240se Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 I pulled my intercooler to change the starter and there was some thick sticky oil residue in the intercooler. No metal flakes or anything like that but it still concerned me so I pulled the downpipe to check the shaft play on the turbo and there was no sign that the blades were contacting the housing and shaft did not seem too loose although I'm not sure what is too loose. No smoke when running, no measurable loss of oil. It's an 09 auto that I bought from the original owner two years ago with just 55k miles then and 86k miles now. All stock and good maintenance records, oil changes 3500 miles. Should I be concerned that my turbo may be going? Is some oil past the turbo oil seals normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 No worries if there’s a bit of residue inside the intercooler IMO. You just don’t want to see excess. Check inside the throttle body at the low point if there’s a tiny puddle, that should be cleaned up. And you don’t want oil residue on the bottom left corner where the metal and plastic on the outside of the TMIC meet, that would be a seal issue. Also consider changing the PCV assembly, if you’re seeing excess oil in there. 1 EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240se Posted August 29, 2022 Author Share Posted August 29, 2022 (edited) It was mostly just outside the throttle body at the intercooler exit although there a trace amount at the turbo end of the intercooler. I wiped it out and looked for any metal but saw none. The turbo failure posts have me paranoid. Edited August 29, 2022 by 240se Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 I doubt you’re dealing with a turbo failure issue, and some oil on the turbo flange is fine too. If you want to dig into it, read about crank case ventilation and oil blow-by. It’s above my pay grade, but Subaru’s crank case vents to the intake and oil blow-by is normal from my understanding. You do not want to see excess oil in the intake though. EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 What you are describing is pretty normal. You will likely have a film or just a little oil in the TMIC. If you have a puddle in the TMIC to TB hose, that's more likely to be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240se Posted August 30, 2022 Author Share Posted August 30, 2022 Thanks for all the input. It could be PCV system and I'll look into that. I had a Mazdaspeed6 years ago and the turbo oil seals failed and it SMOKED pretty bad because it was leaking into the exhaust at idle. Warranty covered that turbo fortunately. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 NAPA has the PCV valve for about $14.00 305,600miles 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...
tdelker Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 I have a 2010 (different gen - front mounted turbo) but I also have some oil residue, and a small amount of shaft play, but no visible contact. At first I thought there was no play, but some more jiggling reveled some. I too am wondering if it is worth replacing the turbo before I get metal down the throat. $1200 for a new OEM turbo. My final decision is to wait for either a sound (stop engine immediately, no matter where I am!) or seeing black smoke on hard acceleration. My exhaust valve was just burnt, rebuild heads ($2k in heads and seals, did the work myself) and really don't want to loose my short block now. But I feel like it's not that risky. Do change those AVCS banjo bolt filters if you haven't though. That's the real problem. And if they are clogged, you might want to reconsider. Mine were very very clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now