Several weeks ago my engine started sounding like a diesel. I immediately took it to a local shop where they said it was because of low oil pressure, and suggested that is simply needed and oil change. They changed the oil and the noise stopped, but the next morning there was an oily substance on my garage floor where I had been parked. When I popped the hood I notice wetness under the coolant reservoir, and the liquid inside the reservoir was brown. I took the car back to the shop and had them look at it - they were clueless. I've taken the car to another shop now and their verdict is that the turbo is out and oil is leaking into the coolant system through the bushings on the turbo, so they want to replace the turbo, oil cooler, oil lines to the turbo and a handful of gaskets.

Anyone have an opinion on this? They are quoting me almost $3000. If I could I would rather buy the parts myself and do the work myself, but I'm looking for some advice from someone who has some experience with this situation.

Thanks!

 

The turbo and coolant system are not connected. you would have to be dripping oil out of the turbo and into an open coolant hose for that to be possible. The only place that this could happen is in the oil cooler, in which case you would just need a new oil cooler and nothing else.

 

Dont let anyone that thinks that there are bushings in your turbo touch your car... Sounds like a bad head gasket.

 

id say it most likely the oil cooler, the coolant and oil go through a little box together that passes themnext to eachother with fins on all sides...

you can get them from ecs tuning...

a head gasket could also be the problem, but the oil cooler is often the verdict in this kind of problem.

your turbo might be bad just because of lack of lubrication from the oil with coolant in it...

i'd say replace the oil cooler and flush your coolant system, and do an oil change then see where you are... no sence in doing $3000 of work while 300 would do the trick, if it still persists, then i would move on to a new turbo (ko4 ahem...) and replace the head gasket..

my money is on the oil cooler 100%

 

Thanks for the feedback everyone,
I think I will pick my car up and try just replacing the oil cooler myself (anyone ever done that before that could tell me how?) to start with. Then from there maybe I can upgrade my turbo rather than have some shop put in a rebuilt stock one.

I don't think it's the head gasket because I had that replaced about a year ago. At least I don't want to think it's that because I don't want to have to replace it again.

 

Ya more i think about it its probably the oil cooler or else youd be smoking out the back like a **** if it was the head gasket.

 

The stock turbo (along with many aftermarket turbos) uses oil and coolant. There aren't necessarily bushings in the turbo, but there are seals and they do occasionally go bad.

In any case your oil and coolant systems will need a serious cleaning. A coolant flush will take care of you coolant system. I'm wondering why they want to replace the oil line.

For when you're dueling with your mechanic-
There's only one oil feed line going to the turbo from the block.
If they have a valid reason for changing the oil feed line, the oil return line may need to be replaced also.
Gaskets that will need to be replaced:
-manifold to turbo
-turbo to cat
-turbo oil return
There might be one or two more.

I don't have any experience with the oil cooler sytem. I'll see what I can find out.

Edit- What year is your car?

 

Thanks BaconBait. It's a 98.

 

The G-12 antifreeze is redish brown.

 

Well the thing is it looks like mud. There's def something more than antifreeze in there. The reservoir is clear and you're supposed to be able to check the level just by looking straight through the plastic, but it's so muddy in there you can see the level at all.