Hey everyone,

I got my RDX yesterday and was wondering if anyone knows if there's a cool down period for the turbo charger. I've heard on old turbos there was and wanted to see if it still exists. I looked through the owner's manual and didn't find anything.

Thanks,
Bryan

 

get a HKS or Greddy turbo timer - I know a place where you can get one at a decent price (if you need)

 

Please tell me I don't have to wait after a hot RDX drive before I can drive again! This sounds like older tubo technology.

 

No, what people mean is after you pull in the garage at the end of a spirited drive, do you have to let the engine run for a period of time to let the oil cycle through the turbo at rest so the hot oil doesn't stay and "coke". At least I think that's what he means.

 

yeah, What turbo timer does is..When your motor is off, the engine will still run until the engine cools down so you dont have sit there and wait...It should take about 1 min and 30sec to 2 min.

 

Maybe not needed - is that why it requires synthetic oil??

 

Yes, that is what I meant.

 

If I were to buy an RDX that would be one of my first mods.....i dont know about newer turbo tech. but better safe than sorry, timers help in the turbo longevity dept.

Or you can just sit in th car a good 2 mins before shut off every time you drive....

 

Asked this exact question at the dealer last night....

No idling before shutdown needed.

 

When in doubt, consult your owners manual. If an idling cool down period is required, it will be clearly noted in the owners manual. This may even be a safer source of information than asking at the dealership, since certain sales people or certain service technicians may be prone to giving their opinions rather than factual information. If the source at the dealership was quoting an official Honda/Acura document, then the information is reliable.
I believe that lumpulus's information is correct and that no cool down period is required BUT I still think that it would not be wise to drive the RDX hard, bouncing off the redline constantly and then park it immediatley after. Turbo or no turbo, letting an engine "rest" for a minute or two after very hard driving is always a good idea.

 

not on newer stock turbos. not needed.

 

Turbo timers aren't usually going to be needed on stock applications unless you are doing power runs and then want to shut the engine off immediately. Driving at civil speeds for a couple of minutes before shutting it down should be fine. So unless you live off the interstate and are ready to shut the car off less than a minute after driving hard, you'll be ok.

 

This question appears in Road & Track. They said no cooldown unless you've been using the turbo hard and then shut off so for a minute before you shut off the car don't use the turbo.

 

one thing... if you guys decide to put turbo timers, be sure to check if it does void warranty or not. My brother has a WRX and he had to wait for his warranty to expire before he can install a turbo timer, or else it would void warranty.

 

you don't get it.

Anything in any service manual is only to get you normal life or at least through the warranty period. I am not saying Honda wants to see your car fall apart after 50K but there are certainly things you can do, the a re not mentioned in the owners manual, that could make you car last longer. On the other had you can't do things that will void warranty in the mean time.

Turbo engines are not known for long reliable life. It will be interesting to see how this engine does on the long run.

 

My biggest concern has been with the longevity of the RDX turbo engine. If it had a basic V6, I would be first in line for this. Oh well, I'm not the only one. So lets assume the RDX engine lives out its life. What would the cost be like to get the RDX back on the road?

 

That is false. A turbo timer will not void your warranty unless they can prove that it caused a problem.

I have a Stage 4 WRX (the username is a few years old now)

The WRX does NOT require a Turbo Timer because it is Oil and WATER cooled. He is wasting his money if he gets one.

For the RDX, does anyone know what model Turbo it has and if it is water cooled? Has anyone seen if coolant lines run into the turbo? Is there a coolant tank (small) above the turbo?

 

I went to my local Acura Dealers Turbo Bash tonight. Test drove a non-tech ASM with Ebony interior. Very nice suv. One of the questions that came up was about turbo cool down. The salesman was very knowledgable and sounded like he did his home work on the RDX. He said that if required the RDX will continue to flow coolant to the turbo until cooled when the vehicle was turned off. Because of this I see no need for a turbo timer.

 

Yes the turbo is water cooled. Honda's designers set it up so convection makes the water flow through the turbo until it is cooled. The hotter the turbo the more the flow get it? Also only use synthetic oil. If not even with the convection flow there is a chance to cook the oil leaving deposits that will distroy the turbo.

 

That is not necessarily true. I dont have the manual infront of me, but does the RDX come stock w/ synthetic oil? if not you dont need it.

 

Yes, the RDX does come stock with synthetic oil and interestingly enough the manual specifically says to use a specific brand synthetic. I believe it is Mobil 1 5w something that meats a specific standard.

 

Oh ok cool. Yea the Evo and some other cars require synthetic, although there have been tests that show OEM Oil and Synthetic are pretty much the same thing.


_____________
05 WRX 276 whp, 263 lb-ft

 

Synthetic oil pretty much negates the need for a turbo timer. If the RDX comes stock with synthetic, theres nothing to worry about.

Conventional oil was the reason turbo timers became popular, since it had a tendency to scorch and "coke" up the inside of the oil feed/return lines, eventually grenading the turbo due to lake of lubrication. Synthetic oil is highly resistant to doing this, which one of the many reasons it is superior to regular oil.

If you're that worried about it, just let the engine idle down a minute or two if you have driven it especially hard. not a bad idea for any car.

as far as turbocharged engines dieing faster than N/A motors, again thats rubbish now that sythetic lubricants are commonly used.

 

I don't know much about engines and especially turbocharged engines, but I thought turbocharged engines would have shorter lifespan because of the extra stress? The RDX turbocharged engined makes me hesitant for the reliability.

 

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this is acura's site that answers some the turbo cool down questions.

a case can be made for a turbo timer for some drivers .

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this is the Acura site:


http://www.hondanews.com/CatID3091?m...43956&mime=asc

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No it cant. Did you read the article?

"Water passages in the aluminum exhaust manifold help keep the temperature in the exhaust system at optimum levels for both the turbocharger and catalytic converter. The turbo housing is made of austenite stainless cast iron for durability when exposed to high-temperature exhaust gases.

When the engine is shut off, coolant continues to circulate due to thermal convection, helping to prevent long-term heat-related damage to the turbo bearings." -acura news

That means it does NOT need a Turbo Timer.

 

the article states its

"HELPING to prevent long-term heat-related damage to the turbo bearings."

thats why a case can be made for a turbo timer for some drivers that may run their RDX a bit more aggressively .

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Turbo engines are not known for long reliable life. It will be interesting to see how this engine does on the long run.[/QUOTE]

i was wondering where you get your information from as for turbo engines have no longevity? they are used in serious race applications, and what about the million or so turbo engines in the service industry? turbo engines have been around for years and its a reliable application if well setup and maintained. you think these multy billion dollar car companies are paying engineers to build something that will only last
a few thousand miles? these guys know what there doing.

 

Turbo's get a bad rap from the people running 600hp on their civic and blowing the engine. The funny thing is the people that blow the engine probably expected it, but from a outsider perspective...damn that engine just blew!

 

come on guys - the bearings wear down over time, this has to be maintained no matter what, and a TT is an added longevity to its life cycle.

and comparing this car to race bred type?? Those found in the grandam, champcar, & lemans are all multimillion dollar thoroughbreds that have a crew to work on them constantly. And those millions don't go into the your gay ass cupholding, memory seating, fully folding rear seats - its all in the engine.

now get the damn car or don't get it, and stop you wussy talk, latte lovin comments

 

Keeping your car unmodded and running the factory boost- you should have no major issues for a long time (barring catastrophic failure due to design or another problem). When turbos age they will begin to burn oil as the oil passes by seals in the turbo housing itself. The O2 sensor on newer engines should throw a CEL at you when this starts to happen and your exhaust will usually have a blue smoke associated with it. At this point, you may be looking at a turbo rebuild but again, at factory levels, you shouldn't be expecting this until you start nearing 80-100K miles.

 

Will a TT hurt your car? No.
Is a TT necessary on the RDX? No.
Should you waste your money on a TT? No.

Who is driving an RDX aggressively? I have a 276 wheel-hp WRX boosting at 19psi and an amazing Tune and i do NOT need a turbo timer.

 

dont you think acura spends millions of dollars engineering these vehicles? engine and all???

 

Hey Guys,
Just though I would throw in my 2 cents

As a pilot that flies a twin engine turbocharged navajo here are some recomended proceedures to prevent coaking of the turbo.
1st. What is coaking? Koaking happens when a hot turbo charger spinning at 10k-13k RPM is shut off and oil flow stops coating the fins of the charger. The residual oil in the turbocharger thickens and becomes burnt on. coating the fins and inner wall of the turbocharger. Overtime the turbo charger will loose power and the ability to spin at optimum speed due to residue from the oil building up.
2. When finishing a spirited run take it easy on the way home trying to keep the engine under 3k RPM on the way home. Why as you drive home the Turbo has time to cool with 3 things Airflow, Continous oil lubercation, and the spin down produces less friction. Less spinning equals less heat.
3. When you are in the driveway let it idle for aprox a minute.
4. Change the oil every 3-4k on the engine. Synthetic Oil helps alot. Better resistance to heat and thermal breakdown.
These proceedures will insure that your turbochager produces many more horses in the future,,,,

Alan

 

The RDX will actually tell you when it needs an oil change based upon how you drive. This can occur anywhere between 3k and 5k miles. It also tells you how much oil life you have, at least the tech package does.

 

I have a 3000GT VR-4 with 118,000 boosted miles. 30,000 of those miles I was running more boost than stock and I never needed a turbo timer. If I don't get under boost then It doesn't require an idle cool down. If you live down a residential road....usually just crusing about a mile or so before you get to your destination would be enough time for it to cool. Only time I let my car idle is when I just get done after the 1/4 mile. Or realistically for you RDX guys, right after a spirited drive. Give it atleast 45 secs or so.

 

alot of good info here... thanks...answered everything i needed to know

 

Does anyone now let there car cool for a minute or so when they pull in after spirited driving? It does make some sence for turbo longevity.

 

Not really needed nowadays, the bearings are water cooled and flow continues to circulate after the engine shuts off.