[theg00se]

The oil leak from the red boost pipe has been done to death and to cut to the chase the fix cost about £12 for two seals and about 1 and 1/2 hours to do fix. The oil catch can has been talked about many times but no one seem to have cracked it yet.

So let's say we have fixed the boost pipe leak and now all the oil is contained. Does this mean the oil is now clogging our intakes even quicker than normal? If this is the case would it not be better to let it leak until we crack the oil catch can then fix the boost pipe seals.

Finally and probably most importantly what will happen if we just ignore the leaks and just keep the oil topped up.

[superflyguy9]

I'm no expert....but as i understand it:

(a) replace the seal which fixes the leak - the oil vapour will continue on its way to the combustion chamber. The vapour should'nt clog as you have returned the system to how BMW intended - you will always get a little oil collecting when the system is cold and the vapour condenses.
(b) ignore the leak - the leak is evidence that the boost pressure is leaking out, therefore reducing engine efficiency and power. The longer you leave it the worst this will get until you have a noticeable power drop.

Hope this helps.

[theg00se]

I am very tempted to split the breather pipe which carries the crankcase gases and oil residue to the intake.

I was thinking of capping the intake entrance and allow the cranks to vent to atmosphere via a long silicon pipe to the underside of the engine and not have an oil catch can at all. My only concern at the moment is that the engine monitoring system will sense that their is a pressure drop in the crank case or at least a pressure difference and then compensate in some way that harms the engine. Mind full that the re-circulation of these crankcase gasses is not to improve performance it is to be clean and not pollute i'm hoping that there is nothing to worries about.

I have a high performance sport bike and it has many crankcase vent all over it and the filler cap has a breather and filter of its own. i figure that if a bike that revs to 18,000rpm vents to atmosphere then our cars should be fine.

Any ideas from you engine specialists?

[theg00se]

Originally Posted by superflyguy9

I'm no expert....but as i understand it:

(a) replace the seal which fixes the leak - the oil vapour will continue on its way to the combustion chamber. The vapour should'nt clog as you have returned the system to how BMW intended - you will always get a little oil collecting when the system is cold and the vapour condenses.
(b) ignore the leak - the leak is evidence that the boost pressure is leaking out, therefore reducing engine efficiency and power. The longer you leave it the worst this will get until you have a noticeable power drop.

Hope this helps.

HI Superflyguy.

in response to your points:

a. You would be surprised how much oil there is in the intercooler and how much passes into the engine. When you change the seals you will notice all of the insides of the pipe is socked in oil and a large amount of the outside swell. the underside of the engine and engine guard will also have a fair amount of oil present.
As for clogging the engine. A friend took his intake manifold off for other reasons and there was a shocking amount of oily goo present. He jet washed all of this out before refitting and all was good. At some point this goo will build up to a point where the engine has a breathing problem and i can not imagine how much a dealer would charge to repair it. I'm sure it would take a long time and many mile before this would become a problem but if we can stop the oil from entering the intake system the problem will never arise.

b. I agree that there will obviously be a boost loss because the seals are or have failed but is the presence of oil on the seal the actually causing the seals to fail. there is a warning on the new seals not to lubricate with oil and to use proper seal lubricant.

This is a tricky issues to figure out but i am still convinced that venting to atmosphere is the simplest answer.

Calling all specialist. What are your thoughts?

[superflyguy9]

Originally Posted by theg00se

HI Superflyguy.

in response to your points:

a. You would be surprised how much oil there is in the intercooler and how much passes into the engine. When you change the seals you will notice all of the insides of the pipe is socked in oil and a large amount of the outside swell. the underside of the engine and engine guard will also have a fair amount of oil present.

Yes i did mine a few months ago, however there was no more than any other turbo diesel I have worked on. Tends to vary to be honest

Originally Posted by theg00se

As for clogging the engine. A friend took his intake manifold off for other reasons and there was a shocking amount of oily goo present. He jet washed all of this out before refitting and all was good.

Isnt this due to the EGR valve / swirl pots? I believe blanking them off cures this known problem

Originally Posted by theg00se

At some point this goo will build up to a point where the engine has a breathing problem and i can not imagine how much a dealer would charge to repair it.

I think breather problems are related to the breather system which there is a DIY to do this in the DIY section - effectively replacing the breather with an updated part

Originally Posted by theg00se

b. I agree that there will obviously be a boost loss because the seals are or have failed but is the presence of oil on the seal the actually causing the seals to fail.

I thought the issue with the seals was eliminated with a modified hose that BMW released a few years later - only pre 2009 are affected? that would suggest its a design fault with the hose itself rather than the seals

Originally Posted by theg00se

there is a warning on the new seals not to lubricate with oil and to use proper seal lubricant.

The whole system including the seals should be oil resistant, as by design there will be oil vapour within the charge carrier tubing. Proper seal lubricant is required as oil generally lubricates metal on metal parts, when you reinsert the red boost pipe back into its holders it requires a lot of force to locate and click in place. Not using proper lubricant eg silicon based can cause the seals to twist and fail prematurely[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by theg00se

This is a tricky issues to figure out but i am still convinced that venting to atmosphere is the simplest answer.

Not sure really. I think we are talking about several problems.

[theg00se]

superflyguy

If i vent the breather to atmosphere and cap the pipe that goes to the inlet, do you know if there is any other way that oil can get into the intercooler. if this is the only oil feed cutting the pipe should stop the oil going into the intake

Ive changed the seals twice now and its started to leak again from the lower joint. I have the oil to thank for showing me that there is a boost leak. the last time i changed the seal i thought the inside of the intercooler was a bit rough, as if there was a crust build up or something like that.

Do you know if it is a difficult job to remove the intercooler or not as i am thinking of removing it, cleaning out the oil,fitting the boost pipe first to check correct engagement then refitting the ic itself.

i am determined to fix the leak and the oil ingestion.

[superflyguy9]

I really wouldnt modify the breather system to be honest. The only effective way to cure the boost oil seal leak would be to buy the modified red pipe. I think that's the general conclusion.

Even if you come up with a breather system that prevents the oil vapour you will still get a seal leak, as i dont think its the oil causing the problems. Hence why BMW modified the red pipe design. Also consider the turbo oil seals dont actually seal until under pressure, hence a possible source of oil.