Nevada Jack

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.

StevethePilot

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

lkchris

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.

StevethePilot

B
E
A
utiful.

Danno4x4

Steve,

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.

Brocktoon

Why would there be all kinds of oil in the charge air anyway?

Danno4x4

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.

Brocktoon

Duh! PCV, of course! But is it really that much? Usually it's just a little spot on the air filter where the hose comes in!

Danno4x4

Even in Steve's situation... There really is not that much oil on the ground under the car... Probably just a few drips... But motor oil from diesels gets really friggin dirty, so even just a few drips will make a permanent spot on concrete.

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.

Brocktoon

I don't know, I have taken a couple of VW intercoolers off, and they have been bone dry...but they are not diesels.

StevethePilot

They went one better and replaced the hose, and said something about the seals being improperly installed by the other dealer (well, it was prefaced with, "I think," and followed with, "probably.")

Runs like a champ, now.