Prodigy Performance Turbo System Q&A Thread
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 452
Likes: 1
From: Wellington,FL
Here's some pics for some more visual reference of where components are located.
3.8 turbo system on an engine stand:
3.6 turbo system on an engine stand:
The wastegate is below the turbo, about even with the lower edge of the intercooler.
~Jeff
3.8 turbo system on an engine stand:
3.6 turbo system on an engine stand:
The wastegate is below the turbo, about even with the lower edge of the intercooler.
~Jeff
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 452
Likes: 1
From: Wellington,FL
Some clarification on the BOV and risk of water intrusion...
Water spray/splashing risk with the BOV is extremely unlikely both due to its location/angle, and how the BOV works. The BOV is closed most of the time and only opens when you lift off the throttle. When it does open, pressure is vented OUT of the BOV - no vacuum sucking into the BOV. Water would also have to splash/spray in from some specific directions/angles to make it past the valve and into the intake pipe. You'd pretty much have to open the hood and spray a hose at the BOV as the driver lifted off the throttle.
However... submerging the BOV in water would be a problem, because the air pressure exiting the BOV when opened would not be enough to prevent water from pouring in.
In the picture of the 3.6 turbo system in my previous post, the BOV is partially visible peeking out above the intercooler on the right side of the picture.
~Jeff
Water spray/splashing risk with the BOV is extremely unlikely both due to its location/angle, and how the BOV works. The BOV is closed most of the time and only opens when you lift off the throttle. When it does open, pressure is vented OUT of the BOV - no vacuum sucking into the BOV. Water would also have to splash/spray in from some specific directions/angles to make it past the valve and into the intake pipe. You'd pretty much have to open the hood and spray a hose at the BOV as the driver lifted off the throttle.
However... submerging the BOV in water would be a problem, because the air pressure exiting the BOV when opened would not be enough to prevent water from pouring in.
In the picture of the 3.6 turbo system in my previous post, the BOV is partially visible peeking out above the intercooler on the right side of the picture.
~Jeff
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 452
Likes: 1
From: Wellington,FL
I'll put it this way: the turbo system is not specifically designed/tested/guaranteed for water submersion. Therefore, I can't make any promises about that. If you have good reason to believe that this is a real concern, and you plan on dunking your Jeep that deep into water, then I might suggest that you should not put a turbo on your Jeep 
Some google searching about turbos in water turns up no clear proof that it is a real concern. Several results of people simply suggesting that it might be bad, a few people saying they do it all the time, pointing out that there are extreme off-road competitions involving water crossing in which some competitors have turbo vehicles, etc.
Some people suggest simply not going directly into deep water after running the turbo hard and getting it very hot - idle for a while to let the turbo cool down before submerging it.
Here's a discussion about turbo RZRs: turbo for the mud and water riders - Polaris RZR Forum - RZR Forums.net
Someone points out that turbo diesels are used in some serious mudding trucks.
Here's a video of a turbo RZR in water, running hard, for a long time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzAY2VHQ-JQ For the Prodigy turbo system specifically, it is noteworthy that the turbo does not spool substantially at light engine loads that are common while driving off road at low speed in low transmission gears, 4LO, making use of torque multiplication of the gears to make the power you need. Because of this, the turbo will not be running very hot during slow off road driving.
Still... the turbo is pretty high up. We're not talking about a rear-mount turbo system here. For the vast majority of Jeep owners, the location of the turbo will never be dunked in water.
~Jeff
Some google searching about turbos in water turns up no clear proof that it is a real concern. Several results of people simply suggesting that it might be bad, a few people saying they do it all the time, pointing out that there are extreme off-road competitions involving water crossing in which some competitors have turbo vehicles, etc.
Some people suggest simply not going directly into deep water after running the turbo hard and getting it very hot - idle for a while to let the turbo cool down before submerging it.
Here's a discussion about turbo RZRs: turbo for the mud and water riders - Polaris RZR Forum - RZR Forums.net
Someone points out that turbo diesels are used in some serious mudding trucks.
Here's a video of a turbo RZR in water, running hard, for a long time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzAY2VHQ-JQ For the Prodigy turbo system specifically, it is noteworthy that the turbo does not spool substantially at light engine loads that are common while driving off road at low speed in low transmission gears, 4LO, making use of torque multiplication of the gears to make the power you need. Because of this, the turbo will not be running very hot during slow off road driving.
Still... the turbo is pretty high up. We're not talking about a rear-mount turbo system here. For the vast majority of Jeep owners, the location of the turbo will never be dunked in water.
~Jeff
Last edited by Prodigy Performance; Apr 18, 2016 at 08:39 PM.
