 400 + flywheel HP. Should get him deep into the 12's. Not crazy about the ricer platform but I'm proud that he's doing all this work in our shop. He's a 20 year old and he's now schooling me about waste gates, blow off valves, boost control etc..lol
He still loves his 68 Lemans vert. We have a 455 ready to build for it but he's got me thinking about putting a turbo on the 350 lol.

[taff2]

I've always used VR1 mineral oil in my race engines, never synthetic, it gets changed once per season along with the filter, my bearings have always checked out good and never had an oil related problem.(I have the bypass blocked and my spin on filter does not have a bypass valve either-I want all my oil filtered,all of the time). I'm only at just below the 1000hp mark at 7000rpm ,but I have a friend with 1300 hp BBC turbo combo that uses VR1 and his engine has been together for 7 years,same bearings/rings etc etc. It's not necessary to use synthetic in my opinion,but each to their own.

[GTOGEORGE]

Originally Posted by GTOGEORGE

I will also add Synthetic oil is a must in a turbo engine!


GTO George

As some people (charlie66) have said the drain is always bigger in Dia. and the Timing cover is what I also would recommend.
Also im going to stick with what I said in the olden days petroleum oils are all we had BUT thats not the case anymore, now a days the HIGH heat of the turbo plus VERY HIGH RPM of the turbo means synthetic oils are almost a MUST for turbo engines IMO! That doesnt mean your turbo will fail without syn oil its just plain BETTER. Petroleum oils can break down under the HIGH heat of a turbo, Syn holds up to HIGH heat just do some research. Synthetics oil are a CHEAP insurance policy for your engine and Turbos, its just common sense!


GTO George

[wreckmastr]

Originally Posted by GTOGEORGE

As some people (charlie66) have said the drain is always bigger in Dia. and the Timing cover is what I also would recommend.
Also im going to stick with what I said in the olden days petroleum oils are all we had BUT thats not the case anymore, now a days the HIGH heat of the turbo plus VERY HIGH RPM of the turbo means synthetic oils are almost a MUST for turbo engines IMO! That doesnt mean your turbo will fail without syn oil its just plain BETTER. Petroleum oils can break down under the HIGH heat of a turbo, Syn holds up to HIGH heat just do some research. Synthetics oil are a CHEAP insurance policy for your engine and Turbos, its just common sense!


GTO George

Like anything else its to each his own. What works for one may not for another. We run Brad Penn NON synthetic SAE 60 in the summer months and SAE 50 cooler weather. But again its all personal preference.

[GTOGEORGE]

Originally Posted by wreckmastr

Like anything else its to each his own. What works for one may not for another. We run Brad Penn NON synthetic SAE 60 in the summer months and SAE 50 cooler weather. But again its all personal preference.

I also use Brad Penn but its 20-50 semi synthetic oil and you are right.......to each there own.

GTO George

[Curious George]

For those with turbo drains on passenger side of timing cover, I'd love to see some pictures. No issues with windage from timing chain and rpm?

[Tom Vaught]

Luhn Performance has done several installations on the passenger side of the engine (oil drain from a boosting device) and has come up with a mounting block I believe that is installed below the lower radiator hose on the side of the timing cover. Talk to Mark and he can fix you up.
The timing chain "windage" actually helps break the bubbles coming out of the oil line and lets the oil drain quicker.

Tom V.

[GTOGEORGE]

I use to run a Amsiol canaster by-pass filter on my first Blown 1974 GTO, I drained it on the driver side of the timing cover. Passenger side should work fine.

GTO George

[Tom McQueen]

What about oil pressure at the turbo bearing?

How much is to much?

[Tom Vaught]

We have run turbos on dyno tests as high as 85 psi, without issues, as the drillings for the turbo journal bearings can easily handle that pressure.

Ball Bearing can use less oil so what we have done there is at the higher oil pressures we by-pass a portion of the oil back to the engine without going thru the turbo(s).

We DO NOT want to restrict the oil flow but we can "by-pass" some of the oil flow (just like a oil pump does in normal use).

Tom V.