Your turbocharger will work in essentially the same way, whether you drive a Powerstroke, Cummins, or Duramax diesel pickup. While there are differences in designs and applications, turbos haven’t changed all that much over the past century. Now that you know what one is made of, we’ll look at how it works.
As RPM increases, the flow of exhaust through the exhaust manifold does as well. The turbine of the turbo spins faster relative to the exhaust pressure since it’s in the path of the escaping exhaust. The turbine is attached to the shaft which runs through the center housing, with the compressor at the other end of the shaft. Similar to the way the wheel on a watermill works, the flow of exhaust spins the turbine, which spins the compressor on the opposite side of the shaft.
The compressor pressurizes the fresh air coming into the turbo, forcing it into cylinders. As a result, the compression is increased, and more air for combustion enters the engine than the engine would be able to take in on its own. That’s where the horsepower increase comes from. This is also where turbo lag comes in - the turbine spins exponentially faster the higher the exhaust pressure climbs - when there isn’t much pressure, the turbo spins slowly enough you don’t notice a difference.
As the RPM climbs and exhaust pressures increase, the turbo reaches speeds of tens of thousands of RPM, and you feel the power increase as air is forced into the engine. This is, in essence, how every turbo works. There are other components that are part of the system as a whole, that allow the turbo to work as effectively and efficiently as possible.
At Cozine Auto & Towing, we monitor and diagnose issues and maintenance for the needs of your vehicle, based on condition, what it is, and how you use it.
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Cozine'z Auto & Towing is proud to be family owned and operated providing emergency roadside assistance and towing throughout the Verona, Crittenden, Dry Ridge, Florence, Ghent, Richwood, Sanders, Sparta, & Walton area. We are well known for our attention to detail and customer service as well as fair pricing. Our team of professional mechanics can provide all repairs to the vehicles that require it from all types of automobiles up to over the road tractor-trailer rigs. Simply put, we know diesel engiens and have the experience plus the facility to handle it. Trust the team that puts you first!
