Engine/Power - EJ20T (pre-2006 WRX and JDM) There is replacement for displacement, it is forced induction - OEM 2.0 liter turbo engines in the USDM WRX. 90-94 Legacy Turbo EJ22 turbo engines can also be discussed here.

Glowing Turbo!?

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Old 08-13-2004, 12:14 AM
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Glowing Turbo?!

I went on a drive with my friends last week through the mountains. We stop occasionally on the drive to cool down the motor and the brakes. My friend, who has a turbo car, told me to pop the hood to see if the turbo was glowing. Sure enough when we stopped and looked under the hood, the turbo was glowing. Tonight I drove home (30 min freeway drive) only going about 70mph, and when I got home wanted to see if the turbo was glowing. And again it was. I was just wondering if this is normal?

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Old 08-13-2004, 12:22 AM
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well my buddys evo glows when he dyno's but thats a lot different casue theres not really forced air being ramed in.take a pic i wanan see it hehe
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Old 08-13-2004, 12:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Littleboyblue
I went on a drive with my friends last week through the mountains. We stop occasionally on the drive to cool down the motor and the brakes. My friend, who has a turbo car, told me to pop the hood to see if the turbo was glowing. Sure enough when we stopped and looked under the hood, the turbo was glowing. Tonight I drove home (30 min freeway drive) only going about 70mph, and when I got home wanted to see if the turbo was glowing. And again it was. I was just wondering if this is normal?
Thats why it has oil lines, and is made out of cast iron.
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Old 08-13-2004, 12:40 AM
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i want to see a picture too
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Old 08-13-2004, 12:56 AM
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I will post pics asap!
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Old 08-13-2004, 12:59 AM
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Originally Posted by RoadSpike
Thats why it has oil lines, and is made out of cast iron.
It takes a lot of heat to get metal to glow. I know, my father owns a steel construction company. All of that heat has to be some what damaging to the turbo and shorten its life span. I know that the Pre Cat causes a lot heat, I wonder if I was to get an Up pipe, if that would help with heat reduction?
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Old 08-13-2004, 01:13 AM
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I think it's normal on a turbo car, i think it even happens to N/A cars with headers. It's made of cast iron which reacts well to the heat and cold. Should be ok though. Thought: Your ehaust manifold is also made of cast iron. It probably glows when relly hot too. That is why when you are drilling your manifold foor an EGT probe you need to go slow as not to crack the cast iron because all of the hot and cold can make it brittle.
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Old 08-13-2004, 01:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Littleboyblue
It takes a lot of heat to get metal to glow. I know, my father owns a steel construction company. All of that heat has to be some what damaging to the turbo and shorten its life span. I know that the Pre Cat causes a lot heat, I wonder if I was to get an Up pipe, if that would help with heat reduction?
Yes it does take alot of heat and the fact the turbo cuasing a lil back pressure only adds to how fast it heats up. Its probably getting somewhere around 600-700 degrees F as a rough guesstimate.

the up pipe without a cat should reduce the heat only marginally.

As for your turbo life i wouldn't worry about it. The fans i believe are coated to pervent damage by the extreme heat. Which makes me wonder, if we coated the inside of a turbo with jet hot i wonder if it would be more effecient.
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Old 08-13-2004, 01:36 AM
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oh oh i want to see pics toooooooo.
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Old 08-13-2004, 09:30 AM
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pics? just go do it yourselves. when I had a td04, after a night of mountain driving this would happen all the time. now i just wonder if my vf34 does this

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Old 08-13-2004, 09:43 AM
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Originally Posted by wrx10404
That is why when you are drilling your manifold foor an EGT probe you need to go slow as not to crack the cast iron because all of the hot and cold can make it brittle.
cast iron is brittle as it is regardless of how many heat cycles its gone through. that is a natural property of cast iron
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Old 08-13-2004, 05:10 PM
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I don't think it should be anything to be scared of. I mean, the brake rotors glow after awhile too ya know!
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Old 08-13-2004, 06:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Choku Dori
I don't think it should be anything to be scared of. I mean, the brake rotors glow after awhile too ya know!
But when the brake rotors glow, it usually warps them. My friends car has coolant lines running through the turbo. There is got to be a way to keep the turbo cooler. Maybe with the combined effort of I-Club we can figure out something
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Old 08-13-2004, 10:35 PM
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Your car also has coolant lines running through it
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Old 08-14-2004, 01:33 AM
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i've seen my turbo glow on several occasions, and the plastic under the exhaust manifold melted.
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