What Is An Oil-Less Turbo, And How Do They Work?

Turbochargers are known for making your car faster and more fuel efficient in exchange for a constant supply of clean oil to lubricate its parts — this is how it's always been. Or has it? Oil-less turbos are becoming more and more popular, but some car enthusiasts are still surprised these are even a thing. And some have no idea how they would even work. Oil-less turbo chargers have a lot of benefits, especially in cars with little room for oil lines. Other drivers install oil-less turbos to avoid having to replace additional oil filters and for the expanded placement options this type of turbo provides. 

But some old-school drivers question if oil-less turbos are as reliable and if they will last as long as traditional turbos. How do they stay lubricated without a traditional oil supply? Brands that make oil-less turbo chargers, like Comp Turbo, have come up with multiple solutions that keep oil-less turbos efficient and reliable. A common implementation is using grease instead of oil to keep the unit lubricated; this requires a tweak to the setup that works better on some vehicles.

Oil-less turbo chargers are easily identified due to their lack of oil feed and return lines. Instead, they have zerk fittings on the outside of the housing that is used to grease the turbocharger's inner workings. There's no disassembly required with this configuration, since the special grease used for your turbo will evaporate over time (instead of gunking up the inside). Refilling a Comp Turbo oil-less turbocharger usually takes about seven to eight pumps of grease, depending on the turbo model and grease gun used. 

Comp Turbo offers two types of oil-less turbo chargers. The first is water-cooled, which has two ports on the housing for water to circulate through the cartridge. This ensures that the turbo remains at a consistent temperature, extending the life of the grease. The second type is air-cooled, which is best for cars that ordinarily might not be able to handle a turbocharger (like mid-engine cars or even pickups where the turbo has to go in the bed). This external placement can make it tough to route fluid to the turbocharger, so the air-cooled unit has fins on the outside to help shed excess heat.

One big concern with oil-less turbo chargers is that they may not last as long as traditional turbochargers. This is not necessarily true, although Comp Turbo states that drivers may need to do maintenance on an oil-less turbo charger more often to ensure it's lubricated and functioning properly. If there's no leakage, an oil-less turbo charger may even outlast other types of turbos.