5 replies to this topic

[850maybe]

And it's not good. After 3 years of fun and no oil leaks I finally noticed a couple of drops on the driveway. Thought it may have been a sloppy oil change but when I took it in the mechanic showed me an oil soaked turbo housing. On top of that I have a very, very slight leak on the firewall side of the valve cover.

Mechanic said that if I'm leaking that much oil ( enough to get pushed all the way along the steering rack to the passenger side before dropping ) that the turbo is in need of replacement or rebuild. I looked at the oil return line while the car was on the rack and it shows no signs of leaks.

So, are there any write-ups on a turbo removal/install? Any suggestions on where to have mine rebuilt or a good place to buy one?

Thanks in advance.

[troyhyde]

Turbos don't usually leak to the outside of the housing. Might clean up the area and look for exterior type leaks on the block. If the turbo runs well and doesn't blow smoke it is probably fine.

Perhaps the valve cover leak (rare) is dripping all the way down. Check the PCV hose that mounts to the top of the head, front and rear cam seals, and turbo drain seal. All fairly common leaks.

[850maybe]

troyhyde, on 22 November 2009 - 02:58 PM, said:

Turbos don't usually leak to the outside of the housing. Might clean up the area and look for exterior type leaks on the block. If the turbo runs well and doesn't blow smoke it is probably fine.

Perhaps the valve cover leak (rare) is dripping all the way down. Check the PCV hose that mounts to the top of the head, front and rear cam seals, and turbo drain seal. All fairly common leaks.

I'll get a better look this coming week ( long weekend ). Have had an oil burning issue for a while now but never this bad; 2 quarts in less than 1000 miles, and I've never had oil leak onto the concrete driveway.

This weekend should hopefully reveal the culprit.

850maybe, on 22 November 2009 - 03:37 PM, said:

I'll get a better look this coming week ( long weekend ). Have had an oil burning issue for a while now but never this bad; 2 quarts in less than 1000 miles, and I've never had oil leak onto the concrete driveway.

This weekend should hopefully reveal the culprit.

Forgot to mention that I don't see any smoke whatsoever when pulling away form stops or when letting off the accelerator. It will however, smoke pretty good if I let it idle/get stuck in traffic for an extended period of time.
New oil getting burned off perhaps?

[TryingBe]

It's more likely your PCV system needs to be cleaned and parts changed than the turbo needs a replacement.

If the turbo is bad, your car will be smoking all the time consistently.

[Black Betty]

Check the cam seals too. Pull off the belt cover and see if its moist. Also look on the other side at the cam position sensor. If there is a build up of dirt/grime the seals are bad. Usually the seals dont go unless your pcv is bad too.

[850maybe]

Thaks for the replies everyone. I'll be checking the seals and other areas as well.