I did a search and couldn't find anything on this subject which surprised me. I am sure there is a thread out there but I can't find it.

When I pull into my garage after racing home after work and turn her off... my engine is tinking and clicking like crazy. after a minute the fan comes on and blows for a good 15 minutes.

So I am wondering if there is something I am supposed to be doing to preserve the health of my TT. (Like wear a condom, get it? Never mind...)
Should I be letting it idle for a while to give the radiator a chance to cool it down some?

 

yes it needs to be cooled down. if driven really hard, i usually take a detour and cruise around a bit before parking. some idle time is required as well to settle the oil in the system.

 

correct if your beating on it , a few minutes of slow cruising will cool it down, kind of like a cool down lap. also before turning the car off let it idle 2 minutes or so let the oil take some of the heat away from the turbos .

 

Yup. I think everyone will recommend a 2 minute cool down at idle, not driving at idle.

 

Yep, I do the same after spirited driving.

I had read in previous threads that if you don't cool down the TT you can start to experience a white smoke syndrome upon startup following. Anyone else ever hear/see that?

 

The 2 minute "cool down" is to prevent "coking" of the oil in the turbos. The usual smoking of the turbo, at startup, is believed to be due to the horizontal nature of the engine and how the oil stays in places it can't get out of and seeps into places it shouldn't be. That's why Porsche recognizes this and claims it's normal to add a quart every 900-1500 miles.

 

2 minute cool down, it's in the owner's manual. From what I've read if you don't let it idle and cool down, oil in the turbos will crystallize from the heat and these crystals cause abrasion and wear.

 

I usually cool down for a bit, but a few times I've walked past my garage 10 minutes after shutting down and my fan is going. I guess I'm not the only one...........

 

2 minutes. Beyond that you get heat soak.....

Idle is not the same as driving "easy"....the cool down time is meant for you to be stationary with the car idling afaik.

I drive easy until the car is up to temp and in the last mile before getting home.




Jeff

 

OK I have done this (turned it off hot after some spirited driving) probably a dozen times. Does anyone know if there would be enough turbo damage to worry about? I used to get a quick flash of 1 bar between 1st and 2nd (tip) and I have not seen it lately. Now its .9 at best. Hmmmmm....

 

Anyone considered just getting a turbo timer to take care of this issue? They don't seem like they would be difficult to install and would take care of this issue without even having to think about it. They are only about $50-150 and just let the motor run once you have shut off the ignition for a prespecified period of time.

 

I'm pretty curious about this? Most modern cars have oil cooled turbos that are positioned to allow cooling of the turbo after shut down negating the need for a turbo timer or cool down. My 2003 WRX and 2005 STI both had this. I am really surprised that this is not the case with my 2003 TT?

 

From what I've read in the past, there is a problem getting around the immobilizer / security system for the turbo timer.
Just give it a minute or two and check your cell for messages and take care of replys while it's cooling from spooling.

 

correct on the turbo timer.

 

Good thing to know