Oil inside intercooler and piping? Is that normal?

[Black tsi]

Hey hey Vw legends,
Might be a silly question, but is there meant to be oil inside my intercooler pipes and intercooler?

I have a 2009 Jetta 2.0L turbo 147kw.
Had a low oil pressure warning come up.
Long story short had the intercooler pipes off and found a fair amount of oil in there. Horrible mess to be honest.

Didnt think the air intake would really appreciate coping oil being throw Into it?
still learning when it comes to Vw’s and trying to keep an open mind!

Any help and or guidance would be much appreciated.
thank you

[Umai Naa!!]

It's pretty normal.

If it does concern you, you could always run a catch can.

[Just_Westy]

That doesn't sound normal to me , if it's a fair amount it could be your Turbo is leaking oil and is about to go pop.

[Black tsi]

Hey Umai, thanks for the reply.

Im more concerned about the oil fowling up my sensors along the intake route.
Getting sensor issues, the sensor in the bottom intercooler pipe that connects to the throttle body was coated and dripping in oil.
(Intake Manifold Air Pressure Sensor OE :038906051D ,0261230074 ,0261230073)

Haven’t figured out how to put pics in here yet, or adjust the colour of font, sorry about the colours!
i recently had to change my throttle body, the one that was removed was thick in oil sludge.
that was around a month ago and I completely cleaned out the throttle body to intercooler piping.
Yesterday whn I removed it, it was like it hadn’t been cleaned at all.
just a little concerned is all.

thank you

[Black tsi]

Hey Just Westy,

Thanks for the reply. Tbh I was worried that it is the turbo seal or something similar.
i followed the oil trail through the intake hoses, intercooler piping, intercooler, more intercooler piping back to the turbo.
the pipe from the air box to the turbo is clean, no oil, not even dust.
checked the Pcv breather that connects to the air intake just before the turbo, tiny amount of oil at the connector only, inside was clean.
But when I removed that intake pipe from the air box to the turbo, oil everywhere.
i understand the turbo requires oil to function, but wasn’t aware that it would be dumping oil at such a high rate into the intake pipes etc.

i recently had to change my pcv also, wasn’t sure if I was jumping to conclusions and joining dots prematurely, or if I should look at a new turbo / rebuild kit ASAP.

The car doesn’t feel laggy at all or lack power, I’ve been having sensor related errors popping up for a while now.
Air flow related, I’ve replaced the afm on the air box, didn’t change anything.
But when I clean the map sensor in the intercooler pip, the code disappears temporarily. - short term

Still a lot to learn about these motors, any and all help is much appreciated. Thank you

[Just_Westy]

Hey Just Westy,

Thanks for the reply. Tbh I was worried that it is the turbo seal or something similar.
i followed the oil trail through the intake hoses, intercooler piping, intercooler, more intercooler piping back to the turbo.
the pipe from the air box to the turbo is clean, no oil, not even dust.
checked the Pcv breather that connects to the air intake just before the turbo, tiny amount of oil at the connector only, inside was clean.
But when I removed that intake pipe from the air box to the turbo, oil everywhere.
i understand the turbo requires oil to function, but wasn’t aware that it would be dumping oil at such a high rate into the intake pipes etc.

i recently had to change my pcv also, wasn’t sure if I was jumping to conclusions and joining dots prematurely, or if I should look at a new turbo / rebuild kit ASAP.

The car doesn’t feel laggy at all or lack power, I’ve been having sensor related errors popping up for a while now.
Air flow related, I’ve replaced the afm on the air box, didn’t change anything.
But when I clean the map sensor in the intercooler pip, the code disappears temporarily. - short term

Still a lot to learn about these motors, any and all help is much appreciated. Thank you

My Turbo experience is limited to heavy vehicles and oil in the intercooler usually signifies a worn Turbo unit which then gets replaced. What you don't want is rubbish being forced into your motor ie if the bearing isn't getting properly lubricated bearing overheats and starts shedding fine metal particles. Preventative maintenance is cheaper than breakdown repairs.

[Umai Naa!!]

Hey Umai, thanks for the reply.

Im more concerned about the oil fowling up my sensors along the intake route.
Getting sensor issues, the sensor in the bottom intercooler pipe that connects to the throttle body was coated and dripping in oil.
(Intake Manifold Air Pressure Sensor OE :038906051D ,0261230074 ,0261230073)

Haven’t figured out how to put pics in here yet, or adjust the colour of font, sorry about the colours!
i recently had to change my throttle body, the one that was removed was thick in oil sludge.
that was around a month ago and I completely cleaned out the throttle body to intercooler piping.
Yesterday whn I removed it, it was like it hadn’t been cleaned at all.
just a little concerned is all.

thank you

Pretty much every turbo car I've ever worked on (mechanic for 17 years and counting), petrol/diesel, stock/modified, has had oil in the charge piping. It collects over time, and besides a catch can, there's not a lot you can do about it. The sensors will be fine, but an occasional intake clean to clear out the carbon build-up will go some way to minimise potential detonation.

[Black tsi]

Thank you both for your input. Grabbed a scanner from a family member.

This Thing is lit up like a Christmas tree. Codes galore. Great.
Took down all the codes, reset codes.
Time for more investigation.

[doc_777]

Crankcase ventilation is direct into the intake charge piping. Oil mist (which builds up over time) will always appear in the intake because we don’t just vent crankcase to the atmosphere anymore.