V70 D5 Leaking Oil from Intercooler? Is Turbo on way out

[Pete A]

Was investigating a minor oil leak at the very front of the car?!? It seems to be coming from the radiators. Everywhere else is clean there is just oil immediately underneath and behind the radiators.

Checked the air hose on inlet manifold and it's lined and crusted with oil.

I'm thinking that the turbo is leaking oil, and the intercooler is holed. Hence the oil leaking from there.

I had noticed quite recently that the car is a little harder to start than normal (not bad but not as good). Power seems OK.

In the past this car has used so little oil that I have got out of the habit of checking it, so I cant tell if it has got a lot worse.

Can anyone tell me what sort of state the inside of the intake hoses should be like (Is oily normal)?

Am I looking at a new intercooler and turbo :-( ?

Thanks for looking.

Pete

[Brendan W]

The normal state of the inlet hoses is similar to a chimney that has never been swept and sprayed with oil. I clean mine every two years and have seen reports of the pipes being almost closed off with the soot and oil.
Oil leaking under the radiator area is most likely the intercooler leaking. If you look at the lower elements from the front you may see the i/c elements bowed downwards.
None of these mean that the turbo is in trouble necessarily although it doesn't mean it's ok either. Turbo failure is a relatively rare event, intercooler failure is more frequent by a long way.

[harveys]

There is a very small hole that Volvo put in the intercooler to allow oil to drain out if it gets in there.
But it would be a good idea to keep a close eye on oil level.

[DieselDoNicely]

Originally Posted by harveys

There is a very small hole that Volvo put in the intercooler to allow oil to drain out if it gets in there.
But it would be a good idea to keep a close eye on oil level.

Where is that hole any idea?

DDN

[Pete A]

I checked the oil today, Assuming it was at top when it was last serviced I think it has got through about 1L in 5000 miles. Not loads but more that it had done (assuming it was actually full at last service).

The front surface of the the front rad looks a little knocked about and there is an oily patch starting about 5/6 cm from the bottom. Am I right in thinking the air con exchanger is at the front, then the intercooler, then the coolant rad at the back?

Given what everyone has said, I'm thinking that the best bet in the first instance is to chance the intercooler, clean the pipework, and keep a careful eye on the oil.

Changing the turbo would be a garage job as I'm not really confident at doing anything on exhaust. (too many sad days looking at snapped studs in the past). If I do need to get the turbo rebuilt, can anyone recommend a good firm from previous experience. Prices seem to range from £50 to £250 (+VAT) I guess you get what you pay for but I'd rather not pay over the odds.

Thanks for looking

Pete

[Bernard333]

I removed the intercooler yesterday on my 2003 V70 D5 as needed to work on the radiator. As you can see mine looks like some of the cross pipes have expanded, its been that way for about 5 years but I have decided to put it back on the car as even if its got a couple of pin holes it doesnt seem to be affecting the driving much. For me fuel economy matters more than power and although a faulty intercooler will not help efficiency I doubt that on low boost at a steady 50mph on the motorway that its losing much through the holes. My rubber pipes have lots of crud and oil in them but my turbo is ok.

[Rossi-fan]

Originally Posted by Bernard333

I removed the intercooler yesterday on my 2003 V70 D5 as needed to work on the radiator. As you can see mine looks like some of the cross pipes have expanded, its been that way for about 5 years but I have decided to put it back on the car as even if its got a couple of pin holes it doesnt seem to be affecting the driving much. For me fuel economy matters more than power and although a faulty intercooler will not help efficiency I doubt that on low boost at a steady 50mph on the motorway that its losing much through the holes. My rubber pipes have lots of crud and oil in them but my turbo is ok.

Hey Bernard, I found it an awful job changing the I/C, did it take you long to get it out? For the sake of £110, and the risk of further problems, it might have been a good idea to drop a new one in.

[xco]

Hi pete A
Had same symptoms last year and was intercooler. Do you sometimes have power issues when stopped and pulling away from roundabouts but ok when your going? Any black or dark grey smoke behind when pulling away from stationary? If not but you leave it too long before you fix it you probably will soon.
All the symptoms you describe seem to point to your intercooler and not your turbo. Have you noticed any increase in diesel consumption?
You do not say what year your car is and whether a 163 version or 185.

I have a 2004 v70 d5 163 and since having a new intercooler fitted last year it has made a considerable difference to consumption and pickup on acceleration from stationary. (Im averaging 52mpg@80mph and it goes like a race horse)
I'm down in Ivybridge in Devon (near plymouth) and my indi volvo specialist charged me £400.00 to change mine.
Dont go to main dealer m8 they'll see you off big time.
If you are interested give me a pm and I'll give you his number and details.