A recent story crossed our desk that we found a little worrisome. We have several cars and trucks that we’ve enhanced over the years with some great add-ons, such as custom HALO CCFL projector headlights, turbochargers and trick exhausts. We also own a large cabin cruiser and, guess what, we’ve souped up that bad boy as well. Well, a recent press release alerted us to a potential safety hazard with certain replacement marine turbochargers manufactured by an obscure Russian firm. The company released two Alert Service Bulletins last June covering the ships refitted with their turbochargers. Luckily, our boat’s add-on twin turbos came from a different source of aftermarket parts, one that we’ve used for years and trust.
Apparently, there was a defect that affected the safety and safe operations of these Russian turbochargers. All vessel operators of Lloyd’s Register-classed ships fitted with these turbos were notified to take certain precautions:

1. No personnel should go near the turbocharger when it is operating at 60 percent or greater engine load.
2. The inspection and maintenance schedule specified in the turbocharger operating manual should be strictly followed.
3. All records of inspection and maintenance activity related to the aforementioned turbochargers should be retained for later review by Lloyd’s Register.

For those of you unfamiliar with the design and function of turbochargers, these are turbines consisting of a wheel and housing that converts engine exhaust into power that drives a compressor. The exhaust gas experiences a drop in temperature and pressure within the housing that results in the kinetic energy needed to turn the wheel. Axial turbos direct gas flow in the axial direction only, whereas for radial flow models, inflow is centripetal. Radials are used for wheel diameters of 160 mm or less. Above 300 mm, axial turbos rule.
In marine applications involving diesel engines, a pulsed turbocharger is used, configured with twin-entry turbines. This allows for the optimization of exhaust gas pulses, and a high pressure is quickly attained. In this case, both the pressure ratio and the efficiency rises at the same time, a definite plus for low-speed torque. Cylinder interference is avoided by connecting the three cylinders to one exhaust gas manifold. The twin-entry turbines then supply separate gas flows through the turbine.
Turbochargers get hot, and in a ship’s engine room, that can spell trouble. Fire is a definite safety risk when surfaces on a ship get hot. Therefore, marine engines are fitted with water-cooled turbo housings or housings that have a coating of insulating material. Before the advent of water-cooled housings, a few turbocharged ships were lost at sea due to fires and explosions. Also, there was the safety hazard to engineers who frequently suffered burns by inadvertent contact with super-hot turbochargers. The industry worked hard to design the proper solutions to these safety hazards, and cooled housings are now the rule in marine applications. We’re not sure whether the Russian parts firm got the memo.
The bottom line is to only by aftermarket parts from someone you trust, whether it’s for your vehicle or you boat. If you’re looking to equip your current vehicle chassis with custom HALO CCFL projector headlights, you have options. Check out some of the aftermarket shops that offer this system at reasonable prices.