P1030164

This guide is to show you how to wire in a turbo timer to allow you to keep various electrical items running after the ignition has been shut off, unlike a turbocharged car this timer will not be used to keep the car itself running. In my case this timer will allow me to keep my thermatic fans and electric water pump running after the ignition is shut off to avoid the chance of engine damage through heat soak.

After running the car for a few long trips and testing the timer I have found it to be excellent, this timer is a cheap ($100) one from autobarn and allows me to set a time from 1 second to 10 minutes, it is a little annoying however as it beeps every second it counts down and looks like it could be attached to some explosive device...no parking outside any embassies for me...

I've found that on a decent drive (currently cold weather in Brisbane) the car will stay at around 180F, if I then shut it off the temperature will slowly increase to over 200F. With this timer...

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This first diagram just basically shows how the relay looks before we attach the timer, they take a dedicated 12V source and are switched on using the ignition wire (or a switched source of some sort) and supply the 12V to whatever they are powering when activated.

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This second picture shows how the turbo timer is wired in, no existing wires are cut, the turbo timer wires merely splice into the circuit. Turbo timers are meant for turbo charged cars and allow them to continue to run after the owner has shut the ignition off. In our case though we only need it to power electrical devices. Therefore the "safety" option where it is wired to the handbrake can be simply wired to earth. Also the accessories attachment is unnecessary.

So the only things required to get it to work are to wire it into the ignition wire of your relay and into a 12V source. The timer then recognises when the ignition is on, and when it turns off the timer then continues to keep the relay activated until the time runs out or you turn it off. In the case of an electric water pump this is an excellent device, without it you are missing out on one of the main advantages of having an electric water pump. With thermatic fans it is good too, some people just wire the thermatic fans straight...