Can anyone shed any light....

[pawnie]

As to what this is on my vito.
It is behind the bumper to the left side of number plate looks like the radiator but sits next to radiator.




As you can see its very gunky.
Damn haynes not doing a manual!

 

[nigel cross]

Not sure but looks like a leaky oil cooler

 

[pawnie]

It doesn't have any oil on floor under it when its standing?

 

[grober]

Possibly the condenser/ heat exchanger for the air con. Give it a gentle!!! clean with a pressure washer+ detergent [ hole it and you will lose all your aircon gas.]

 

[BlackC55]

Intercooler I think. Leaking a bit too.

 

[StMarks]

It is the intercooler. I have just removed mine ahead of pulling my engine.

Mine was also grubby (but not as grubby as that one).

 

[pawnie]

No air conditioning in van.
Could this also be the reason I lose acceleration (not in limp mode)

 

[pawnie]

So does the intercooler cool oil or air?
Are they easy enough to replace?
Need a pigging manual but haynes don't do one.
Bought a small one from ebay but more of a generic deisel engine manual really.
Anyone know of a good one I can buy from somewhere?

 

[pawnie]

Just checked oil lvl and she still full. So not leaking much. But loads all over it.

 

[E55BOF]

The intercooler cools air on its way into the engine. When the turbo compresses it, it heats up; the intercooler gets rid of some of the heat.

You've got an oil leak from the engine by the looks of it. It may be more of a seep/weep; it doesn't need an awful lot to pick up lots of dirt.

E55BOF

 

[pawnie]

Hmmm. Could it have spewed oil from a breather if there was too much oil in it? Or could it be black sludge left over from where injector died( all replaced a month before I got the van?)
Cheers for all the answers.
Still trying to find an english online manual for the vito. Bloody van!

 

[pawnie]

Just been having another look. Lots of gunky oily stuff on inside of the bumper too. Where above the intercooler would oil be leaking out of? Seems to be only air pipes above it?

 

[sspeed]

The inside of the air intake gets oily..
Remember that the intake breathes oil mist / vapour from the Rocker breather.. The Rocker breather supposedly has an "oil separator" but it doesn't stop 100% of oil.

My C270 Cdi is certainly moist and oily on the inlet pipe to the EGR..The inlet pipe to the EGR comes via the intercooler.. The large diameter rubber intake pipe is very oily on the inside.
My car uses very little oil, maybe 1/2 a litre in 10,000 miles.
Over time it will drop to the lower points of the inlet tract..

Clean it with Jizer and wash it out..

IF, I repeat IF the intercooler has a hole / leak then yes this would account for a loss of power caused by turbo boost pressure escaping..

 

[pawnie]

If I remove tbe bonnet slam, grille and bumper plus some other plastic bits I can get to it. Gambling on being able to get to back of it by getting it up on ramps. Can I clean it in situ or should I remove it risking damaging the pipes taking them off? What is this jizer you talk of and is it easy to come by as I want to tackle the job tmw?
Cheers for all the info people.
If the intercooler was leaking would it have shown up on the star if the problem was there when I took it jn couple of weeks ago?

 

[pawnie]

Well I cleaned it all off.... Well what I could from the front using 'gunk' and a little wire brush. Washed it all with a hose until I could see thru the fins.
I took grille off again today to find more oil on top of the intercooler and quite a bit too. I think its coming from the top hose on intercooler. Should there be that much oil in there?

 

[V V classy]

Looks like the top hose might have a split around the clamp area or maybe your intercooler is cracked....you'll be losing the boost from the turbo hence the poor performance...

 

[pawnie]

Why the oil in the intercooler? The pipe doesn't look split.
Another thing.... The radiator hasn't got warm even when temp gauge gets to 80 is this right?
Anyone want to buy a vito?

 

[V V classy]

Yes there will be oil mist from the breather back into the intercooler....Maybe there is damage to the intercooler fins letting the oil deposits and boost leak out....theres wayyy too much crud on it....when you clean it all off and put it back together, drive it like its robbed around the block...you might see where the oil is coming from....
The pipe might not look split ,until she boosts....
Unless youre in traffic for hours or live in Saudi the temp will be normal....the 108 cdi doesnt even need an intercooler...

 

[pawnie]

I have cleaned it already and took it for a blap. Thats when I found the new oily gunk.
The jubilee clip only tightened so far until it went past point of no return and loosened again. So swapped it for the one on top of the pipe. I am hoping that could be where it was leaking from.
It only loses acceleration some of the time. No rythme nor reason. Did it today on start up. Then next time I started her she was fine.
I will take another look in the morning. To cold now as its bloody snowing again!

 

[V V classy]

....and get a new clip asap..or you'll be doing it all over again...