Significant Oil leak - intercooler plumbing

[Sherwy]

Morning Gents,

MY trusty T5 (2006 1.9TDi) has never leaked a single drop of oil since I bought it 2nd hand in 2009. About 6 months ago I noticed a few tiny drops appearing on the garage floor. Lately it's been leaving small puddles!

It all seems to be coming from in and around the intercooler plumbing. Any ideas?

I've heard of intercoolers filling with oil and getting restricted airflow before but that was on a 450HP Yanmar boat engine! Are the T5's susceptible to the same thing?

Love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers,

Sherwy.

[LogicprObe]

Those rubber parts don't last forever.
You could try tightening them a bit for starters.
Otherwise, it could be oil leaking through the turbo.
According to what I've read (I have a later model to yours) it does that when turbo bearings are on the way out.

[Sherwy]

Yeah I think it might be more than just old rubber parts... it has gotten a lot worse pretty rapidly. She does appear to be a little down on power and definitely blowing more smoke than she used to. I'm leaning towards your suggestion that the turbo bearing are on their way out....


Thanks for your help.

[Rebuild]

if it is the turbo, i wouldn't leave it too long. Google "diesel runaway"

Saying that, mine has always had a slight film of oil most everywhere, with some puddling at the pipe junctions.No leaks.
Doesn't use oil between changes either.150K ish

[Sherwy]

Yikes!

OEM GENUINE Turbo Charger for VW MULTIVAN TDI (T5) 1.9 TDI EURO4 54399880058 | eBay

[Sunny43.5]

Yikes!

OEM GENUINE Turbo Charger for VW MULTIVAN TDI (T5) 1.9 TDI EURO4 54399880058 | eBay

I would suggest thats a bargain , when our T5 2.5 Turbo went to lunch VW quoted $6000 for a new one .

[Sherwy]

I put in a call to the service department at Austral Volkswagen this afternoon for an estimate.... if they want 6 grand I'll be doing it myself!

[Sunny43.5]

I put in a call to the service department at Austral Volkswagen this afternoon for an estimate.... if they want 6 grand I'll be doing it myself!

And that price was around 5 years ago !

[Rebuild]

I'd get a mechanics' opinion before committing any kind of money.Oil can come from other sources.

If you can, also check the crankcase ventilation valve PCV operation

[Sherwy]

Yes indeed. No response from Austal but that's kinda what I expected.

I had forgotten about a very old friend who is a very talented mechanic. I gave him a call yesterday and it's booked in for Monday. He's just over an hour away (in Riverview) but I have total and complete trust in him so it's a no brainer really. This is one of those jobs that has the potential to blow out badly so he's the right man for the job.

Incidentally if anyone is out that way his business is called Tivoli Tyre and Mechanical, his name is Julian Chambers, top bloke and always delivers exceptional value for money in his work. He said the last few turbos he's done for Volkswagen's have come from the UK, he estimated around $600!!!

I'll keep you posted on how he goes with the diagnosis.

Cheers,

Sherwy.

[ericcs]

maybe your getting a bit more blow by as the engine gets older. try removing the intake hoses each side of the pcv valve. if it's dry above, and wet below, then that's what's probably happening. As well as cleaning out all the oily intake system, and resealing the pipes, so they don't leak, you might want to install a catch can, so the oily vapours don't make it back into your intake!

[Sherwy]

Picked up the van this afternoon with a clean bill of health. Just leaking seals at all the junctions. Stripped cleaned up and re-seated the seals and all good. Now to give her a tidy up ready to sell. Thanks for your input fellas.

Cheers,

Sherwy.

[Sunny43.5]

Great result , from your first posts it looked like a goner so now it lives to fight another day .

[Sherwy]

Yep very happy. I guess I just badly underestimated just how much blow by these modern diesels produce. My mechanic said he's seen a hell of a lot worse. Giving her a tickle up now to sell. Pick up the new Amarok on Friday.