Well i recently got a workshop to finish off fitting my latest turbo



I managed to dummy fit it and modify the FMIC piping to suit it but it also required custom oil and water lines and the dump had to be cut, extended and flange rotated.
So I dropped it off at a good local workshop, they finished it up and I picked it up yesterday.



However, now it's dripping oil, I only just noticed about 30 min ago. I had a look to try and work out where exactly it's from but it's dark outside now and I lent my jack and stands to a mate.
From what I can tell it's collecting on the corner of the crossmember (turbo side) and dropping from there.
There's no smell of burning oil in the car, or from outside the car, no smoke out the exhaust either. Took the afm off and that's clean, aswell as the turbo front.

Anyone have any ideas as to what it's from?
I'll either jack it up tomorrow or take it down to the workshop and see if he can pick it. I'm thinking (hoping) it's a leaky oil drain line, but I dunno really...
Any ideas appeciated

 

maybe from the oil return line? maybe..

 

Yeah that's what I'm thinking/hoping it is.
My mates coming round now with a trolley jack and stands, we'll try have a quick look asap

 

hmmm








Looks like a leaky oil return line, hard to tell if it's the join or a crack in the line from underneath tho..

 

Did you use a gasket on the oil drain pipe flange?


-Ted

 

I didn't do the lines, I left that to the workshop since I haven't modified/fitted lines before like this. Oh well, I'll give them a call first thing tomorrow morning.

Think it might just be due to no gasket Ted?, I couldn't see any crack, and I'm pretty sure the mechanic would of spotted a crack if there was one.

 

Yeah, if the oil leak is coming from the flange, it's either no gasket or a faulty one.
I used to have the same problem.
I tried just RTV, but that didn't work.
Only having the proper gasket helped it seal correctly.


-Ted

 

Clean ALL of the oil up... then start the car... and watch to see where your leak is coming from... As already mentioned, check gaskets...

 

maybe its coming from the hotside? are the bolts all tight?

 

The turbo is a Hybrid t04
T04E front, S4 rear.
In theory the standard S4 Gaskets should seal it. Going to take it to the workshop and have a decent look at it in an hour. Hopefully it's easy fixed with a new gasket.

 

If the oil is apparantly leaking from the center section, it can only be the oil supply or the oil drain fittings / connections.
(It could be the center housing is *cracked*, but I doubt this is the case.)
It'll be kinda obvious if the oil is coming from either.
If the entire center is coated with oil, then it's from the top - oil supply - connection.
If the center section is dry, then it's most likely leaking from the bottom - oil drain.

If it's leaking from the turbine housing, I doubt it's going to come between the turbine housing in the CHRA...


-Ted

 

Looks like it's coming from inside the turbo (o ring seal).
Bummer, have to rip it out now and get that replaced

 

There is no o-ring seal on the turbo that would isolate the oil from the outside.
The only o-ring I know of is on the compressor housing to backing plate.
If you got oil coming from that, your turbo is fucked, cause there should be no oil coming from the compressor section.


-Ted

 

Yeah, that looks like it is coming from the return line.

 

Well we cleaned it up on the hoist and had a look
The oil is coming from just above the return line, think it must be the o ring seal, the owner of the local turbo shop (which is just next door to the rotar workshop) agrees with this.
His theory as to why it busted is that they used a standard garrett o-seal, where as rotary turbos require other seals due to the higher temps reached. And with were it's mounted (closer than stock manifold) the standard one warped when it got hot and that's what's causing the leak. That's his theory, it could just of been a shitty build in the firstplace, but we won't know that till it's apart.

Just gotta rip it out now and take it to him to rebuild... hmmm more money, i feel this way the microtech's never going to go in

 

Can you tell us what this "other seal" is?


-Ted

 

I think it should be similar to this



From my understanding, No. 5 is the seal in question


However the gasket for the oil drain line was replaced and no dripping oil was noticed for about 4 days, but it's definently there now, checked just then.