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Oil in intake - turbo leaking?

24K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Ford06 
#1 ·
Our 2004 Excursion has had chronic issues with slow and sticking EGR valve. The soot in the intake manifold is getting gunked up with oil residue and seems to be the cause of EGR valve issues. Oil is present throughout the intake pipes on both sides of the intercooler and back to the turbo. It's not pooling, but enough to wipe a few drops at each point of connection.

I'm not familiar enough with the anatomy of the turbo to deduce the source of the oil. Can anyone advise what is likely involved in addressing the issue?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Oil in the intake could be a couple things... CCV does let oil into the system, some more than others. Do you blow any smoke? Or is it just causing EGR issues? I think the turbo generally starts to leak on the hot side, and lets oil out that way.. so it wouldn't be seen on the intake side.

What kind of milage on the truck/turbo?
 
#4 ·
332,000 miles on her. The only issues are related to the EGR valve sticking. When that occurs there is momentary loss of power, a bit of sputter, then a plume of black smoke. Occasional there will be some white or blue smoke and an oil smell. Worse in cold weather. It's not coolant, and the top side of the engine was fully overhauled when we dealt with head gaskets around 250k. There isn't enough oil loss to be noticeable as oil consumption, but enough to make it all the way into the intake manifold and mix with the soot and gunk up the EGR valve.

When the issue first surfaced, I cleaned the valve, and when it started sticking again I replaced it with a new one, only to have it continue to give trouble.
 
#3 ·
Sounds normal to me.

Even though it is more common on the hot side (turbine) than the cold side (compressor), oil can leak in both directions. That said, the ccv sounds like it is the cause and it is operating as intended.
 
#5 ·
thats a lot of miles.. I would say the engines getting a bit tired, and the subsequent blow by is normal. Its likely coming through the CCV as bismic noted. Its possible that the turbo is also blowing some oil at its age.. I just went through a turbo rebuild, as I thought it was the source of my blue smoke. It looks like I still have a bit through the CCV. Catch can is likely next on my list.
 
#6 ·
Mine with a heck of a lot less miles than yours had oil in the CAC tubes and the intake before the Turbo until I installed an Oil Catch Can inline with the CCV valve on the Drivers side Valve cover... Now, all that oil that would end up in the CAC's, etc. is in the catch can... I drain it every oil change, and there's like 1/8 - 1/4 of the catch can filled up with oil... There's all sorts of them out there to choose from. I got mine from Custom Billet for the 6.0 Hemi, https://www.custombilletstore.net/Hemi_Oil_Catch_Can_p/20010.htm


Mishimoto also makes them too...
 
#7 ·
Thanks! A catch can may be the remedy... Assuming the oil is coming through the CCV, that oil could be trapped. From what I've seen here, a turbo oil leak is most likely to occur on the hot side into the exhaust, so oil through the CAC tubes is probably coming from the CCV.

Are there any time-saving tricks on cleaning the intake manifold, short of removing it and flushing it? Will the gunk in there dry up/burn up on it's own? Can it be done without removing it?
 
#8 ·
Do you still have your EGR cooler or was it deleted? If it is still there is could be leaking and causing the soot to gum up on the EGR valve too.
 
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