Will the stop/start function damage the turbo in my Mazda CX-5?
Asked by Steven
In relation to the Mazda CX-5 turbo-petrol engine: Does the stop/start function that supposedly saves petrol, damage the turbocharger if it keeps turning off when the engine/turbo are hot? I was always taught to idle a turbo down after a run, not just turn it off.
Answered by CarsGuide
10 Mar 2021The advice to always idle a hot turbocharged engine down was based on a period in time when turbochargers didn’t have the water-cooled bearings they do now. With modern turbos such as the one in your Mazda, the bearing shouldn’t get hot enough to need idling down (cooling gradually while the engine idles, pumping oil through the turbo bearing).
That said, I would imagine that the Mazda’s engine management software incorporates a line of code that will not allow the stop/start function to operate if the engine was at a high enough temperature that anything (turbo included) might be damaged by shutting the engine down suddenly. That same logic also ensures that the stop/start is disabled if the battery is low on charge, if the air-conditioner is running flat out or any other condition exists that requires the engine to be running. If you’re still concerned, you could always disable the stop/start function manually when you come to a stop after a drive and manually idle the engine for a minute or two before shutting it off. I appreciate mechanical sympathy, and so, obviously, do you, Steven.
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