Hey everyone so I have a turbo return line leak and I have no time to fix it myself and have to drive it to work, so Im going to drop off the car at the shop on Wednesday. Now when I drive the oil is dripping onto the downpipe and burns off as smoke so im not worried about that, Im worried if it is messing up my turbo. So the question is will it mess up the turbo or the turbo seals if I keep driving it? Ive been adding some oil before I drive to make sure it doesnt go low but Im still having doubts.

 

Shouldn't mess up your seals as long as you don't go low on oil. Why not just remove the drain line and RTV it, put it back on. You'll have to drain the oil, so may as well do an oil change while your doing it. Not a hard job, and I wouldn't just let any shop touch my car, but that's just me.

 

Why would he need to drain the oil? O.P., do you know if it is the gasket between the turbo and the return line, or the gasket between the return line and the oil pan that is leaking?

 

If you swap the gasket you need to drain a good bit at a minimum... Might as well drain it all...

It can not hurt the turbo... If anything it will help...

Best of luck to the shop... One time i swapped my turbo side gasket... Couldnt tell you how or why but it took me 3 hours to get those two bolts in... I nearly said **** it... I rebuilt my tranny in the same amount of time for christs sake

 

Lol I only get my work done from tmw only place I trust with my car

 

here are some pics

 

Non-stock turbo, huh?

 

Why? Wouldn't any oil in the turbo's center housing have returned to the pan(gravity, duh) after the motor is shut off and the oil pump is no longer circulating oil from the pan up into the cylinderhead and thus into the turbo's oil feed line? So, at least the uppermost gasket, that is the one between the turbo and the oil return line, can be removed and replaced without any need to drain the oil out of the pan.

I have found that usually it is the upper gasket that leaks, and not the lower one. As for the lower gasket, that goes between the oil return line and the oil pan, there should be no need to drain the oil out of the pan to change that gasket either. On the stock pan at least, the oil return line drains into the pan at a level above the full level. Isn't this the case? Or is it not?

 

STM sells the gasket kits for the turbo. Remember there is the gasket and the little o-ring gaskets that go in between the bolts and the drain line.

 

Is the OP's turbo a stock 16G factory turbo, or a non MHI turbo?

 

If you have the car level or jacked a little at the front, if you undo that bottom return it will leak oil. You need to get the front end about as high as a trolley jack will go to stop any coming out. Also have to make sure the oil pan to drain line mating surface is free of oil residue before you install the new gasket, so brake cleaner on a clean rag and wipe it down.

 

Yup. I did it with the front end up on 2 jackstands now that you mention it.

 

It's a precision 6466 bb