I purchased my 2004 VW Passat GLS sedan with the 1.8T last September with 71,000 on the clock and all seemed well and fine until I decided to perform some maintenance. So far I’ve replaced the timing belt, changed the coolant temp sensor, cleaned out the PCV system and added 16,000 miles. My remaining issue is that my lower crossover pipe that runs from the turbo to the charge air cooler fills up with oil over the course of my 5000 mile OCIs. Actually, it all goes into the intercooler since there's a sloped bottom to it so it puddles in there. The volume of oil, while I haven’t measured it using a measuring cup, is quite significant. I figure that I wipe out about half of a pint after 5000 miles. I think that’s more than what’s supposed to be there from the PCV system. I typically do highway driving and I’ve figured out that if I keep the turbo spooling to a minimum, the oil doesn't go down as much. Taking it easy, I typically lose about a quart every 2000 miles. So, it’s going somewhere else besides just collecting in the pipe. I think what happens is that after it leaks past the piston seal on the compressor side of the turbo, it hits the compressor wheel and turns it into a mist. Some of the oil collects on the walls of the intake tract (especially the intercooler) while the rest is burned in the combustion chambers.
I've tried investigating it myself but I’d like to hear what others have to say. I'm almost positive that it's just the piston seal on the compressor side of the turbo. I don't get any color smoke out of the tailpipe so I think I’m good with the turbine side. I've run a compression check on the cylinders and they were all around 195 psi after warming the engine. That tells me that blow by isn't an issue, as well as the fact that I’ve cleaned the PCV system. I’ve had the entire lower intake tract down and I’ve looked inside the intercooler as well as up into the compressor outlet. You can see the oil dripping down the intercooler fins and inside the compressor housing you can see where it slings the oil around. I've also had the intake downpipe off and I felt no longitudinal movement in the shaft and a little radial movement, just as there is supposed to be. I’ve also seen oil right before the intake butterfly valve, so I know it gets up there too.
My concern though is that I can't seem to find anyone else having a similar problem with their vehicle. I’ve been searching the internet for a similar scenario since I found it a few months ago, but I have never seen anyone with a leak just because a seal went. It’s always because the crankcase pressure is building up from a clogged PCV system or because their whole turbo went south and either smacked the inside of the housing or is smoking like a chimney out of the tailpipe. I also think its odd how it’s leaking so early in its life and only on the compressor side.
My plan of attack is to either buy a rebuild kit for the turbo or try to clean it up using Auto-RX. I’ve had some marvel mystery oil in the crankcase with Rotella T6 for about 3000 miles, but the leak seems to be about the same. I was going to switch to a 15w-40 HDEO to use with the Auto-RX but I’m not 100% sure it’s the seal or if Auto-RX would even do anything. So, I guess I’m really asking if you guys think that running Auto-RX would be the best bet or to just get in there and rebuild the turbo. I’m handy enough to complete either task but I'd rather choose the less invasive of the options.
I've tried investigating it myself but I’d like to hear what others have to say. I'm almost positive that it's just the piston seal on the compressor side of the turbo. I don't get any color smoke out of the tailpipe so I think I’m good with the turbine side. I've run a compression check on the cylinders and they were all around 195 psi after warming the engine. That tells me that blow by isn't an issue, as well as the fact that I’ve cleaned the PCV system. I’ve had the entire lower intake tract down and I’ve looked inside the intercooler as well as up into the compressor outlet. You can see the oil dripping down the intercooler fins and inside the compressor housing you can see where it slings the oil around. I've also had the intake downpipe off and I felt no longitudinal movement in the shaft and a little radial movement, just as there is supposed to be. I’ve also seen oil right before the intake butterfly valve, so I know it gets up there too.
My concern though is that I can't seem to find anyone else having a similar problem with their vehicle. I’ve been searching the internet for a similar scenario since I found it a few months ago, but I have never seen anyone with a leak just because a seal went. It’s always because the crankcase pressure is building up from a clogged PCV system or because their whole turbo went south and either smacked the inside of the housing or is smoking like a chimney out of the tailpipe. I also think its odd how it’s leaking so early in its life and only on the compressor side.
My plan of attack is to either buy a rebuild kit for the turbo or try to clean it up using Auto-RX. I’ve had some marvel mystery oil in the crankcase with Rotella T6 for about 3000 miles, but the leak seems to be about the same. I was going to switch to a 15w-40 HDEO to use with the Auto-RX but I’m not 100% sure it’s the seal or if Auto-RX would even do anything. So, I guess I’m really asking if you guys think that running Auto-RX would be the best bet or to just get in there and rebuild the turbo. I’m handy enough to complete either task but I'd rather choose the less invasive of the options.
