Turbo oil feed line crack!

Millennium Falcon

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Location
Central pa
TDI
2003 jetta wagon, 1949 willys cj3 ALH TDI swap
Today when I left work I saw a puddle of oil under my car! Im glad I noticed it because it was leaking pretty good! I popped the hood and started it up. Instantly noticed a steady drip coming from the oil feed line down near the oil filter. I shut the car off and checked the oil. It was a little low but not much at all. I had about a 10 mile drive to get home. I decided to go for it... I stopped a few times to check the oil and make sure the leak wasnt getting worse. By the time i got home it was down to about 1/2 of the knurled part of the stick. What a mess! So question is.... What are the chances of any serious damage to the engine or turbo? The oil was a little low but not too bad.... and was the turbo starving for oil since it was losing pressure out the crack???? I didnt have many options other than drive it or walk from where I was. No cell service until about 2 miles from my house. So I drove it about 10 miles.... Its all back roads. I kept it under 2000rpm and did not go over 4 or 5psi boost. I put a spare line I had from my other car....cleaned up the mess and topped off the oil. It took about 1 qt. to get it back up to full. I wired wheeled the bad line to see the crack.... I couldnt even see it until I bent it a little to open it up. so you can see how fast you lose oil even from a 1/4" long hair line crack! What a crappy way to start friday night! Is this a common issue on these cars? Now Ive had this happen once on my TDI and once on my Mercedes diesel! what gives!











 

Celco

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2005
Location
Warren, MI 48092
TDI
2002 Golf 4dr ALH 5-speed
Sucks that crap like that happens.

I have 2 used ones in good condition I can sell you. Replaced them for SS lines. Didn't twist them up either. Option.
 

Millennium Falcon

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Location
Central pa
TDI
2003 jetta wagon, 1949 willys cj3 ALH TDI swap
Yeah i feel like between the car, my truck, and the lawn tractor... im constantly working on something. The mounting clamps were not on the car when I got it.... that could cause some stress on things right? My parts car did have 2 clamps in place. I like the idea of a SS braided line. is there a kit available? It was a major pain getting the hard line out and back in without bending it.
 

PGM jetta

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2015
Location
Northern Alabama
TDI
05 Jetta BEW
Yeah i feel like between the car, my truck, and the lawn tractor... im constantly working on something. The mounting clamps were not on the car when I got it.... that could cause some stress on things right? My parts car did have 2 clamps in place. I like the idea of a SS braided line. is there a kit available? It was a major pain getting the hard line out and back in without bending it.
I would highly recommend a SS one over the original hard lines. But even with it, I still use the original clamps. Keeps it from rubbing anything

Couple vendors sell them. $80-$90 I think. There are some that have made their own for ~$30 a little searching and you'll find the thread
 

Millennium Falcon

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Location
Central pa
TDI
2003 jetta wagon, 1949 willys cj3 ALH TDI swap
Cool, Thanks for the info. I will look into that. I will do some research to find out what size the fittings are. It would make me feel better. I will also try to mount the line clamps on my car
 

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Flexible Oil Line

I would highly recommend a SS one over the original hard lines. But even with it, I still use the original clamps. Keeps it from rubbing anything

Couple vendors sell them. $80-$90 I think. There are some that have made their own for ~$30 a little searching and you'll find the thread
There are many of us Golf/Jetta owners that are running the $19.95 braided oil lines from ebay.

Look here:http://www.ebay.com/itm/TURBO-OIL-F...ash=item4afbef1a06:g:X~4AAOSwgmJX08HL&vxp=mtr
 

eddieleephd

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2012
Location
Battle Ground, Wa
TDI
2002 jetta Wagon
I got a line made at Cross Hose.
I like the 90* I ended up getting because I can just get a straight piece next time, if ever, I need one.
It was a little more expensive than you can find them in the vendors section, but, I can take the line off without any chance of loosening the fitting on the turbo.

Parts:
JM0410 - 10mm adapter to turbo $4.70
JM0412 - 12mm adapter to oil housing $7.68
10691n-4-4 - straight connector for hose $10.41
90* "your choice"

4 C6X-S - swivel elbow $4.76
13991n-4-4 -90*hose fitting $11.02

I used the swivel elbow, it screws into the oil fitting on the turbo and then a straight hose goes between the oil pump and the swivel elbow.
like this http://shop.hoseandfittings.com/cat...l_Fitting_Interchange_With/C6X-S/4_C6X-S.html
 
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gatz

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2005
Location
Windsor, CT
TDI
2005 Mk4 Golf TDI PD, 2006 MkV Golf GTI
Is this a common issue on these cars?
Not sure, but the exact same thing happened to me. It seemed to leak at the edge of the fitting just where your crack is. It was brand new OEM line less than 30 days old. Our dealer installed it after an engine+turbo swap (insurance paid). Luckily I caught it when I did because it pissed out more than half the oil. It leaked several drops a second. I could have taken it to the dealer for a warranty fix, but I ended up installing a braided stainless line myself from Bora Parts.
 

Millennium Falcon

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Location
Central pa
TDI
2003 jetta wagon, 1949 willys cj3 ALH TDI swap
I guess the hard lines aren't the best design. I've only owned two diesels and its happend to both of them... I guess its 100% failure rate for me. :)


Not sure, but the exact same thing happened to me. It seemed like the banjo fitting wasn't pressed onto the tube correctly, and leaked at that edge. It was brand new OEM line less than 30 days old. Our dealer installed it after an engine+turbo swap (insurance paid). Luckily I caught it when I did because it pissed out more than half the oil. It leaked several drops a second. I could have taken it to the dealer for a warranty fix, but I ended up installing a braided stainless line myself from Bora Parts.
 

Millennium Falcon

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Location
Central pa
TDI
2003 jetta wagon, 1949 willys cj3 ALH TDI swap
I just ordered a SS line off ebay. I will post info when it gets here. "wolfsburg tuning" I think was the name.
 

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
I do wonder if the SS braided lines our trusted vendors sell while not coming from ebay, are actually all the same. I find it hard to believe there are a lot of different manufactures of SS braided lines, there just are a lot of distributors. Look at flat screen televisions, there may be more than three manufactures now, but the majority of "off-brand" televisions all have exactly the same components in them.
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
The daughter drove the wagon to (from?) work with the oil light on.:eek: Turbo oil feed line crapped: a PO didn't bother to reattach the brackets. Line was replaced and it's still working. I had a shop (car is not local to me) do the work and I had them check the turbo and they said it was OK.

I don't advocate pushing one's luck like this, but it seems that sometimes you can get lucky.

Based on all this I'd vote to install a braided line (if I were doing it).
 

Prairie Chicken

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
Location
Northern IL
TDI
05 Jetta, 04 Jetta
Same thing happened to me but on the back side... this was after a turbo change and couldn't find the line holder for the rear bracket. Lesson learned. New oil feed line and got a new holder from idparts. It is solid now.

I thought about the SS line but didn't pull the trigger. Maybe next time.

 

Millennium Falcon

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Location
Central pa
TDI
2003 jetta wagon, 1949 willys cj3 ALH TDI swap
Yeah this isn't something I had thought about much but boy once it fails on you it kinda makes you paranoid. My car also was missing the clamps so Im guessing the vibration took their toll. I stole the clamps of my parts car. I do believe many of the ss lines are the same. I read a thread the other day about one of the $90 kerma lines blowing so even the "expensive" ones can fail. I will let you know how mine looks. It wasn't the cheapest one I could find but it wasn't $90 either.
 

ranagon

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2016
Location
Arizona
TDI
'01 ALH Beetle; '02 alh wagon.1, '02 alh wagon.2, '03 ALH wagon; '04 BEW wagon, '05 BEW wagon.1, '05 BEW wagon.2
The oil feed line on my son's 2005 BEW wagon cracked yesterday, right at the banjo bolt fitting on the oil filter.

I didn't find any oil feed line clamps installed. The preceding discussion pretty well establishes that they are essential.

Does anyone have a picture of where they're supposed to go? ETKA shows the parts, but not the location.

Thanx.
 

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
I only have one oil line clamp and it attached to the driver's side exhaust housing bolt facing the firewall that looks like it shouldn't be there; tomorrow when it is light I will take a picture if nobody else has yet.
 

Beaker80

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Location
Newmarket, Ont. Canada
TDI
2006 Golf TDI Manual
I'm going to be replacing the seized turbo on a 2006 Golf BEW engine and I want to replace the turbo feed and drain lines as the car has 300K Km's on it. I was thinking of getting this kit as it has both lines and is substantially cheaper than buying them separately;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BEW-Turbo-I...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

Any thoughts? Will the original lines be OK with new copper washers and gaskets?

Thanks
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Yeah, your used hard line, banjo copper seals, gaskets, etc., would be superior over the Prothe product, in my opinion. The Gasket Kit you see in the middle of the photo sells by him for about $10.00. So, he's charging close to $50.00 for an unknown quality hard line.

I'd be far more inclined to re-use the old hard line as well as your used gaskets than trust that kit. The one on my Vanagon ALH Engine has been off and on numerous times with no issues...... even re-used the gaskets with no issues. Better support for the hard line than OE is the key.

EDIT: And, why would you need a new drain pipe? Seriously!
 
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jimbote

Certified Volkswagen Nut
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Location
spiral arm, milky way (aka central NC)
TDI
Tacoma 4x4 converted to TDI
the problem is not the factory steel line, it's that securing clamps were not reinstalled after service work or the turbo was replaced ... braided lines will fail too if not secured from excessive vibration
 

Beaker80

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Location
Newmarket, Ont. Canada
TDI
2006 Golf TDI Manual
I did a search for user "Prothe" and a lot of older threads. Is he or one of his many alias' behind the ebay store?

I'm asking here about changing lines as a proactive measure. I don't know why this turbo is seized as I bought it this way. The car does run and drives but obviously way down on power.

So I'm asking members here for advice. When I take the feed and drain line off I will clean and inspect them. If they are good they will go back on. Does the scavenge line get coked up? If so what's best to clean it with? Can the copper washers be reused if still flat? This is all original hardware as I know the previous owner and she had the car from new.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
As I stated above, I've removed and re-installed the hard oil line to the Turbo on my ALH numerous times, including the copper seals without issue. Some people use a propane torch to puff up the copper washers. I've never tried that. I've put over 80k miles on it in my 84 Vanagon... for a total of 209k miles. I have no plans to replace it.

I agree with Jimbote's assessment.

During the summer of 2016, my fabricated aluminum brace, installed at the OE location (back of block above bell housing) broke. I found it broken after returning from a 12k mile road trip. That gave me some insight as to the amount and intensity of the vibes these engines dish out. I have my aftermarket oil pressure gauge sending unit mounted on the end of a grease gun hose and suspended by a spring. Everyone of them would die in less that a month due to vibes if they were screwed into a T at the oil filter housing.

So, proper bracing (in rubber) is the key.

The drain hose is not problematic !
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
"Some people use a propane torch to puff up the copper washers"

What you need to do is anneal the copper, ie. soften it. Heat to red hot,
and immediately quench in cold water, quite the opposite of steel.
Copper work hardens, the heat and pressure those washers undergo
in a motor compromise its crushability, necessary for a good seal.
Clean flat surfaces are obviously critical as well for it to do its job.

For my upcoming turbo install I'm planning on using a braided SS line, but I will be paying close attention to some kind of flexible support, especially at the fitting ends.
 

Beaker80

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Location
Newmarket, Ont. Canada
TDI
2006 Golf TDI Manual
Thanks everyone for the input. I will reuse the originals after inspecting them. I will anneal the copper washers. AndyBees; good advice - thanks.
 

Prairie Chicken

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
Location
Northern IL
TDI
05 Jetta, 04 Jetta
The oil feed line on my son's 2005 BEW wagon cracked yesterday, right at the banjo bolt fitting on the oil filter.
I didn't find any oil feed line clamps installed. The preceding discussion pretty well establishes that they are essential.
Does anyone have a picture of where they're supposed to go? ETKA shows the parts, but not the location.
Thanx.
Ranagon... here is a pic of my 04... the clamp is on the drivers side where it curls around the head.

 
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