turbo leaking from inlet?? (non Z but help me out guys!)

[Guest bastaad525]

well, decided to ask this over here since most of the people on the other car forum I hang out on don't know what the heck they are talking about. This is on my '05 Dodge SRT-4, which currently has about 15,000 miles.

 

Basically, i've been noticing for a long time now, since maybe the first month of owning the car (going just over 1 year now), when I remove the pipe that connects the air filter box to the inlet of the turbo, there will be usually a couple of drops worth of oil at the end of the inlet, and also a some droplets worth of oil and residue built up around the end of the pipe that connects to the turbo inlet. The end of the pipe that connects to the air filter box is clean. And as far as I can tell, there is no oil between the turbo outlet and the I/C inlet. It's hard to check at the turbo outlet, but I did pull the pipe at the I/C, and it was bone dry.

 

I asked around on the SRT forums, and it seems fairly common... maybe 15-20 people that replied to my thread had the same problem.

 

Some of the (self proclaimed, usually) more knowledgeable car guys on there said it is normal... that as the turbo cools, the different parts of it cool and contract at different rates, and this allows a little oil seepage when the car is shut down and cooling. Best I could do to verify this was to let the car run with the inlet hose removed, the turbo was spinning at idle, and after 10 mins of idling, not a drop of oil came down. This was with the car fully warmed up before starting the observation. Then, I put the pipe back on, went for a drive, got on it a bit, parked, turned the car off, and removed the pipe again. At that point, there was still no oil that I could see or on my finger when I wiped the inside surface of the turbo inlet. I did not check later after the turbo had cooled. I think it builds up so slowly that I wouldn't notice after just one days driving either way. Even after I haven't checked it and cleaned it in weeks, it's usually only a couple drops worth.

 

for what it's worth, and this is totally comparing apples to oranges, but I know on my turbo 240z (stock L28ET with stock T3), when I would pull off the outlet pipe from the turbo, there was always oil film along the inside of the pipe, but when I'd check the stock rubber inlet hose, I don't remember for sure, but I think there would be some residue in there too. But this was on a used turbo with who knows how many miles.

 

On the SRT, the car runs fine, and there's never a hint of smoke from the exhaust. Oil usage is VERY slow on the car... I just put about 1/8 th of a quart in it to top it off today, the first time I"ve topped it off since doing an oil change about 2000 miles ago, and of course I topped it off to the F mark after doing the change.

 

So... what do you guys think? I want to take it in to the dealership, but I'll bet $100 right now they will look at it and just tell me it's completely normal OR will admit something is wrong but will point to my (few and not extreme) mods and say it's my fault.

 

I just wanted to get someone elses oppinion first....

[gjc5500]

The contraction theory sounds logical. I've never heard it happen, but seems theseable (sp)

[Guest bastaad525]

no one else? Any turbo Z guys notice anything like this on their Z's?

[Dunnie]

no one else? Any turbo Z guys notice anything like this on their Z's?

 

Do you still have the stock airbox? From your 1st post it sounds as you do. I'm running the iceman intake and don't have the small oil residue (any really), but had your exact "symptoms" when running the stock airbox. As per Ethan Barer (good friend at SRT Engineering / dodgetweaker from srtforums) this is normal due to the blow-by produced by the pcv system of the motor design. Don't worry about it causing any problems, unless it does start to smoke. Then start looking at the turbo itself.

 

Did someone really tell you that oil could be leaking from the turbo due to heat-up/cool-down? You have to remember most of the knowledgeable veterans and the srt engineering staff have moved on from that site and it's hard to believe what alot of the others write on that forum.