Oil puddle at inlet of turbo

[JReichenbach]

Hi, I took the plunge last fall and purchased a used 2020 Laramie 3500DRW truck. Finally parted with my 2005 Dually. I installed an S & B air inlet system on shortly after purchase, noticed a very small amount of oil right in front of turbo inlet, not really a puddle, but more than a stain. I did notice that the vent hose from the valve cover plugs in right over this area. Is it normal to see this oil here? I had serviced it once since then, and noticed that oil came back after wiping it out the last time. I had also changed the valve cover breather element when installing air inlet system. I'll try to post the picture. Thanks. Jim.

 

[Rowdy Dalton]

Do you have an aftermarket air filter that is oiled?

 

[Cummins12V98]

Hate to tell you the S&B was a waste of $$$. If it has an oiled filter another negative.

 

[seafish]

I dont really see any oil in the pic..maybe a yellow stain, but certainly no oil.

Have you tried cleaning the area and then driving for awhile to see if the stain comes back or any drops form?

All that said, oil leaks anywhere on the intake side are "no bueno" as they can eventually cause an engine runaway that can ONLY be stopped by blocking all air intake flow or directing a CO2 fire extinguisher into the intake in order to displace the 02 that the runaway is using.

 

[mpaulson]

Oiled air filter, if that’s what you have, will/can coat the intake and sensors with the filter oil causing problems. OEM filter set up has way more capacity than a stock engine could ever use. Personally I’d get rid or the aftermarket filter and reinstall the OEM set up.

 

[sag2]

I dont really see any oil in the pic..maybe a yellow stain, but certainly no oil.

Have you tried cleaning the area and then driving for awhile to see if the stain comes back or any drops form?

All that said, oil leaks anywhere on the intake side are "no bueno" as they can eventually cause an engine runaway that can ONLY be stopped by blocking all air intake flow or directing a CO2 fire extinguisher into the intake in order to displace the 02 that the runaway is using.

A bit of residue like that is perfectly OK.

 

[BigPapa]

That’s a terrible pic for what you’re trying to show. Look again, fellows. There’s a pool of oil in the circle.

The S&B are sold with either oiled or dried. Until @JReichenbach replies, we don’t know what he has.

JR, if you still have it, I recommend putting the original filter back on. There is no gain to the S&B and it doesn’t filter near as well as the original filter.

 

[Grumpy8811]

I would say " let it develop"..

can not be sure it is not residual left over oil from a a previous event.. , nor can you be certain anything is wrong with the current turbo, nor is it a large amount of oil so best advice would be to wipe the area clean and "LET IT DEVELOP".

 

[seafish]

A bit of residue like that is perfectly OK.

Of course it is … if a diesel could runaway on invisible residue, we could be getting closer to 100 mpg

I just wanted to indemnify myself just in case "waiting to see what happens" eventually resulted in a runaway.
Plus it was a great chance to remind all of us of the dangers of a runaways and how to stop them.

 

[Ozymandias]

Impressive that manufactures like S&B still can convince people to buy stuff that is useless and even harms the engine because of its inferior filtration properties.

 

[Cummins12V98]

I am betting it's an oiled filter since the "puddle" of oil is clean!

 

[BigPapa]

I am betting it's an oiled filter since the "puddle" of oil is clean!

Looks black to me.

 

[seafish]

I am betting it's an oiled filter since the "puddle" of oil is clean!

Looks black to me.

Just goes to show what a terrible picture it is in order to show the concern…OP should try to take another please.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Looks black to me.

Dang on closer inspection you are correct.

 

[Topzide]

Upon closer inspection, you can see darker oil with telltale "varnish" color to the right side on flange. I would start checking for play on turbo fan/shaft, along with monitoring any oil consumption. I'm on the same as others have stated, you'll gain nothing from changing out the factory air filter/box. This engine was designed to give the best performance with factory setup. Marketing make it look like you'll gain all sort of things! (fuel mileage, HP gains) Dusting of the engine due to improper air filtration, won't be covered under warranty!

But again, I digress, "your truck, your money, your problem".

 

[Big E]

Is the compressor wheel contacting the housing? The housing on my 96's turbo looked like that after I pushed it too hard and it started howling.

 

[JReichenbach]

Sorry for the delay, was unavoidable. To answer questions, guess I wasn't clear in first post, the puddle was there when I installed the S&B kit, had wiped it clean at that time. Yes, it is an oiled element.
When I serviced truck, 4000, miles later, puddle/stain had returned, pretty similar to when I first noticed it. Checked turbo impeller with my fingers, no abnormal movement as compared to past trucks, and it was not contacting the housing. It is directly below the hose running down from valve cover, which makes me think that is where it originates from, when truck is not running. Is that normal, or not unusual, would probly have been an easier question for some. As far as spending money on Poor/not needed/wasteful stuff, I guess I'm not perfect or immune to an impulsive splurge once in a while. Id like to meet some of you fellows that cast those stones, and have you, tell me some of your imperfections. I am at a point in my life where I can enjoy what Ive worked for. Simply looking for some insight. Thanks for the info. Jim

 

[JReichenbach]

Oh, and yes, it is a crappy picture. Not sure how many I took, kept getting glare or flash?? every time. Sorry about that

 

[sag2]

I would change the PCV filter and keep watching it. The chance of a runaway from the PCV filter is pretty slim to non existent. I don't think anyone is trying to shame you for the aftermarket intake, just pointing out the obvious that it is more detrimental than good for your truck. I can't think of a single member having an engine failure related to stock intake, but plenty of dusted engines and fouled sensors by aftermarket intakes. But if you are happy with the purchase, keep it on the truck. It is your money and your truck.

 

[JReichenbach]

Thanks, sag2, I will do that, would've went with a dry element, but they were on backorder, and my filter housing was damaged, so it was lesser of 2 evils. will probly switch over to a dry element when they become available.