Fluid leak from passenger side turbo?
 

Found a slight leak today coming from the passenger turbo around where the manifold meets up with the turbine inlet. Any ideas? It's clear fluid with a consistency of water and has a slight red tinge to it and doesn't seem to have a smell. I would assume water if not for the red tinge.

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Doesn't seem like you're having a lot of luck with this car. :(

Nope lol. Not to mention it was damaged in shipment, and i'm currently fighting insurance to get reimbursed for my fender replacement and wheel refinishing. :mad:

Regarding the leak, I received some advice that it is most definitely coolant, and there is a very strong chance that it is coming from one of the o rings on the coolant line that goes to the turbo. If anyone can provide any further guidance on this, or has seen this type of leak before, I'm open to suggestions. I am going to put the car on a lift this weekend, remove the wheel and wheel well liner, and see if I can pinpoint exactly where it's coming from. My hope is it's an easy(ish) fix and doesn't require pulling the motor out. :thumbup:

If you've recently purchased, does the dealer not have to sort this out for you?

Not an option im afraid. The dealer was in Austin Texas and I am in Germany. Flew in and shipped the car back.

The VNT turbochargers on our cars have water cooled bearing housings. The lines/connections might have failed.

If this was the drivers side turbo, I'd also ask you to check your coolant reservoir.

Lastly, I hope that you don't have the upper heat exchanger "plastic" elbow leaking and the coolant is flowing down the cam housing on top of your turbocharger.

I remember reading your about your purchase experience - I thought you had a pretty extensive PPI done - guess this leak showed up afterwards?? Sorry to hear about the damage during shipment - did it happen on a trailer or on the boat?

I skipped out on the PPI (flame suit: on), but honestly I think the leak happened very recently. There is a very small amount of coolant, and it doesn't cover a huge area (just covers the bottom of the turbo) and it literally only left a very small area in the garage which is how I originally noticed it. I looked under the car in Texas and don't recall seeing anything (I would've noticed it). I even made it a point to look at the turbo's and there was nothing.


I am diagnosing the leak tomorrow on a lift, so we will see what it is, and what else I find :rolleyes:


Regarding the damage, it's unfortunate, and very disappointing, especially since insurance is being less than helpful. Basically the shipping company is saying I need to file the claim directly with my marine insurance provider (didn't have marine insurance) before they will touch it, and USAA is saying they need something from the company saying they are not going to pay before they will touch the claim, so neither party wants to get the ball rolling.

I got the car on a lift today, pulled off the passenger side wheel and well liner, and didn't find much. The leak doesn't seem to currently be active like it was, but I did find some dried up coolant (and a small wet spot on a turbo clamp). Judging by the dried up coolant, it seems to be coming from the turbo coolant lines, or from the turbo itself (possible the turbo needs a rebuild?)

Any advice on where to proceed from here? There was absolutely no evidence of coolant that I could see dripping from up above, so it's 95% the turbo I would say.

Sorry for the bad pictures, like I said, there wasn't much to go off of, but you can see some dried up pink coolant on the turbo itself.

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Usually a leak from the coolant lines don't get better, only worse. Could be a simple loose fitting in the turbo itself, esp if it's ever been off.
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that's very possible. The clutch was supposedly replaced just before I bought it. Not sure if the turbo needs to come out for that but the car has been worked on a lot recently (spark plugs, water pump, etc). Atleast that is what the dealer tells me but I could throw them further than I trust their word.

That sorta looks like its coming from above in the first pic.

that was the highest point that I found coolant. Absolutely nothing above that point. I see it's above the coolant lines so I was thinking maybe the turbo itself was leaking..? Is it possible to turbo needs a rebuild?

I'd suggest getting a borescope camera and looking at the coolant pipes via the engine bay to be sure before you start pulling anything off. You don't want to waste hours and $$ pulling off the Turbo only to find the leak comes back.

In my case, I had an occasional drip on the garage floor but only happened twice (and I thought it was from another car parked in my garage), then 6 months later it came back and got worse. Was leaking from two of the three plastic elbows and the smaller line running to the Turbo, and had been for a long time judging by the encrusted coolant stains around the fittings.

The way the coolant was travelling down it made it hard to diagnose the source without seeing it. Once I got a borescope I could see exactly where it was coming from.

there is no coolant in the turbo housing just the center where the bushings are.