1G Oil return line leak!

[MaxGdsm]

Okay i have searched the forums and read up but I want some straight answers and based on experience please.

I just put on my rebuilt and balanced big16g! problem is the stupid oil return line is leaking. now i dont think it is leaking enough to be a danger, but its irritating and smells nasty.
I cleaned off all the old gasket, had to use a sharp screw driver(flat head) to get some of it off. I steal wooled it, then put on a new oem weird carboard looking gasket in there as well. It leaked, then id cleaned it off again and then put high temp black rtv on both mating surface and on the threads of the bolts and then put another new oem carboard looking gasket in there as well. i let it dry for about 14 hours and then went driving, and it still leaks.

ANY advice! i feel like the stupid oem gasket is screwing me over. Im so fed up with this. I have the old return line that i had been using with my 14b and never had a leak issue. then I got this 16g from a friend for free( i know super sweet huh?) had it rebuilt etc and used the oil return line that came with the 16g as i figured it would mate up better. im pretty sure its not leaking from the oil pan connection but the actual turbo end of the return tube. also should i be worried, about this, is my turbo at any risk with a leak like this?

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

 

[Dsmj89]

Why don't you put back your old oil return line since it worked fine and see if that cures the problem ?
Hopefully the threads in the turbo oil return where the line connects to aren't severely stripped of some sort so as to cause oil to go through the bolt and leak its way out.
Change the oil return line and get yourself a new oem gasket and seal her back up and report back.
Do not use rtv, it helps little, if anything not much at all. Let me know how it goes.

 

[Imback]

You need to use thread sealer.

 

[MaxGdsm]

okay so no rtv, but use thread sealer.
ill put on the old tube this weekend. It seems like this one line is a major PITA for many of us.

 

[JusMX141]

It's unusual for there to be a leak at the top right at the turbo. That area only seems oil (and very little at that) during engine operation. Oil leaks at the oil pan are much more common.

If one line leaks and the other doesn't there's the possibility that one of the upper flanges is bent or the flex section is cracked.

 

[MaxGdsm]

okay problem solved!

youre gonna want to hear this stupid mistake.

So, I received two new bolts in the mail when I orderd my gaskets, I used those in the oil pan holes, and the old bolts from the oil pan on the turbo flange. So, after doing this 2 times with poor results, I got under that car and watched it.

I notices oil sputtering out, easily, not seaping on the turbo side.

I took it all apart and looked at the silicone on the turbo part. It hadnt even been crushed even though i torqued the bolts down!

Then I took one of the old bolts from my 14b and set it along side the one i had used to go into the turbo. It was about an 1/8" longer. I put in the shorter bolt from my 14b and tightened it down and could see the gasket get crushed.

So i used shorter bolts on the turbo side as they were too long and bottoming out before applying adequate pressure on the gasket.

So with shorter bolts on the turbo side with only a gasket and the longer ones on the oil pan side with copper RTV and no gasket with thread sealer is not leaking. I will probably watch it for a few days to see if there are any slow leaks in which case I will use RTV on the turbo side.

What a pain in the Ass! but I think I figured it out, this may not be the case for alot of the other people with this problem but during my turbo swap i somehow mixed up the bolts and put too long of ones in. SO check that first i guess...

 

[MaxGdsm]

Update, It was leaking on the oil pan side pretty bad even with thread sealer. I jacked the car up and noticed it was leaking from the bolt only.
It was only one bolt and for whatever reason i had put a spring lock washer on that bolt and the split in the washer allowed oil past. So i put only a crush washer on that bolt similar to the other bolt that wasnt leaking and it solved the problem.

So BASICS Ive learned:

be sure you are using correct bolt lengths into turbo side.
Should only need OEM gasket on turbo side,
Need rtv of some sorts on oil pan side, with a thread sealer and crush washer as oil pan side is a thru bolt and oil can leak out of the threads.
Dont need OEM gasket on oilpan side.

GOOD luck to anyone else that is having this problem, It seems like a very common one!