Inter cooler covered with oil

2002 VOLKSWAGEN POLO
150,000 MILES • 1.4L • 3 CYL • TURBO • 2WD • MANUAL
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SM21
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Hello everybody,

The intercooler of my car is covered with oil (as you can see on the photos) and I wanted to know if it is a normal thing or not. And if it is not where is the problem? Is it correct that it can be something with the turbo or it might be cracked somehow?
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Nov 18, 2018 at 4:51 AM
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STRAILER
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Yep, the seal in the turbo goes out because the bearings let go causing engine oil to be let into the intake system which includes the inter-cooler. To confirm the issue please remove the inlet tube and check the end play (should have very little). Here are guides to help you change the turbo out to fix the problem. Make sure you clean everything really well before you put it back together.

Check out the diagrams (below). Please let us know what you find.

Cheers, Ken
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Nov 19, 2018 at 2:02 PM
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SM21
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Okay Ken I will do the following steps that you are telling and I am going to let you know. So the problem might be the seal in the turbo?!

Thank you very much Ken, this is so helpful for me.
Nov 20, 2018 at 3:45 AM
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STRAILER
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No problem please let us know how it goes.
Nov 20, 2018 at 9:35 AM