oil in intercooler

miltonjr72

New member
Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Location
michigan
TDI
04 tdi sedan 5 spd
I have oil coming out of my intercooler. not sure why. how can I fix this. Do I need special tools?
 

ketchupshirt88

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2012
Location
waupaca, WI
TDI
2005 Passat daily, a bunch of others in the graveyard out back...
need more details...

do you mean there is a light film of oil in all of the intake track?
thats normal.

Did you remove the lower most hose from the intercooler and a shotglass or 2 of oil came out?
Still pretty normal, just keep an eye on it.

Did you remove the lower most hose from intercooler and a the better part of a quart came out?
you should look at your turbo, something is wrong...

is there a film of oil, which has accumulated some grimey road gunk, on the exterior of your intercooler?
Your intercooler has likely failed, probably at the end tanks, and is letting oily pressurized air out.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
No, 100% normal. About 1/4 cup to 1/ cup of oil drained from the entire intercooler and pipes are normal. Your turbos bearing is a journal bearing. This is the way it’s designed. Soo much is bad and a sign of a dead or dying turbo about to make your car rev out of control. Don’t be alarmed though. If it failed like that you would see oil shooting out of the exhaust or massive consumption of your oil over thousands of miles vs the quart every oil change or so.

In a nut shell, don’t clean it with anything other than a rag on the connections when you put it together, no solvents. You can clean the intercooler with soap and water and a shop vac but it’s not necessary. Some oil comes in vapor from the CCV (puck on the valve cover) but it’s mostly from your turbo.

Measure out how much oil you get from the intercooler and report back if it’s anything more than a cups worth.
 

KLXD

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 22, 2009
Location
Lompoc, CA
TDI
'98, '2 Jettas
Mine always has a little seepage at the lower clamp.

I wouldn't call a cup of accumulation normal unless the intake is plugged pretty badly and one never winds the engine out.
 
Last edited:

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
Sounds like you may have a bad connection on the short, lower hose from the IC. I replaced that very same hose after it had popped off due to worn nubs.
 

maxmoo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Location
Lakefield, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2000 golf, 2001 golf, 2000 beetle, 2003 wagon, 2004 golf, 2004 jetta, all diesels
need more details...

do you mean there is a light film of oil in all of the intake track?
thats normal.

Did you remove the lower most hose from the intercooler and a shotglass or 2 of oil came out?
Still pretty normal, just keep an eye on it.

Did you remove the lower most hose from intercooler and a the better part of a quart came out?
you should look at your turbo, something is wrong...

is there a film of oil, which has accumulated some grimey road gunk, on the exterior of your intercooler?
Your intercooler has likely failed, probably at the end tanks, and is letting oily pressurized air out.
^This or this....

Sounds like you may have a bad connection on the short, lower hose from the IC. I replaced that very same hose after it had popped off due to worn nubs.
 

belome

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
Mid MI
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS TDI 5-speed
The very first thing you should do is not even start the car until you can verify how much oil is in the intercooler. If it has a quart in it, things could go horribly wrong as soon as you start it.

If you pull off the hose and there is a quarter cup or less then it isn't a big deal.
 
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