Is auto-timer a good to have?

[Kelpie]

I wonder how many cars have built-in auto timer? Are they a must have to prolong engine life and the well being of the electrical gadgets? Consider its price, it is not something expensive to install too.

 

Regards,

[Slayer]

hey bro, what is a auto-timer? do u mean the timer that allow the engine to run for a couple sec for cooling down after the ignition is switched off?

[Icetrap]

Unless you car is a turbo, it's not necessary to have.

 

Unless you have been reving your NA car (Example during tracking at Sepang)

[Mustank]

i got no choice. i need one. i got a snail on board. i am sick and tired and hanging around in the vehicle for a minute before i can shut down. worse if i am desperate for toilet

[Route88]

Some conti have it, 10 min to destination off radio,air con lor...

No use actually,unless your car is turbo

[Friendstar]

what will happen if dont have that thing and have a turbo?

[Subarur1]

sorry, hijack ur thread since its about the same topic.

 

 

Any idea if there is a device where it will continue to run the fan after u switch off the engine?

Something like the auto/turbo timer, but runs the fan only.

[Icetrap]

It's better to let the turbo to cool down.

 

You turbo spins as fast as 50,000 RPM and generate lots of heat. (Why do you think they need the intercooler?)

 

To keep your turbocharger's heat under control, most are cooled by circulating oil or water (coolant) around the shaft. The turbocharger's shaft is free to rotate at will and there is no way to stop the shaft from spinning after shutting the engine off. To dissipate and stabilze the heat in the turbocharger, most manufacturers recommend that a car be idled for a period of time after moderate to hard driving to allow the oil/water to take heat out of the turbocharger. This is where your turbo timer comes in. You can just leave the car and the turbo timer will count down to the time set by you or the engine temperature.

 

Failure to reduce the temperature of the turbo could result in the oil around the shaft "coking". Coking is basically the baking of oil, turning it into a hard substance that could plug your oil lines and cause oil "starvation", preventing proper cooling of your turbocharger and reducing it's operating lifespan.

 

It also allows your turbocharged car to engine to idle for a specified period of time which is good if it is extremely hot.

 

In Sepang, the turbo cars even have to run a cool down lap of half, before returning to the pit.

Edited March 17, 2008 by Icetrap

[Yc86]

Is there a fixed time to ilde to cool down? or some rough guide.

what if.. it seems that at idle, the car doesn't really cool down, or takes a really long time for the oil temps to drop.

 

And, is this idle time only necessary when the car has been wacked or driven hard?

Edited March 17, 2008 by Yc86

[Yc86]

Why'd u want the fan to run after the engine is switched off?

 

it's not generating anymore heat..

and it doesn't get any much cooler coz the coolant isn't moving.

 

And if the switch fails or something, the fan will continue to run till the batt goes flat.

Edited March 17, 2008 by Yc86

[Icetrap]

Is there a fixed time to ilde to cool down? or some rough guide.

what if.. it seems that at idle, the car doesn't really cool down, or takes a really long time for the oil temps to drop.

 

And, is this idle time only necessary when the car has been wacked or driven hard?

 

 

You can set it to amount of mins you want. Some you can set it to the temperature you want it to be before the car turns off. Of course, different turbo timers have different feature. :)

 

It's hard to lose heat in liquids like oil and water :)

[Kelpie]

1. Know of a friend who doesn't believe in auto-timer but practices this:

a) No excessive acceleration for very short distance driving,

b) Switch off a/c when near destination,

 

2. According to him, the reason to switch off a/c and drive slower when reaching destination, is also to ensure that exhaust relieves heat better from header all the way to the muffler box. Although auto-timer retard oscillation and reduces heat in the coolant but it can't relieves heat in the exhaust which is just as crucial. In addition, most in-door carparks don't have good ventilation, so there is so much that your auto-timer can do.

 

3. Switching off A/C upon reaching destination, can prevent build-up of foul smell from air-con as it allows the fan to blow off excess humdity.

 

Regards,

[Turbonetics]

hey,iam using apexi turbo timer.

i set it to 30 sec accroding to my own preference.

but it can be set to auto.

the timer calculate after you off the engine and set an appropriate time to run the engine before it shuts off.

 

most of the time is needed when driving for long hours or been wacked.

because i tried setting my timer to auto with normal driving style,once i off the engine,the engine shuts down as per normal which means idling is not needed.

Edited March 17, 2008 by Turbonetics

[Turbonetics]

what will happen if dont have that thing and have a turbo?

 

actually this is not a must to have for turbo cars.

its just better to have.

[Yc86]

 

i guess if the oil temp still below 90, then running longer seems to just bring up the water temps.

[Yc86]

The auto mode.. i think mine doesn't work. still counts down the same regardless of rpms.

haha, anyway i looking to change model le. The little stick sort of broke, can only shift down and side but not up.

 

Any recommendations?

[Soya]

I wonder how many cars have built-in auto timer? Are they a must have to prolong engine life and the well being of the electrical gadgets? Consider its price, it is not something expensive to install too.

 

Regards,

Tink u referring to turbo timer. Don't waste money. The operating temps that a modern turbo car is designed for far exceeds what we muster in our miserable daily drive. I've owned 5 turbo cars - never bothered with it and never had a problem. Still dun understand why ppl waste their $$ to fit these things on a std 1.6L family car..??

[Elfenstar]

what will happen if dont have that thing and have a turbo?

 

Bah its a waste of money. The heat-soak from a car that is not moving is just as bad as turning it off straight away.

 

Just take it easy for the last few mins and you'll be fine, or if you track, do a few easy laps till the temps drop back to normal then shut the car off.