water cooled turbo charger without water

Ok, I have a rather stupid sounding question -- what happens if you run
a oil+water cooled turbo without connecting it to water. The reason I'm
asking is I'm looking for a turbo to put on a 1600 vw aircooled engine.
During my junkyard-shopping, it looks like most everything I find is
water+oil cooled.

Can I plumb oil into the water jacked of an oil+water cooled turbo to
make it an oil+oil cooled turbo? Or can I just do away with the water
cooling entirely?

I read somewhere that water cooling a turbo is only necessary to
prevent the oil in the bearing from getting cooked after you shut the
engine off, and this can be avoided by idling the motor for a couple of
minutes prior to shutdown. Is this true?

Thanks

"Scott" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Ok, I have a rather stupid sounding question -- what happens if you run
> a oil+water cooled turbo without connecting it to water. The reason I'm
> asking is I'm looking for a turbo to put on a 1600 vw aircooled engine.
> During my junkyard-shopping, it looks like most everything I find is
> water+oil cooled.
>
> Can I plumb oil into the water jacked of an oil+water cooled turbo to
> make it an oil+oil cooled turbo? Or can I just do away with the water
> cooling entirely?
>
> I read somewhere that water cooling a turbo is only necessary to
> prevent the oil in the bearing from getting cooked after you shut the
> engine off, and this can be avoided by idling the motor for a couple of
> minutes prior to shutdown. Is this true?
>
> Thanks

Whatever you do the turbo will most likely outlive the engine. I suggest
routing oil through the cleaned of rust and swarf water passages.

Scott > wrote:
>Ok, I have a rather stupid sounding question -- what happens if you run
>a oil+water cooled turbo without connecting it to water. The reason I'm
>asking is I'm looking for a turbo to put on a 1600 vw aircooled engine.
>During my junkyard-shopping, it looks like most everything I find is
>water+oil cooled.

Hmm... didn't somebody used to make superchargers for those engines
back in the seventies? You might be better off going that way rather
than with a turbo.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

"Scott" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Ok, I have a rather stupid sounding question -- what happens if you run
> a oil+water cooled turbo without connecting it to water. The reason I'm
> asking is I'm looking for a turbo to put on a 1600 vw aircooled engine.
> During my junkyard-shopping, it looks like most everything I find is
> water+oil cooled.
>
> Can I plumb oil into the water jacked of an oil+water cooled turbo to
> make it an oil+oil cooled turbo? Or can I just do away with the water
> cooling entirely?
>
> I read somewhere that water cooling a turbo is only necessary to
> prevent the oil in the bearing from getting cooked after you shut the
> engine off, and this can be avoided by idling the motor for a couple of
> minutes prior to shutdown. Is this true?
>
> Thanks

Wicked cool! I want to see pictures and dyno charts when you get it done.

Turbos do get real hot, so am curious what your idea on cooling is. Would
you push the bug's oil through it or put it on a separate circuit with a
separate pump and cooler?

My experience with turbos is limited to a couple of Saab 900. They do
recommend you let the car idle for about 15-30 seconds after the turbo has
kicked in recently.
If you does not let it cool this way, the oil that lubes the turbo's spindle
cooks and breaks down. It will cause the turbo's bearings to fail over a
relatively short time (ask me how I know that one
If you've been using it on the highway and have just gotten off local roads
without using the turbo, there really isn't a need to cool it down or so
'they' say. I always cooled it, regardless after the first turbo's premature
demise..

Oil changes on an oil cooled turbo Saab should be religously done at 3500
miles. Later models turbo are watercooled, as you mentioned - they are
cooled much better and are a lot more reliable. They still need to be cooled
down after aggressive driving, though.

Remco

"Scott" > wrote in message ups.com...
> Ok, I have a rather stupid sounding question -- what happens if you run
> a oil+water cooled turbo without connecting it to water. The reason I'm
> asking is I'm looking for a turbo to put on a 1600 vw aircooled engine.
> During my junkyard-shopping, it looks like most everything I find is
> water+oil cooled.
>
> Can I plumb oil into the water jacked of an oil+water cooled turbo to
> make it an oil+oil cooled turbo? Or can I just do away with the water
> cooling entirely?
>
> I read somewhere that water cooling a turbo is only necessary to
> prevent the oil in the bearing from getting cooked after you shut the
> engine off, and this can be avoided by idling the motor for a couple of
> minutes prior to shutdown. Is this true?
>
> Thanks
>
Have a read at http://www.clubvw.org.au/
- Tech articles by Jeff Unwin from Hellbug - "Illawarra Turbos by Shimo from
HELLBUG"


Grahame
from Australia

Scott wrote:

> Ok, I have a rather stupid sounding question -- what happens if you run
> a oil+water cooled turbo without connecting it to water. The reason I'm
> asking is I'm looking for a turbo to put on a 1600 vw aircooled engine.
> During my junkyard-shopping, it looks like most everything I find is
> water+oil cooled.

It seems like a water and oil cooled turbo running without water would
overheat and fry (since it was designed to be cooled by water, there
isn't sufficient cooling otherwise) ... kinda like running a water
cooled motorcycle without coolant. Even though there are air cooled
motorcycles, running a water cooled motorcycle without coolant won't
last very long.

What you might want to do, though, is find a car that doesn't use a
water cooled turbo. I believe the 1981 Turbo Trans Am is one of them.
I don't know how well that turbo will work (since it's fitted to a V8
engine) in your car, but there have to be air cooled turbos somewhere.
They were invented, after all, in 1910.

"Scott" > schreef in bericht
ups.com...
> Ok, I have a rather stupid sounding question -- what happens if you run
> a oil+water cooled turbo without connecting it to water. The reason I'm
> asking is I'm looking for a turbo to put on a 1600 vw aircooled engine.
> During my junkyard-shopping, it looks like most everything I find is
> water+oil cooled.
>
> Can I plumb oil into the water jacked of an oil+water cooled turbo to
> make it an oil+oil cooled turbo? Or can I just do away with the water
> cooling entirely?
>
> I read somewhere that water cooling a turbo is only necessary to
> prevent the oil in the bearing from getting cooked after you shut the
> engine off, and this can be avoided by idling the motor for a couple of
> minutes prior to shutdown. Is this true?
>
> Thanks


Try these, might shed a light...

http://www.almar.easynet.be/

http://vwjudsonregister.tripod.com/index.htm

hth
Roger