bean5885 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Greetings all. New Subaru owner and forum member here. I’ve been looking across the interwebs for a specific answer but haven’t yet seen one. Hopefully I can find some guidance here... There is a leak developing underneath the turbo. While it does appear to be focused on the lower oil drain, I see residue along the bottom edge of the clamp mechanism that appears to lash the two halves of the turbo together. I have yet to find an exploded-view diagram showing how these two halves fit together, and if there is a seal in there. Can anybody tell me what to try first? Should I tighten that clamp bolt? Or do I need to just yank the turbo and put in a new drain tube and seal? Many thank yous in advance...can and will post more photos if it helps. -Bean Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 I believe there is just a metal to metal surface sealing there. This is a old photo, I have others but can't find them right now. You may want to PM member "JmP6889928" he's our go to guy for rebuilding turbos. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schwab Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 As Max stated, I believe the band is a non sealed metal to metal interface. Suspect you have a failing turbo shaft seal. I would check the turbo shaft for radial play, and if any is detectable I would drive really nicely and make plans to rebuild or replace it. If you blow the turbo things get complicated. If no play, keep an eye on it until the leak is a problem. If you are running synthetic oil, you might change to a high mileage conventional oil and see if that helps. How many miles on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bean5885 Posted August 31, 2019 Author Share Posted August 31, 2019 (edited) Thank you for the replies, and photo of the broken down turbo. I've been watching some teardown videos on youtube too, not seeing any shots showing a seal being between those two parts, so the guess about a shaft seal leaking is making sense. Bought the car 4 weeks ago, has 200k miles, seller told me it had received a new block at 174k. All in all it seems to be in great shape, but the turbo dripping scares me. I'll post another photo of the turbo itself, maybe that'll be helpful? Whatever the case, I've been going very easy on the car from day one and have been watching all the lines for something just like this. Is there any way at-a-glance to tell which type of turbo unit it is? I'd also like to know of a good source for an affordable and reliable replacement. Ideally, I would eventually have the current leaking one rebuilt and on hand as a spare or something, but at this time the car is my primary transportation, and I am trying to not spend a fortune on this, if at all possible. I'd like to get the leak stopped, but perhaps the better and significantly less risky route is to opt for a replacement, and one that won't need much else to get me going for now, and then repair the old turbo or upgrade when I'm swimming in piles of cash. Or is there the option somewhere to ship in my turbo as a core charge? In my forum searching I've learned that I could use a VF52, but would then need to have the car tuned, and sounds like it craves injectors. This is very enticing being that it sounds to have better overall potential down the road, but I'm not sure how much a tune would cost for a job like this and therefore seems somewhat un-affordable at this time... any thoughts here? And aside from the tune, is the VF52 unit a direct fit, or would I need to replace/relocate the coolant/oil lines or other items? I am ultimately planning to install the turbo in myself to save money and learn, but just am not sure which one and where would be a reputable place to obtain it. I see RockAuto has remanufactured and "new" turbos, as does eBay... are these risky bets? LGT forum classifieds seem like a legit option but availability is of course a factor. Also looking at BNrSupercars... just is expensive, but I’m sure worth every penny? And a secondary question: Is anyone using an oil line kit like the sandwich-plate kit that’s mentioned on the BNrSupercars site? This seems like a great option to prevent future oil delivery issues and I find it appealing in that there is still a filter for the turbo... just easier to get to. In reading it looks like others have worried about the oil filter itself hanging too low, but the kit doesn’t look like it’s that large of a difference. Your suggestions here are much appreciated. Thanks all! Edited August 31, 2019 by bean5885 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 PM member JmP6889928, he's our go to guy for rebuilding turbo's My vf52 on stock fueling has been great for about 140,000miles. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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