Alright guys I know this has been discussed alot I have done some search as well but can't really figure out exactly the issue. My point is I'm wanting to start this thread in hopes that people can upload pix of the "usual" or "common" areas of the leaks. I know there is a leak occuring on the turbo. I see smoke coming out behind the UIM, the area between the UIM and the firewall. As well as from the turbo side. Can someone point out the usual areas so the problem can be solved easier? I'm sure many will find this thread useful.

 

another very commen oil leak point is from the oil pan gasket, mine is leaking, not bad but still annoying....

 

come on guys help everyone out if you know of a common area

 

It may be that one of the Oil inlet lines (one per Turbo) is loose and thus leaking. Another possibility is that one of the oil lines going out of the Turbos (gravity drop, one per Turbo from underneath) and into the block may be loose as well. So there are 6 seperate areas an external oil leak can develope on the Turbo assembly, not including the main engine inlet oil supply line that connects to the Turbo oil supply line.

Just check under the car and see if you find evidence of oil stained Turbos and/or oil stained block.

 

Common areas for oil leaks:

- the turbo supply likes

- the oil pan.

- the engine motor mounts (bolts pass through oil passages)

- the O-rings at the base of the filter pedestal.

- the rear bearing (you will see oil coming out of the access plate on the bell housing).

One thing to note is that any oil that seeps down to the cross member tends to then be blown back onto the plate beneith the tranny and from there onto the cat. A small seep can actually cause quite a bit of smoke that will travel up the transmission tunnel and come out from between the firewall and the UIM.

Often it is difficult to tell the origin of the oil leak because of this. Clean everything off with some degreaser and keep checking to try and determine the source of the leak.


-bill

 

OMP (oil metering pump) seal.
banjo fittings.....
front engine cover....
rear main oil seal...
and the list goes on

 

there is definitely oil stains under the turbo and the whole right side but no oil leak on the engine block. Wish someone would upload pix, would you recommand just trying to tighten all the oil lines?

 

thanks for the info Bill, I'm a little confused on what you mean by "cross member" though, this is a definite cause for me so I would like to check it out since there is smoke coming out of the UIM and firewall area. Also, the smoke comes out from under the car as well after a hard run, which I assume is from also the oil that seaped down to the tranny then the cat.

 

I had this problem, everytime I drove for an hour or so and would heat up the exhaust, them come to a stop (ie traffic jam) quite a bit of smoke would come out from the left rear wheel well as well as directly from the hood. Pretty scary, also for the drivers in my immediate vicinity.

I had an engine rebuilt just a few weeks ago which I had hoped would cure this problem, but alas after taking a 2000 mile trip last week the problem is still there.

Is there a danger of actually causing a fire this way?

 

By "cross member" I mean the sub-frame that the two engine mounts (among other things) are bolted to.

-bill

 

The two top inlet oil line nuts (one on each side per turbo located on top of the Bearing Housing) are going to be pretty hard to get to unless you take the Y-Pipe off AND then only if the Turbo heat shield has been removed, otherwise, they will be impossible to access.

The two "outlet" oil lines each have a flange with two 10mm nuts. The flange/nuts are located directly beneath the Turbos on the Bearing Housing. Those are a little easier to get to. If you follow those lines to the Block you'll see the flanges/nuts secured to the Block. The Block flange in the rear is easy to get to, but the Block flange located in the front will require a ittle more skill and patience. Might make the job a little easier if you use 1/4" ratchet, extension, universal swivel adapter with 10mm socket. Good Luck.
-Jimmy

 

exactly how many of you guys had this problem solved after tightening the bolts and oil lines? is it possible to just replace these oil lines and perhaps the oil leaks wont occur anymore due to new washers?

 

thanks bill

 

I did a turbo rebuild last month and I remember the Torque specs being a little high on the large inlet oil line nuts. I'll review the instructions later this evening and post the torque specs on this thread for your review.

Bottom line is that they need to be tightened pretty good.

 

hmmm alright then perhaps on a nice day out I will take out my intakes and heat shield off to take a looksie

 

Unless your last name is Houdini, I wouldn't try taking off the heat shield. The two nuts that hold the shield are located in the back of the Turbo assemble in between the block/LIM area. They're not even accessible through the bottom. I think the Turbos have to be pulled to get to the heat shield nuts. (10mm).

 

oh no~~ that's horrible news sounds like a major project coming again, should of done it when I was doing my hose job

 

just did some of this over the weekend. the secondary oil supply bolt is accesable from the top w/o removing the heat shield and I'm pretty sure the primary is too. I don't know if you could replace the washers though.

 

If you're having trouble isolating the source of the leak, you can try this:

1) Clean all suspected leak locations thoroughly.
2) Spray the locations with aerosol athletes foot spray/jock itch or aerosol powder deodorant.

When the oil comes out, it will turn the powder into a gray syrup.

I used the above method to locate an oil leak on an engine that I had just rebuit. The leak was driving me crazy!

Here is a pic of the spray after I covered the head/block mating surface (piston engine).



I was 99% certain that it was the headgasket. I was wrong. The leak was actually where the oil pump met the block. The spray helped me find it after pulling my hair out for about a month!

Sonny

 

Ooh, pretty pulleys....

 

When I rebuilded my turbos for the 2nd time I had a leak at the top of the turbo. The oil line that goes from one turbo to another. It's not hard to get to it if you remove the y-pipe, no need to remove the shield in my case.

Also, I wouldn't tighten that too much, Cause i broke 2 of those screws. The best thing would be to get those copper washers and replace them, they are around 40c at the car quest stores. Those damn screws are so soft it's like they are made of plastic or something. Probably because they have holes in them

Anyway, it shouldn't take you more then 30 minutes to replace washers, unless you brake one of them or something goes wrong.

Amel

 

Pix of these progress may be helpful for the new ones to this topic This is going well, thanks for all of those who have chimed in on this thread. Lets keep it going

 

This is very useful thanks!

 

Bump!