Need info re Turbo

[1971Camaro]

This is the first modern turbo i have owned. Maybe this is normal, but i need to ask you experts...

I did a short errand in the neighborhood and took the FL5. I came back 3 hours ago, and put it in the driveway. I then went out about an hour ago (2 hrs later) and put it in the garage. I've done this kind of routine many times in the past, but this time it was different.

When i got out of the car in the more confined space, i noticed there was warmth and touching the hood, it was quite warm. It didn't feel extreme hot, so i got back into the car and just turned on the gauges in accessory mode -- the engine temp was cold. So, i figured it was ok and the turbo had some cooling leftover since it was a fairly warm (yet totally overcast) day. That was an hour ago. I just went back to the garage and the garage was really warm from the car, which was still emanating heat (altho it was maybe a bit cooler, but not that much). Just to be sure, i moved it back out onto the driveway (where it is now).

Is this normal? If so, what would have been different this time?

If this is not normal, please advise.

For the record... the area with the highest heat appears to be just around the passenger side of the hood turbo vent. I am wondering if i picked up something in the turbo system that is blocking cooling?

Thanks!

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[1971Camaro]

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@Integra23

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If anyone knows someone here who might have an idea...pls tag them.
Thanks!

 

[1971Camaro]

p.s. - i guess it sounded stupid that i didn't open the hood, but I should mention that i didn't want to let a lot of air into the engine compartment in case there was a chance something could ignite. (i.e. if the engine is cool, but the hood/intake area is hot, i was concerned) Once it cools down, i will open it and look.

 

[AlpineBoost]

No FL5 but I've owned 3 modern turbo cars. How long were you driving during your errand? All of mine tend to emit a lot of heat in the garage after shutdown but that's generally after a drive of an hour or so. They can tolerate a good amount of heat but at times it can seem excessive especially if there's multiple cars cooling off in there at the same time. Feels like an oven and GA summers don't help. Mine usually feel significantly cooler after a couple hours.

 

[1971Camaro]

No FL5 but I've owned 3 modern turbo cars. How long were you driving during your errand? All of mine tend to emit a lot of heat in the garage after shutdown but that's generally after a drive of an hour or so. They can tolerate a good amount of heat but at times it can seem excessive especially if there's multiple cars cooling off in there at the same time. Feels like an oven and GA summers don't help. Mine usually feel significantly cooler after a couple hours.

Thanks for the reply... it was wimpy stuff... 10 minutes and never over 40mph. I was going to take it down the highway right after that, but never made it due to a change in work plans.

It's still a bit warm after all this time, but it's dark and rainy, so i'm going to wait until it's light to take a look under the hood. So, if anyone has thoughts or can tell me what i should look for (if there's nothing obvious), plmk.

Thanks!

 

[Clark_Kent]

Based on the information you've provided, I don't think anything out of the ordinary occurred. We're experiencing a coast-to-coast heat wave right now so that certainly doesn't help matters. I believe the heat emanating from the car became more noticeable when moved to an enclosed area, the garage. It's also worth noting the temp inside the garage is likely lower than outside temps.

On subsequent drives I suggest using LogR to collect data (e.g., IAT, Water Temp, Oil Temp, Oil Pressure) and consume that information in the context of ambient temps. Also, pop the hood and take a look around the engine bay for anything unusual. Let us know how this works out.

 

[mbaapk]

They can stay warm for a while. Keep an eye on the log r water, oil and air intake temps like CK said and if normal and no cel its highly likely its just fine.

 

[GV27]

I think it’s normal. My fl5 will stay warm for hours in the garage, which itself becomes somewhat of an oven. I’m sure it will be much less apparent in winter. This car doesn’t vent heat quickly when it’s not moving.

btw, a few days ago I emptied the Mishimoto catch can to see how much collected in there in the 1000 miles since I installed it. I parked in the garage, went back 2 hours later and it was still quite warm - an ir meter showed around 60C in the engine bay and the LogR display showed about the same for the intake temp (engine off). I left it with the hood open And came back maybe two hours later, at which point it was cool so I took the catch can off. It caught 4ml of blow by in those 1000 miles - the same as Mishimoto found in their testing.

 

[ELIAS64]

Same thing for me. Extremely hot on short drive. I usually let the car idle for a minute before turning off and leave the Garage open for air to circulate! It’s summer

 

[mbaapk]

I think it’s normal. My fl5 will stay warm for hours in the garage, which itself becomes somewhat of an oven. I’m sure it will be much less apparent in winter. This car doesn’t vent heat quickly when it’s not moving.

btw, a few days ago I emptied the Mishimoto catch can to see how much collected in there in the 1000 miles since I installed it. I parked in the garage, went back 2 hours later and it was still quite warm - an ir meter showed around 60C in the engine bay and the LogR display showed about the same for the intake temp (engine off). I left it with the hood open And came back maybe two hours later, at which point it was cool so I took the catch can off. It caught 4ml of blow by in those 1000 miles - the same as Mishimoto found in their testing.

Where did you get your catch can?

 

[GV27]

Where did you get your catch can?

It’s a Mishimoto catch can for the fk8/fl5. Got it from Amazon.

 

[Noize]

Turbo is in the front and going to emanate loads of heat. Summertime. Operating as intended.

On the dyno without a lot of air movement, the hotside of many turbos will heat enough to glow brightly during a pull. I wouldn’t think twice about it.

 

[Integra23]

With exhaust gasses of up to 1700 degrees driving the turbo your going to see some heat emitting from that area. Compounded with the current heat wave it's going to warm-up quicker and take longer to dissipate.

 

[1971Camaro]

Guys - you are great!!! Thanks so much.

I took a look and everything looked totally normal. I'm not a tuner, so my knowledge is limited... but there wasn't any visible heat damage or discoloration or indication of scorching or whatever. I contacted my service department and asked what else i should look for and they had me check along the path of the turbo intake for any irregularities, but none at all.

When i asked him about anything caught in the intake, and i mentioned i had mice in my other car, he had me bring the car over, and checked anyway for anything he might see, as well as any hidden droppings from mice...but he said there was no chance of anything in the intake as those 2 sensors on the intake make it almost impossible for there to be a reduced or clogged intake and not get a dash alert.

Again, i did have an old turbo Z, and i'm aware that it needed to cool down. I also have been driving and parking this FL5 in the garage since february and while the hood's been hot initially, it never stayed this hot for so long. so... why the difference?

I thought about all your comments re letting the engine run to help with cooldown... and thinking again what happened... i thought about how i had a change in work schedule and while i was going to go out again immediately, i just pulled into the driveway, turned off the car, and ran in to get back to work. I didn't let the engine run at all before turning it off.

So, after i got back from the dealer yesterday (after a much more docile drive than i usually do), i then let the engine run just a bit like i often do and tested again. The overall hood was again hotter than i'm used to... so i thought maybe it is just the hotter weather, and i wasn't remembering well enough.

One last try... I took the car out last night and drove it normally. Plus, on the way home there's a 45 mph stretch where i was stopped at a light and then hit it hard to ensure the turbo was fully engaged...then made a corner at really slow speed and then accelerated hard up to speed. I wanted to see how much hotter it got.

Well... it didn't. The overall hood was COOLER than it was from the other trips -- only a small area around the intake vent felt at all hot. What?

So, do the turbo gasses build up and then if not used, they linger longer in the lines? Is that possible? Help me with this.

 

[1971Camaro]

Based on the information you've provided, I don't think anything out of the ordinary occurred. We're experiencing a coast-to-coast heat wave right now so that certainly doesn't help matters. I believe the heat emanating from the car became more noticeable when moved to an enclosed area, the garage. It's also worth noting the temp inside the garage is likely lower than outside temps.

On subsequent drives I suggest using LogR to collect data (e.g., IAT, Water Temp, Oil Temp, Oil Pressure) and consume that information in the context of ambient temps. Also, pop the hood and take a look around the engine bay for anything unusual. Let us know how this works out.

Thanks for the suggestion... I did drive it and monitored the +R on my dash the whole trip. Nothing out of the ordinary (yah, runs hot, but nothing went high). That gave me confidence to not worry about it.

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