What Is The Real Prevalence Of CDI Intercooler Hose Problems
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From: Las Vegas, NV
2011 E350 Cabriolet..White and Almond Mocha
I touch type so when I have a typo it is me and not the keyboard. The MacBook has a nice board but I have a tough time adjusting between the iMac and the laptop because of the physical size.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2007
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From: Scottsdale, AZ
2004 RX330, 2008 Scion xB, 2001 Honda Insight Hybrid, 2010 Toyot Prius v ATP
WELLLLLLLLL .... today, I took the beastie in for it's Service B and for squealing brakes. I need new pads all 'round (no biggie, it's at 30,000 miles and I'd rather pay for pads than rotors), but they're keeping the truck overnight because the hose that the other dealership installed is (and I quote) "blowing oil all over the place."
So if you've got a leak underneath (there's a little oil under the car, not much), you might want to ask about it. Sure, it's no charge to me, but damnit I thought this stuff was taken care of!
STP
So if you've got a leak underneath (there's a little oil under the car, not much), you might want to ask about it. Sure, it's no charge to me, but damnit I thought this stuff was taken care of!
STP
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From: Albuquerque
'10 CL550, '12 GL550
Yeah, the recall states that in order to properly torque the band clamps or whatever on the hose, the entire front bumper must be removed. I know my dealer didn't do this.
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From: Scottsdale, AZ
2004 RX330, 2008 Scion xB, 2001 Honda Insight Hybrid, 2010 Toyot Prius v ATP
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 405
Likes: 1
From: Scottsdale, AZ
2007 GL320 CDI, 2001 TJ Rockcrawler, 2005 Scoobie STI
WELLLLLLLLL .... today, I took the beastie in for it's Service B and for squealing brakes. I need new pads all 'round (no biggie, it's at 30,000 miles and I'd rather pay for pads than rotors), but they're keeping the truck overnight because the hose that the other dealership installed is (and I quote) "blowing oil all over the place."
So if you've got a leak underneath (there's a little oil under the car, not much), you might want to ask about it. Sure, it's no charge to me, but damnit I thought this stuff was taken care of!
STP
So if you've got a leak underneath (there's a little oil under the car, not much), you might want to ask about it. Sure, it's no charge to me, but damnit I thought this stuff was taken care of!
STP
This same hose/oil thing happened to me a few months ago... I noticed a few drips of oil under the car right about the time the first Service A was due... So I asked them to address it at that time... They ended up replacing the other Charge Air Hose (not the one that was subject to the recall, but the one from the intercooler up to the intake... It didn't have any drivability issues related to the hose, but just a few drips of oil...
After they replaced the hose, no more oil leak.
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 405
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From: Scottsdale, AZ
2007 GL320 CDI, 2001 TJ Rockcrawler, 2005 Scoobie STI
Thats a good question... One that I was curious about as well...
Turns out that it is due to crankcase oil mist condensing in the Intake system (charge air hoses, intercooler etc.) and collecting at the lowest point, the seal in the ductwork is unable to hold the oil and so it drips out.
This is a very common occurance for turbocharged engines, and is a result of the emissions requirement for the PCV system (Positive Crankcase Ventiliation). PCV allows fresh air to circulate through the engine crankcase, but emissions requires that the fumes may not vent into the atmosphere and must be sent through the engine to be burned. It is this oil mist that is inside the charge air hose, and after it sits for long enough it slowly drips down to the point where the charge air hose between the intercooler and the intake manifold connects to the intercooler...
If the seal between the hose and the intercooler has even the slightest pinhole leak (which is also common since it is under pressure when the turbo is spooled up) it will push the oil past the seal and result in a few drips from the connection...
If you do a Google search of "oil in intercooler hose" you will see that nearly every turbocharged vehicle has some kind of issues here.
Turns out that it is due to crankcase oil mist condensing in the Intake system (charge air hoses, intercooler etc.) and collecting at the lowest point, the seal in the ductwork is unable to hold the oil and so it drips out.
This is a very common occurance for turbocharged engines, and is a result of the emissions requirement for the PCV system (Positive Crankcase Ventiliation). PCV allows fresh air to circulate through the engine crankcase, but emissions requires that the fumes may not vent into the atmosphere and must be sent through the engine to be burned. It is this oil mist that is inside the charge air hose, and after it sits for long enough it slowly drips down to the point where the charge air hose between the intercooler and the intake manifold connects to the intercooler...
If the seal between the hose and the intercooler has even the slightest pinhole leak (which is also common since it is under pressure when the turbo is spooled up) it will push the oil past the seal and result in a few drips from the connection...
If you do a Google search of "oil in intercooler hose" you will see that nearly every turbocharged vehicle has some kind of issues here.
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Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 405
Likes: 1
From: Scottsdale, AZ
2007 GL320 CDI, 2001 TJ Rockcrawler, 2005 Scoobie STI
Bottom line is that it is nothing to be super concerned about... as in some kind of massive failure. Its fairly common for turbo vehicles to have a small bit of oil coming from around the intercooler hoses.
BUT, in my case, Steve's case and anyone elses case, I would ask that the dealer remove the hose, clean it, and re-install it tightly so that no oil can get around it.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,244
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From: Scottsdale, AZ
2004 RX330, 2008 Scion xB, 2001 Honda Insight Hybrid, 2010 Toyot Prius v ATP
Runs like a champ, now.
