Oil Leak somewhere...saw oil on top of intercooler

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12-27-2002, 12:46 PM

Zoeb2s

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Oil Leak somewhere...saw oil on top of intercooler

I have an 02 WRX with ~ 3500 miles on it. Yesterday i opened my hood and saw oil building up on top of my intercooler, its not a lot, but there should not be any, right?
I looked around, but i couldn't trace it. Any ideas on where it could be coming from?
I have an appointment at green valley for some other small stuff, but im not sure i want to leave it with them for an oil leak.
If its something minor i rather just do it myself thats why im asking.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Zoeb

12-27-2002, 07:17 PM

Wingless Wonder

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Re: Oil Leak somewhere...saw oil on top of intercooler

Quote:

Originally posted by 02BlackWRX
I have an 02 WRX with ~ 3500 miles on it. Yesterday i opened my hood and saw oil building up on top of my intercooler, its not a lot, but there should not be any, right? I looked around, but i couldn't trace it. Any ideas on where it could be coming from?

Not normal - my 02 WRX has over 20,000 miles on it but the top surface of the intercooler is clean and dry (except for a few dead insects).

Keep in mind that any oil buildup on the top of the intercooler would almost have to originate from underneath the unit, because the intercooler has that seal that mates up to it from the hood scoop. Did your hood scoop 'ingest' anything (is there any oil on the outside of the hood scoop)?

Quote:

I have an appointment at green valley for some other small stuff, but im not sure i want to leave it with them for an oil leak.
If its something minor i rather just do it myself thats why im asking.

With only 3500 miles on the clock, consider letting the dealer have a go at it. Otherwise, you may end up taking the intercooler off just to see what the underside of the thing looks like.

12-27-2002, 09:31 PM

PimpWagon

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Get an oil catch can, like the Greddy one. Maybe it's just lots of blowby. How is your motor running?

12-27-2002, 09:40 PM

Zoeb2s

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There is no oil on the outside of the hood at all.
-Zoeb

12-28-2002, 03:30 AM

Wingless Wonder

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Quote:

Originally posted by 02BlackWRX
There is no oil on the outside of the hood at all.

I suggest letting the dealer have a look, unless someone else here has had a similar experience. I haven't. Never had a visible oil buildup or blowby problem, and I *do* get on the throttle on occasion (almost daily, actually).

Oil/filter changes and minor suspension mods, I'll do. I don't mess with leaking engine seals - that's what warranties are for.

Here's a link to one article about the GReddy oil catch can, which PimpWagon has mentioned, and others have talked about in unrelated threads.

http://www.2phast.com/porsche/Corvette/catchcan.htm

IMHO this doesn't fix the problem - just a band-aid fix for the symptoms. A mildly modified EJ20 shouldn't be producing that much blowby past the rings to create a problem for the engine seals. I'm not familiar with the crankcase ventilation system on the EJ20, but other engines had PCV valves which sometimes got stuck.

12-28-2002, 10:33 AM

Zoeb2s

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do you suggest i put the stock BOV back on before taking it to the dealer or do u think it would be ok to leave the aftermarket one on?

12-28-2002, 05:24 PM

nqwan

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Quote:

Originally posted by 02BlackWRX
do you suggest i put the stock BOV back on before taking it to the dealer or do u think it would be ok to leave the aftermarket one on?

i would. its an easy swap and well worth avoiding any risks.

12-28-2002, 05:55 PM

andyas

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I ahve seen my self and other WRX's here that have a lot of oil blow by and it builds up around the joins from the turbo to intercooler hoses and y-piece so are u sure u haven't got any loose clamps around any of your hoses or throttle body or where the BOV bolts on??

12-30-2002, 12:14 AM

Giamilton

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Check your BOV, the oil is most likely coming from there.
A catch-can as mentioned above should allieviate this .
the PCV gasses contain oil and it's most likely coming out your BOV because it was on it's way to be burned before you took your foot off the gas.

12-30-2002, 10:43 AM

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Zoeb2s

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I looked around the blow off valve, but i didn't see any oil over there...as for the throttle body etc... i haven't even touched those so I can't see oil coming out from over there. I think i'll just let the dealer **** with it. Do you guys think having an aftermarket blow off valve will give me trouble at the dealership?
Thanks,
Zoeb