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Cover the exhaust when transporting machine to protect turbo???

lake side bob

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Oct 2, 2009
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minnesota
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owner operator
Coffee time conversation and this topic came up.
Should the exhaust be capped when transporting the machine [excavator] down the highway to protect the turbo. What is your educated thought on this topic.
 
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1693TA

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Feb 27, 2010
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Farmington IL
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FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
I usually do it but on the newer machines there is so much aftertreatment hardware to the exhaust I'm told it's not necessary. Whether or not it's needed, I still do it as a carryover from the old days. Folgers coffee can, (plastic nowadays) and gorilla tape along with a gallon of mineral spirits in the cab is standard package for me.
 

56wrench

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alberta
Well, it ultimately depends on whether the engine has any exhaust/intake valve overlap designed into it. Each model of engine will be different, so rather than take a chance, on a turboed engine i plug the exhaust. The odds are extremely high but i would rather not chance it but thats just me
 

westerner

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Sep 30, 2020
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195
Location
Northern Arizona
Failure to strap the coffee can down before transport was a 'fireable' offense.
All them drivers heard that, and did a good job.

As a mechanic, I can't see enough breeze running thru the turbo to gall bearings.
Is it possible?

Is there any other reason to cap the stack during transport?
 

1693TA

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FAA Radar Engineer, (Retired)
On the older mechanical engines the turbochargers could freewheel without lubrication from either pressure induced by "ram air", or vacuum created by the air passing over the exhaust stack creating a low pressure zone in the exhaust stack. This creates a suction through the engine causing the turbocharger to spin without lubrication as air is pulled in through the intake manifold. The same scenario in reverse for the ram air effect.
 

OzDozer

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Jan 18, 2007
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Perth, Western Australia.
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Semi-Retired ..
Never done it in 57 years of owning turbocharged machines, and I often hauled them several hundred kilometres at 100kmh (62mph) with open exhausts.
Never had a turbo failure I could definitively trace back to spinning without lubrication whilst zipping down the highway.

All the turbos I've ever experienced failure with, either had shattered valve heads go through them or they simply wore out and started leaking oil into the inlet side.

Compressor/turbine wheels only turn at very low speed from air passing the exhaust pipe, and residual oil in the bearings is adequate for lubrication under those conditions.

I think perhaps the earliest turbochargers (mid-1950's) might have had some problems in this area, because the earlier turbochargers were bigger, the compressers/turbines/shaft were bigger accordingly, and they more than likely spun with more speed due to inertia - and perhaps the lube systems for them contained inadequate residual oil.

Also, none of the early tractor engines were muffled, a muffler slows a lot of air movement.
As well as all that, tractors of the 50's used oil bath air cleaners, so air movement though a stopped engine was easier with an oil bath air cleaner, than with dry-type air cleaner elements.

The other factor is the fancy curved-end exhausts, such as Allis-Chalmers used - if these faced forward, they would act like an air scoop. I've only ever had straight pipe exhausts on my machines, and many had rain caps.
 

Oxbow

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Nov 22, 2012
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1,220
Location
Idaho
We cover all of ours. I really doubt that we stand any chance of ruining a turbo in this day and age but it keeps rain out, only takes a minute, and removes all doubt. I especially want the exhaust covered when hauling for hire just so our culpability for any damage to a turbo is mitigated.
 

Shimmy1

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Aug 14, 2014
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Location
North Dakota
when hauling for hire just so our culpability for any damage to a turbo is mitigated.

CYA.

I have covered the exhaust on a machine maybe half a dozen times in 30 years, like OZ have never had a turbo failure period. Hauled everything from 780C to 1150E, 446B to 644E, 880B, 1080B, 9030B, D7H, D61, 75C, 95E, 621B, 210C, now 290, and probably a couple dozen 1 timers.

It is a question for the ages.
 

earthscratcher

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Sep 27, 2008
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339
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iowa
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excavating contractor
first time I saw it, bought a d8n for a pond project, heavy hauling dude said he always does it, company policy. I have hauled lots of stuff without it, but its still in the back of man mind so whenever I mess with exhaust I always face the pipe out sideways instead of straight back.
 

Truck Shop

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Dec 7, 2015
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Location
WWW.
I this world of techno crap---no one has delved into the mystery of spinning compressor
turbine theory's? It has been a great subject in the annuals of internet worrying. Surprised
someone hasn't gone the Harbor Freight & Salvage route & installed a bore scope in the
exhaust or intake side and transmitted that finding to a laptop for all to see-----is there a
Bigfoot or not and is he fa@king with my turbo, although there was one caught messing
with a engine on a airplane in a episode of The Twilight Zone, seen by William Shatner
himself.
*
A mission for someone to take on, not me though, I'm busy.:)
 

sfrs4

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Great Britian
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parts admin
I'm probably wrong here but... surely you need air FLOW to make a turbo spin? if you are getting a flow of air through the turbo with enough force it to spin at a speed that will damage a turbo ( even prolonged steady spinning will be fine with the residual oil on the bearing surfaces), you have bigger problems than the turbo! There is a small amount of valve overlap to create flow, but only on one or maybe two at most cylinders and would that cause a significant enough air flow to spin a turbo fast enough to create any form of lasting, Also a second thought you'd be trying to spin a turbo in the opposite direction it is designed to flow the air in, so even more air flow would be required? I might have to fire up the compressor and and old unit turbo for sciences sake
 

sfrs4

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Great Britian
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Only one at a time on a 6 cylinder and it would be minimal, valve overlap would take place
for example when 1 is at TDC & 6 would be in overlap.
So basically minimal flow of air then, the air would enter the turbo through the exhaust side and hit the exhaust valves in the head with valves in the a small amount would pass the valve but nowhere near enough to make the exhaust side spin in the reverse direction at any sort of speed that would cause any issue
 

IceHole

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Aug 14, 2023
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Location
AK
Most every skid steer is hauled with the exhaust facing the wind. Never heard if an issue.

Would be at best 1 cylinder that's sitting with intake and exhaust valves both open
 

JaredV

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Jan 22, 2022
Messages
349
Location
SW WA
Something I've always wondered about. I cover the exhaust because the boss wants it.

I found a wind load calculator online and discovered that 60mph creates .06 psi. Then I found an airflow calculator that says 60 mph through 1 square inch is 36cfm. I don't know what the area of the opening of a partially open valve is, I just guesstimated that number. Doesn't seem like enough pressure or flow to do much.
 
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