Found oil drips originating from turbo inlet

[Stretch]

Hey guys,

I was doing a routine oil change yeaterday, and before I got going I noticed some wetness and decided to investigate. It dripped onto the rmm, some hoses under turbo, and I was able to see wetness around the turbo inlet pipe. My guess is this is the origin.

Would this possibly be egr oil leaking from a bad hose? Or, am I looking at a slowly dying turbo?

Car was built in nov 2006, has approx. 193k km

Thanks guys,
Eric

[pwdunmore]

Check the valve cover venting if you have one going to your intake, my guess is that you might be pulling in some oil from that. When I got my intake off alex I noticed there was some oil residue going from that hose all the way down the inside of the TIP that I had to clean off.

[Stretch]

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to take a close look underhood this week then. It's all stock engine wise so perhaps a cracked hose?
I'll check out the vent hose as you suggested.
Eric

[Stretch]

Just an update:

I took apart the turbo inlet/intake and cleaned them of the oil. It had caked up around the turbo inlet on the bottom, but surprisingly the turbo itself is it excellent shape, fins are excellent, very minimal shaft play, and no obvious leaks from seals! For almost 200k km I think that's pretty good. My guess for this oil then would be the valve cover vent tube as that is the only source I could see oil residue coming from and flowing into the turbo inlet. Is this where a catch can would connect to catch these vapors?

I also happened to snap off one of the small black nipples on the vacuum thing attached to the turbo housing, but superglue seems to have fixed that thankfully.

eric

[pwdunmore]

The little black nipple is for your electronic boost controller(EBC)... so you should get a new one because it might be effed because it needs to be perfectly sealed to get accurate reading to control boost.

You could get a new OEM or go with a nice upgraded aftermarket one. (Cobb and Stratified tunes makes them, heard good things about the Stratified one on MSF)

[BlueStreak]

Just an update:

I took apart the turbo inlet/intake and cleaned them of the oil. It had caked up around the turbo inlet on the bottom, but surprisingly the turbo itself is it excellent shape, fins are excellent, very minimal shaft play, and no obvious leaks from seals! For almost 200k km I think that's pretty good. My guess for this oil then would be the valve cover vent tube as that is the only source I could see oil residue coming from and flowing into the turbo inlet. Is this where a catch can would connect to catch these vapors?

I also happened to snap off one of the small black nipples on the vacuum thing attached to the turbo housing, but superglue seems to have fixed that thankfully.

eric

That oil residue is caused by boost pushing past the rings and forcing air into your intake. Now, a little bit of oil is fine. I'm talking a little weeeeeee bit over a substantial period of time. Theoretically, if this was the first time your car was ever checked for that leaky oil issue, I'd say that's not a big deal. Have another look 5K KMs from now to see what its like.

You may have just sealed up a boost leak with your investigation tho :) If oil was dripping out of the inlet and down the motor mount, a proper seal wasn't formed at the inlet.


The little black nipple is for your electronic boost controller(EBC)... so you should get a new one because it might be effed because it needs to be perfectly sealed to get accurate reading to control boost.

You could get a new OEM or go with a nice upgraded aftermarket one. (Cobb and Stratified tunes makes them, heard good things about the Stratified one on MSF)

Close! I believe he means the little black nipple on the turbo inlet that he snapped off; happens to quite a few people. The nipple on the EBCS is pretty much indestructible to tugging and needle nose pliers.

You are right tho, the nipple on the tip needs to be sealed to keep fuel targets in order.

[Stretch]

Thanks guys, From what I could tell, it had never been touched before me so it is likely that oil and crud build-up was for the life of the vehicle thus far, possibly explaining why it was so much. I will check again in several thousand km to be sure I don't have a more significant issue.


That oil residue is caused by boost pushing past the rings and forcing air into your intake. Now, a little bit of oil is fine. I'm talking a little weeeeeee bit over a substantial period of time. Theoretically, if this was the first time your car was ever checked for that leaky oil issue, I'd say that's not a big deal. Have another look 5K KMs from now to see what its like.

You may have just sealed up a boost leak with your investigation tho :) If oil was dripping out of the inlet and down the motor mount, a proper seal wasn't formed at the inlet.



Close! I believe he means the little black nipple on the turbo inlet that he snapped off; happens to quite a few people. The nipple on the EBCS is pretty much indestructible to tugging and needle nose pliers.

You are right tho, the nipple on the tip needs to be sealed to keep fuel targets in order.

The nipple that broke was off a black plastic piece with 2 nipples on the top in a row. A small vac hose was connected to each, and I broke the rear-most one off. I super glued it back, and due to the weird shape of the break, it fit quit well without movement: like a puzzle piece. I am confident it should hold well until I do some upgrading in the future.

One thing I was surprised about during this investigation was just how stuffed the turbo inlet piping is! It's squeezed between the battery and engine and has many turbulent bends. I removed the battery and tray to access it freely, and found not doing so would have significantly reduced my ability to handle it well. Seems like a battery relocation would be ideal to clean it up a bit. Oh, and a replacement, larger turbo inlet/intake of course :P. Maybe someday.

eric

[BlueStreak]

Ah, pwdunmore is correct then. Apologies.

That's a very serious connection to break. If that ever comes off and you go WOT, you'll vent a rod in your motor.

I highly recommend replacing it.

[Stretch]

If I got the EBC from either of those companies suggested by pwdunmore, would it replace the factory piece attached to the front of the compressor housing, or would it work in-line with it and simply protect me if the glued piece comes lose someday?

eric

[BlueStreak]

It would work as a substitute. You disconnect the OEM unit and plug in the replacement.

Since you're stock, I would suggest keeping it that way and swap in a replacement OEM unit. There are a few guys that are so far into their builds that the last thing on their mind is to ever use the stock EBCS again. You might get one for cheap :)

I'd give you mine but I hacked it up good when I was testing some circuitry I built.

[Stretch]

That's actually a very good tip. I never thought to post a wanted ad for a used ebc, I just went straight to look at the COBB and Stratified units. The prices are actually not bad, and I would love to have the COBB quality piece, but if a good used one can be had for far cheaper then it might just be the best alternative for me budget wise. Would it be safe to buy a used one from any year speed 3, or have they changed it a bit for the 2nd gens?
eric

[BlueStreak]

Any year speed is fine.