Oil Leak from Intercooler pipe

**Audi6er** · 09-10-2007,04:37 PM

Hey guys

Got myself a 2004 1.9 TDi and have just got back from Franchised VW dealer after having Timing Belt Service done.

They called me up this morning saying they found some other problems(aint that a surprise!!!) and wanted to proceed with repairs.

They informed me that my radiator was leaking(I knew about that one),my nsf and osf boots were split and that the lower intercooler pipe was leaking oil.

I have searched on here and have found a thread(then lost it again!!) saying that some guys on here dont reckon that the oil leak is serious and to just keep an eye on it.

Given that i am getting rid of car in 6 months or so ,what steps do you advise.Do i replace the intercooler pipe (£68.00 + vat + Labour=£168.00) or is there anything else I can do?

I am £541.00 lighter today thanks to Timing Belt & Radiator so really need to conserve my money with chrimbo coming up.

Cheers

**onzarob** · 09-10-2007,04:43 PM

a certain amount pg oil will sit in the inter-cooler, Darin it off and see how quickly it builds up. if is allot it can point to failing oils seals on the turbo.

But your right in thinking an amount of oil will always be in there.

**Grimm** · 09-10-2007,11:16 PM

I quite agree to previous post, I always have a small amount of oil on the

undertray which I clean off at each oil change.

**Audi6er** · 10-10-2007,06:22 PM

Originally Posted by onzarob

a certain amount pg oil will sit in the inter-cooler, Darin it off and see how quickly it builds up. if is allot it can point to failing oils seals on the turbo.

But your right in thinking an amount of oil will always be in there.

Cheers Rob,how much is an acceptable level to accumulate and over what sort of time frame?
Also is it easy to check the intercooler pipe as truthfully i am not very mechanical

**onzarob** · 10-10-2007,07:22 PM

I quote A8_tech who is and Audi technician

There is a bout 1 litre of oil flowing around the intercooler system

Read the whole thread here.

https://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/s...ad.php?t=15261

**Audi6er** · 10-10-2007,08:41 PM

Cheers for info mate

**calum** · 11-10-2007,07:51 PM

Replace the o rings that fit on the end of the intercooler pipe cos if it's leakin out oil then it doesn't have a 100% seal ,not expensive or hard to replace ,alternatively you can take off the o ring and do a couple of laps with plumbers PTFE tape then put the o ring over the top this gives a nice snug fit ! cheers , Calum.

**Kaiser2000** · 12-10-2007,10:35 PM

My 02 TDI 130 was in for servicing last week, and along with new brake discs, pads, CV boots, and water pump, she apparently has a leak in the "breather" pipe to the intercooler and the garage reckon it'd need a new turbo to fix. Lots of money I'm told

I gather it's a common fault with VW's though and the performance isn't suffering. The fuel economy has gone to hell recently though. A full tank used to last 2 weeks.. now I'm lucky if it lasts 8 days.

Should I get them to replace the o-rings as Calum suggests, or has anyone ideas on what else could be wrong?

**calum** · 13-10-2007,06:09 PM

Hi Kaiser2000,there will always be some oil in the intercooler regardless , all turbo charged engines do this , if your turbo was failing you would expect to see a drop in oil and at least some smoke out the exhaust . I think they're trying to make a quick and easy profit from you .
As regards the fuel consumption first port of call would be the temperature sender and second would be the maf sensor both of these can cause increased fuel consumption . If you can have the car scanned and see if there are any codes stored . Temp sensor can cause poor cold starting but the maf usually gives more problems , barely noticeable at first then getting worse until it's almost un - driveable !
New temp sensor are an upgraded item (old ones are known to fail) and the maf can be cleaned with electrical contact cleaner but sometimes replacement is the only answer !hope this helps , Calum.

**Frank.A** · 13-10-2007,08:39 PM

The main reason that oil accumulates in the induction pipes and intercooler,even with perfect turbo oil seals is that the crankcase ventilation vents into the intake upstream of the turbo.

The oil mist condenses downstream of the turbo contaminating the ducting and intercooler.

The vacuum pump driven from the back of the camshaft is lubricated by pressure feed and exhausts air and oil mist into the rocker cover.

According to tests carried out in the USA the vacuum pump is responsible for the majority of oil mist in the ducting and intercooler.

Various attempts at reducing the oil mist exiting the rocker cover have been tried with bought out CV filters,such as the Provent and also home brews.

The main reason in the USA for doing this was that the oil mist and poor quality diesel fuel was causing significant deposits in the inlet manifold via the EGR valve.

There is lots of info on this subject in the TDI forum.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/

Search in the Passat B5 TDI for Provent and CVC

Best,
Frank