As we all know by now, turning off your engine before the turbo reaches a safe operating temperature of 300 degrees, can severely shorten the life of the turbo.

Stopping the engine at too high a temperature can cause the oil in the turbo to burn (coke) the oil inside the turbo. This causes the oil to crystallize into hard pieces of grit, which will greatly diminish the lifespan of the turbo charger bearings.

Allowing the truck to idle after a hard run, allows the engine to pump cool oil through the turbo helping to cool it down to a "safe" temperature for shut down.

I saw member Howard Vanfleet (hvanflee) asking questions about the idea of making a turbo timer of his own. The ones on the market seemed to be a bit pricy for what they do, so Howard vowed to make one himself and sell it to the members here at DTR for a fair price.

True to his word, Howard created the Turbo Timer and I was fortunate enough to get one of the original units for testing here at DTR. I have been extremely happy with the results, as In several weeks of testing, the timer has been absolutely flawless in operation.

Howard informed me as I was preparing this article for completion, that he has now finished testing on a new 2004 truck and the unit is completely compatible for that model as well.


Inspecting the Turbo Timer

 Instructions and timer kit

I opened up the timer itself to get a look at its overall construction; obviously I will not be posting any photos of the circuitry as a courtesy to the inventor. I will state however, that the construction is very professional and sturdy in appearance. It is obvious that Howard is attempting to make a great product, which should give years of trouble free service.

As I was putting the unit back together, I made one small change to it by slipping a length of heat shrink tubing over the multiple colored wires protruding from the rear of the unit. I did this strictly as a cosmetic addition to an already nice looking package. I had decided to mount my timer in a very visible area, and wanted the wires that would be left visible, to be one color.

 Controller with heat shrink tubing on wires


Installation

The instructions included with the timer are clear and simple to follow, and with the supplied fuse taps, this install can be done in a matter of minutes. I have never been a big fan of fuse taps, they are fast and easy to use, but I may decide to make a more permanent install at a later date.

The first step for me was to place the unit on the dash and run the wires between the dash and A-pillar and down into the fuse box. I had decided to place the unit on top of the dash in the left corner, for easier access for an old man with a sore back.

 Simple wire installation

My truck being a 1996 model, the fuse panel is on the left side of the dash easily accessible with the driver's door open. Locating a place to hook the "Red" wire, I used the power door locks fuse #19 in the fuse panel. This wire provides power to the unit after you shut off the ignition and needs to be hot all the time, and at least a 20amp fuse.

Using a test light, I found out which side of the fuse was the hot side, and connected to the other side using the included fuse tap. I added another small piece of heat shrink tubing to cover the exposed end of the terminals holding the fuse tap. I did this for my own piece of mind, as the fuses and door over the panel are all plastic, and not likely to cause a short of any kind.

Next I hooked up the "Blue" wire to the #9 fuse as instructed for the 1994 to 2002 trucks.( Fuse #13 is for the 89-91 trucks) and (Fuse #3 is used for the 92-92 trucks.) This fuse tap was connected to the "Hot" side of the fuse as should be done on all 94 and later trucks. (93 and earlier trucks should be connected to the non hot side.)

 Power installation

Lastly the "Green" wire is hooked up to a quick connect on the copper bracket of the parking brake. The green wire simply plugs into the quick connect and then back onto the parking brake bracket. This allows the engine to be killed immediately if the brake is released after the timer is engaged. If you do not want the parking brake "kill" function, you can just hook the green wire to a good ground. (On many of the pre-94 trucks, the unit works better if you connect this green wire to a good ground, avoiding the parking brake function)

The unit has double sided 3M tape on it and finishing the install, consisted of wiping a spot on the dash with an alcohol rub to remove the Armor All at the point the tape would make contact.

 Final Installation! Looks great!

Using the unit is a simple and straight forward process, after placing the truck in park or neutral with parking brake engaged (stick shift) just set the dial to one of the three settings and push the button. The green led will light up and show that it is running. Turn off the ignition and remove the key, the truck will now idle for the chosen length of time.

Testing of the unit shows it to be very close to the (2, 4 or 6 minute) timer delays as indicated by the pointer on the knob. In my own experience I have found that for around town driving, the 2 minute setting is normally sufficient to cool down the turbo.

Conclusion

I live on top of a mountain and when coming up the hill I use quite a bit of fuel, and accordingly more heat, this requires the 4 minute setting. When towing here in the mountains or coming off the highway to a quick stop, I find the 6 minute setting to be the best. You can do your own tests on this and easily learn the proper setting for your conditions.

I find the Turbo Timer to be a great addition to my truck, it works great and Howard kept his promise to keep the price down so that everyone can afford one.

I love not having to sit waiting on the engine to cool down before getting out and as an added bonus, the looks on peoples faces when I walk away from a running truck is priceless!

I strongly recommend this product, Howard has a great product here and your Turbo will thank you!

Thanks Howard for the opportunity to test this great product!


Written By,
Lary Ellis