My caddy TD (1.6 with Garrett turbo) shows to be putting out 3-4 psi of boost while cruising at 60-65 mph.
From what I've read, this is normal since diesels take as much air as possible while running...the intake is not limited by a throttle body, etc.
I have two other turbo vehicles (1.8T Audi and a 5-cyl turbo quattro) and it seems those engines are actually not "in the boost" when cruising at the same speeds. The gauges read close to zero boost and that only changes if I'm accelerating to pass, etc.
Would it follow that the turbo's on diesels see more boost action / more frequently than on a gas engine? Does that mean that a turbo would possibly get more wear on a TD than a similar sized turbo on a gas engine? I just took a 200 mile trip and it occurred to me that the turbo was in the boost between 3-10 psi the entire time.
Not sure if that's even a factor since there are likely differences in EGT's and boost levels between applications, etc. I know these engines and turbo's are durable units and that they're "meant" to do this... I guess my question is more about the nature of TD's than anything else...
Thoughts?