Vanagon TDi turbo mounting help please.....passing oil!

rsxsr said:

Beau, looking at your last picture, I would expect the oil level in the pan to match the oil level on the turbo side of the hose. A fluid will always seek it's own level.

What do I mean? Take a length of clear hose and fill it with water. Hold both ends, one in each hand. Note that the water level matches both ends of the hose even if you raise one end of the hose higher than the other. We used to use a method like this for leveling the scales with scaling the race car. We have a sweet laser level know that lets you level in about 5 mins.

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hmmmm, so is your point is the same as I was thinking....that the oil level in the pan is above the fitting on the bottom of the pan, and the fitting on the turbo is level with the fitting on the pan, so, the turbo drain is below the level of the oil?

I just finished installing my scavenger pump set up. when i disconnected that hose from the turbo, oil started flowing from the pan at that level.

not a good drain.

You need to know where the oil level is in the pan with the engine off. That would be the highest point. If you could see it and draw a straightline out to the turbo you could predict at rest where the oil level is in the turbo line. In other words, if the oil level in the pan is higher than say the outlet of the pump then the turbo would not drain properly. Good luck with the scavenge pump. Post your results. I would expect oil to run out of the pan with the hose disconnected. mark

Ok,

Had the new scavenger pump installed about 1.5 feet above the level of the turbo, on the engine bay sidewall. Good fit. Bad function.

My scavenger pump is gear driven, the good ones are.....and my seller and most sellers tell you that they can suck or push oil 5 feet vertical. They told me could be mounted where ever.

I drove around a day with it like that. I could hear the pump working from the drivers seat at idle. Made lots of intermittent struggling noises with the suction, like air/oil/air/repeat.

Oil continuing to drip and seep out of the turbo. Not working.

So yesterday I emailed a race-builder who said they all tell you the pumps can be mounted anywhere bc they will 'work' anywhere, but not well. He said all gear driven pumps like to be at or below the suction level. They can push up but not suck up, as it were.

So I moved it, whole darn job a second time, to just a tad below turbo level. I couldnt find space. Thought of the block perhaps. Then settled on fabing up a bracket and attaching it to the rubber dampened mount for for the muffler. Perfect location.

Power is on relay from a trigger that is only hot during motor running operation.

Drove around a bit last night and I couldnt hear the pump at all this time, even standin right beside it, (while the motor was running of course) whereas before I could hear the suction struggle as well as the gear/motor whine from the cab. I actually had to get on my hands and knees and get my ear near the pump. Its working. And no intermittent pumping sounds. smooth flow.

I will have to drive around and get it hot and some miles on it, see now if the seeping stops. The scav set up may actually be working now, but my turbo seals may already be shot, so seep may continue.

Good to know the pump is working better but isn't it going to get smoking hot being right by the exhaust/muffler there? I worry about what that heat might do to the pump, the hoses, and the oil itself.

Yeah, I am going to have to put in some heat shielding. But, out back in the air like that, it should get a fair amount of air, heat rises, and it is not above exhaust metal. There is literally no where else to put it.

Heat will not be an issue while in motion. But, yes, I'd put a piece of sheet aluminum to shield the radiate heat when the vehicle is sitting still and right after shut-down.


EDIT: If the turbo is in fact leaking oil past the seals, they have been lubed well. Thus, there should be no concern that the oil loss by them in any way caused damage.

I hope this works for you .............

AndyBees said:

Heat will not be an issue while in motion. But, yes, I'd put a piece of sheet aluminum to shield the radiate heat when the vehicle is sitting still and right after shut-down.


EDIT: If the turbo is in fact leaking oil past the seals, they have been lubed well. Thus, there should be no concern that the oil loss by them in any way caused damage.

I hope this works for you .............

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Thanks Andy. Yeah, guess all that oil flowing everywhere lubed up everything nicely!

I will either do a mylar blanket or an aluminum shield for that pump. As you said, its just heat sink when sitting that may be an issue. Seems like the pump gets hotter from that hot oil than from the muffler!

Completed a leakdown test on the motor. Used shop air on a regulator set to 100psi and pressurized at TDC for each cylinder thru glow plug hole.....dropped to 95psi all four cylinders, same.

I can hear the leakage but 5% aint bad. Unless I did something wrong.

No air sound from intake pipe or exhaust, small sound of leakage from dipstick tube.

So, oil consumption is likely not my motor from bad rings or valves.

Gotta be those turbo seals, which are still weeping a bit even w the scavenger pump running well. Wonder why. Seals bad? New turbo

They all leak a bit. With the scavenger pump, you should burn a couple tanks of fuel and see what happens on the dip stick.

You will never dry-up the oil coming out of VNT Turbo seals.......

AndyBees said:

They all leak a bit. With the scavenger pump, you should burn a couple tanks of fuel and see what happens on the dip stick.

You will never dry-up the oil coming out of VNT Turbo seals.......

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Good to know Andy. Thanks. I will be going on a roadtrip around the States to climb shortly. I'll be reporting that oil consumption.