Random turbo inlet photos

[muddyboots]

<geek mode ON>
While I had various bits off my car the other week, I wanted to have a look inside my turbo inlet, but couldn't get my head far enough down to see.
So I took a couple of close-up photos with the camera so I could see what it looked like.

I presume they look normal ?

These show the inlet of a Garrett VNT turbo fitted to the PD130 in my Passat, at 120,000miles.

The tiny tolerances between vanes and housing make you realise how important it is that no debris gets in when this thing is spinning at silly speeds. (Don't they turn in the regions of 100,000s of rpm???)
To give an idea of scale, the inlet is only about 50mm or so wide.

<geek mode OFF>

 

[allh2k]

<silly question mode>

i don't know much about turbos but is that the pipe the exhaust gas goes in?

<ERROR>
<Cannot stop silly question mode>

 

[muddyboots]

No, the bit you can see is where the fresh air gets sucked in.

The turbine wheel you can see, is attached (via the shaft in the middle) to another turbine at the other end. The other turbine is spun round by the exhaust gas being forced out of the engine, which makes this turbine spin, suck air in, and force it into the engine.

 

[craig-pd130]

Wow, those clearances ARE tight! Can't be more than a coupla thou ....

I wonder if the "polishing" on the leading edge of each vane has happened over time through friction against the incoming air? Or if they are factory polished?

 

[sssstew]

yeah agreed craig.. i wonder too.

nice pics lee

 

[muddyboots]

I guess even with the best of airfilters, tiny particles of dust will get in, plus bits of oil vapour from the breather pipe; and after turning at those sorts of turbine speeds for 120,000 miles they're going to cause a bit of abrasion

 

[craig-pd130]

True

If we were REALLY sad we could work out roughly how many revs the turbo's done in its life ....

Let's say **average speed** of 30mph over 120,000 miles = 240,000 minutes driving.

Average turbo rpm = 100K

==> estimated 2.4 billion revs

Amazing really, innit

 

[sssstew]

hehe nice one craig

 

[Niall]

Switch mechanism in a DSG box has to last at least 1 billion cycles as well

 

[EdButler]

<geekmode>
The average speed of my car over its lifetime is 25.6mph

You can find out by using the active time on the power steering pump and the mileage of the car!!
</ geekmode>