They have appeared almost simultaneously with combustion engine – as right from the start engineers were looking for a way to increase the engine’s power. Naturally, it has undergone massive changes over the decades of its development, but basically the idea remains the same.
Although turbochargers can be installed with both petrol and diesel engines, most of the manufacturers currently install them for diesel (much less powerful) vehicles. The reason is simple – petrol engines with turbocharging consumed too much fuel.
However, turbos are found not only in engines of passenger cars. They are present in virtually all modern trucks, heavy machinery as well as other vehicles – whenever there is the need for additional engine power.
It of course resulted in a massive market of reconditioned turbos, spare parts and rebuild, repair kits. Unfortunately, there is a large number of parts out there, which are simply not good enough for the requirements of modern engines. Extreme conditions of work (extreme temperature and rpm) is very demanding on every element of a turbocharger. Which is why it is crucial to select only the highest quality OEM repair kits and parts, recommended by manufacturers.
Turbocharger repair should not be performed by amateurs without professional tools, as further damage might occur if and when a mistake is made.