HELP! Where is my oil going!

een2102

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Location
Guatemala
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Dear Friends,

I would like you to help me find out where my oil is going! 2003 Jetta Wagon 5spd, 210k miles. Recently it went from not consuming any oil at all to something like 1qt between 500-1000 miles! The odd thing is I do not see any blue smoke, even on cold start up! The only way I can get to smell a taint of oil smoke is if I rev it shortly after a cold start (not healthy for engine). I have tried to pay attention when driving and even when pushing it hard can't seem to see smoke! Note I drive mostly city, live at altitude and with mountains, so my turbo and engine do suffer more than those of you in the great plains that can drive 1000 miles at 70mph in flat gound non stop.

I checked compressions and they were great (480-500 psi) in all four cylinders. Checked intercooler, it had oil....cleaned it and checked again two weeks later, some oil but nothing major. When checking compressions, I removed all glowplugs and only middle cylinders sprayed out oil when cranking, suggesting oil was coming from manifold given that the intake leads straight into central cylinders. I checked turbo recently and did not notice mayor shaft play. Checked the "hockey puck" and it seems to be OK, just spraying some oil mist into the intake pipe. A German mechanical engineer that worked with diesel engine design and worked for some patents for VW checked the engine with me and discarded stuck rings because of compression numbers and low blow by. Valve guides also seem unlikely. I am dumbfounded..... how can I burn that much engine oil without leaving a trail??

I have another problem that might or might not be related. I have, like many other forum members, a problem in which I have weird power loss symptoms while driving in higher gears under high boost conditions. Note it is NOT limpmode, it is simply a loss of power after a few seconds under high boost conditions at higher gears which returns if I release the accelerator for a few seconds. However, none of the forum discussions have conclusive resolutions of the problem. As of now, I am waiting for a new MAF sensor to try to rule out. Checked vacuum system and everything is holding vacuum OK. I mention this not to deviate from my initial concern but rather to evaluate if they are somehow related.

I understand that this problem pretty much narrows down to four possible problems.

1. Stuck oil ring(s).
2. Leaking valve guide seals.
3. Bad turbo
4. "Hockey puck" problem.

However, except for the hockey puck, diagnosing any of the other possibilites is not a cheap endeavor and would rather consult the forum before taking the next step.

Big thanks!
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Sounds like the turbo has started passing oil.
 

RoseBud68

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2016
Location
PSL FL
TDI
'99 mk3 Jetta 1.9
So no oil stain on the ground where you park? All dry under the engine and tranny?
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
Sounds like the turbo has started passing oil.
Can it leak just to the exhaust side? But if it did, there would be blue smoke, me thinks.

If it's passing to the intake side, why no build up in the intercooler?

een, are you positive there are no external leaks? Unlikely since your engineer friend probably would have noticed it.

What are your driving habits? Do you putter around rarely revving the engine, or do you rev it up when shifting? Lots of short, slow speed trips?
 

een2102

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Location
Guatemala
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Thanks for all the replies! For sure no stains in the ground. Had a crankshaft seal problem previously but got that taken care of together with a new clutch and tranny fluid change. After that, block is as dry as it could be. Now I have a panzer plate and i have thoroughly checked it with no stains.

Driving is usually in city, unfortunately mostly with short trips. However, ambient temperature is always temperate so engine does not get forced on that regard. Driving style depends whether it's me or the wife driving. I do notice that if it has been pampered for too long, it will burn some carbon after a hard pull, and then will have no smoke after that....but it was the same before the oil consumption.
 

Geordi

Veteran Member
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Jan 4, 2002
Location
Somewhere between Heaven and Hell. But it is reall
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14 JSW DSG, 03 Wagon 01M, 400k and IPT performance auto!
Do you still have the turbo hard oil supply line? Check that for oil seepage around the nut. Mine just broke and it was drinking oil (more like spraying it everywhere) and yet managing to hide the actual source of the leak until the tube broke completely.

What does your back window / bumper look like? Clean or greasy? Clean it completely, and drive for a while. If it gets filthy / greasy again, you have an external leak like I did.
 

KLXD

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 22, 2009
Location
Lompoc, CA
TDI
'98, '2 Jettas
No external leaks, no oil in the intercooler.

I'd pull the exhaust at the T/C and check the turbine for oil.
 

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.
Disconnect CCV and vent it into a make shift catch can from a bottle or something.
Clean out the turbo inter cooler REALLY well so no oil is left in pipes or cooler
Put a make shift chicken wire or some like metal colander for straining noodles and line it with a white shop rag. and rig it up so it does not suffocate the tail pipe but acts as a catch. Go drive for 20 miles. Report back with what has the most oil. At 500-1000 miles for 1 quart of oil, your going to see where its going really fast. the CCV will mostly be vapor and a few oil splatters maybe. exhaust should have nothing, inter cooler should have nothing within 10 miles. If this is not the problem than its draining to the ground as you drive and you just dont know where its leaking from. Either that or someone is steeling your oil :>

If its int he inter cooler, Turbo
If in the Catch can, blown rings or cracked piston
If its int eh tail pipe, its a valve stem seal or bad rings OR turbo if its really bad
Check the coolant, any oil in there?
You can get a dye to add to the oil and use a UV light. this will let you know where its going.

My guess is its going out the tail pipe and not as smoke but as droplets of oil. You can try this, get going 30mph and stay in 1st gear let off and keep it in gear than tap the peddle full for a moment and you should see a puff of oil smoke, its from oil in the intercooler if your system is as messed up as mine lol. Good luck.
 
Last edited:

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
That's a great post, Mongler98!

Since oil is FUEL I'd expect that with higher oil consumption/burning that your FE would be better. So... get a good read on your current FE. THEN, drain all the oil out of the engine and run for the same distance and over the same ground and at the same speeds and check your FE. If there's no difference in FE then you're not burning the oil (and, you'd be defying physics in that most assuredly you'd cook your engine!) OK, sorry, I couldn't resist myself!:D
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
The first thing I'd try is installing a new air filter. If the old one is restrictive than can cause oil to get pulled past the turbo seals into the compressor.
 

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.
The first thing I'd try is installing a new air filter. If the old one is restrictive than can cause oil to get pulled past the turbo seals into the compressor.
those turbos have seal? i thought the journal bearing just leaked oil normally? Thats one hell of a clogged air filter! It still does not tell us where the oil is though.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
those turbos have seal? i thought the journal bearing just leaked oil normally? Thats one hell of a clogged air filter! It still does not tell us where the oil is though.
I've never actually torn into a tdi turbo, but I assume they have steel rings in grooves on either end of the turbo shaft to keep the oil where it belongs. Every turbo I've seen the innards of has these rings. Anyhow, I like to address the simple and cheap possibilities first- and a clogged air filter is pretty easy to remedy. The oil could just as easily be leaking past the ring on the turbine side and going into the exhaust. Sometimes an obstructed oil drain hose/line can cause the oil to escape past the seals.
 

een2102

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Location
Guatemala
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Did check and changed filter. I also cleaned snowscreen. Actually, having a clogged filter would make sense since otherwise the motor would start sucking from the CCV really hard.

My guess is turbo. I will monitor oir burn rate and see what's up. I thought it was prudent to consult the forum. I will keep you posted.
 

Geordi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2002
Location
Somewhere between Heaven and Hell. But it is reall
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14 JSW DSG, 03 Wagon 01M, 400k and IPT performance auto!
If it is the turbo, it is going to put the oil into one of two places: The intercooler / piping, or the exhaust piping.

A little goes a long way in the exhaust for making smoke, so it may be going to the intercooler and into the engine to be burned. Is the bottom of the car clean and dry?
 

een2102

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Location
Guatemala
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
So today I popped the turbo. There was some oil in the intercooler, but nothing major. I did find some oil residue on the intake pipe before the turbo. I guess it's normal from the oil mist from the CCV. I found the exit of the turbo relatively dry, however I guess this can also be from the heat and high air flow.

However, I did find pretty considerable in-and-out shaft play on the turbo. The compressor was not hitting the housing but this kind of play, from what I have read, means the turbo is on its way out and could definitely be the source of my oil loss.

The bottom of the car is super clean.
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
So today I popped the turbo. There was some oil in the intercooler, but nothing major. I did find some oil residue on the intake pipe before the turbo. I guess it's normal from the oil mist from the CCV. I found the exit of the turbo relatively dry, however I guess this can also be from the heat and high air flow.

However, I did find pretty considerable in-and-out shaft play on the turbo. The compressor was not hitting the housing but this kind of play, from what I have read, means the turbo is on its way out and could definitely be the source of my oil loss.

The bottom of the car is super clean.
In and out play certainly means it's time for a turbo.
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
And the Hokey-Pokey:D
You push your turbo shaft in, you pull your turbo shaft out, you push your turbo shaft in and you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn your impeller around. That's what it's all about.:p

Thanks. Now we have a new way to describe a bad turbo.
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
So, you saying we should be dancing when we find out we've got a loose turbo? I guess it's a way to relieve what would otherwise be a stressful finding!
 
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