Oil leakage after turbo install?
 

Have you guys experienced engine oil leakage after going turbo? I'm having issues w/ my car leaking oil now from various places and I'm trying to figure out what's going on. Let me know. thanks

It is most likely leaking in the oil lines and the crank vent on the driver side right? this is a simple install issue

pinpoint it.

oil feed at block
oil feed at turbo
oil return gasket
oil return hose
oil return fitting at block

valve cover gasket, breather line from pressurize crankcase, etc.

I mean literally, from the engine. I originally thought it was the crank seal and it still leaked (but less). Then i replaced the valve cover gasket thinking it was coming from there. I then took the car out for a drive (really got on it) and oil was still coming from that area. So i'm 100% sure that it's coming from the cam seals right now.

But why? I'm thinking the PCV valve is fucked. I'll check it out when I go to the shop in a little bit. But besides that what else do you guys think it could be?

There have been a number of times when Ive had a leak, somethings rattling around, or something does not work right and 9 times out of 10 if not more often it was the very last thing that I had messed around with and if it was working before and I had not messed with it then it was most likely not causing the problem. Look at everything that you messed with when installing the turbo and I bet you will find your problem.

"literally from the engine" ... you cant pinpoint it any closer than that? it is seriously just coming from everywhere? Comon man, throw us a friggin bone, where the fuck on the engine is the oil?

sure you;'re not pressurizing the crank case?

^^^ yup stock Miata PCV valve flows in reverse. Replace it with one from a turbo 323 at least.

You need to be specific about where it's coming from. First thing to do:
CLEAN THE ENGINE BAY!!!
I'm a fan of Engine Bright. Be sure to do it in the middle of your driveway or in the street. Any runoff into the grass will kill it. Be SURE YOU LEAVE IT ON for the 15-20minutes and that the engine is cool. Spray it on every piece of metal you can in there. Use Simple Green and a wet rag to wipe down all the rubber/plastic pieces.

Once it's clean, go for a nice long drive... then find the leak and report back. Remember, it won't leak up and probably won't leak forward... so if you've got leakage along the front of the engine, above the water pump, I'd say cam seals are a good bet... or maybe just the front of the valve cover.

Have you ever had the valve cover off? If not, or if so, the sharp 90* corners along the valve bumps are notorious for leaking, even with a brand new gasket. There's some blue hi-temp gasket gunk you need to buy to make sure those 90* angles on the valve cover seal properly. Check step #9 on this page:
http://www.miata.net/garage/valvecover/index.html

this is why I'm painting all my engine pieces non-black. I want to see the leaks.

I didn't try putting RTV on the bearing caps. I'll def. give that a shot and let you guys know what happens.

For those of you who are asking where the leak is coming from, it's hard to tell. It seems like it only wants to leak when there is a load applied to the engine. I will go ahead, clean everything off (again), apply RTV to the camshaft cap corners, and see if that works.

Thanks a lot guys

PS- I already replaced the camshaft seals

So i went ahead and pulled the valve cover off and put RTV where needed. I put the valve cover back on and it's still leaking from the front of the valve cover.

It's not the cam seals b/c i have the front cover off and I'm watching to see where the leak is coming from. It is dripping from the VERY front of the valve cover.

So I'm gonna replace the valve cover, gasket, and re-rtv and see what happens. Unless someone else has a different idea?

peace

If it's leaking from the very front I'd say the cam seals are to blame.

i suppose. there's nowhere else it can be leaking from. I've done everything I can to make sure it doesn't leak from the valve cover.

I feel like I'm at a loss b/c I just replaced the cam seals and don't understand why it would be leaking from there.

that's the only other thing up there, the cam seals, or the gasket itself.