Turbo pedestal oil leak after replacing O rings

psduser1 · Dec 17, 2021

Sounds like the wrong size orings first time around, maybe. Mm/sae can be quite close, especially in the smaller sizes.
Brown vs black usually is a material difference in the oring, probably no big deal.
The smaller oring is the pressurized oil, the larger hole is the return. If the smaller oring wasn't the correct size, that would be your leak.
Keep an eye on it for several heat cycles.

TexasJ · Dec 18, 2021

Ok thank you! That's odd considering they came as a kit with the pedestal. You'd think if the O rings were the wrong size they would be that way in all their kits, and they would be getting more complaints...

But I will certainly keep an eye on it!! Thanks!

psduser1 · Dec 18, 2021

TexasJ said:
Ok thank you! That's odd considering they came as a kit with the pedestal. You'd think if the O rings were the wrong size they would be that way in all their kits, and they would be getting more complaints...

But I will certainly keep an eye on it!! Thanks!

Yea, I'd expect all the pieces in a kit to work as intended.
Just talking about possibilities. Sounds like you had other issues with the kit, which kinda surprised me.
The stuff I've bought from them worked well.

TexasJ · Dec 23, 2021

Update

Ok guys, so I've been keeping an eye on things with the current pedestal installed... the seeping I was seeing has progressed ever so slightly. I've driven the truck a total of around 225 miles between yesterday and today, with the bulk of the driving being a 150 mile trip yesterday at around 75-80mph for half of that. As you can see it's still seeping a bit, but even after all that driving it still hasn't even made it down into the bottom of the valley. It's still clinging onto the vertical portion at the back of the valley. The gf and I are leaving for a 6hr drive tomorrow and at this point I feel safe driving it, but wanted to get a second opinion. What do y'all think?

Tia.
TexasJ

79jasper · Dec 23, 2021

Imo, it shouldn't be leaking at all.

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psduser1 · Dec 23, 2021

Thats a leak, definitely shouldn't have that.
Id still drive it.
No other input, I guess, except maybe the mounting surface isn't flat?

Are you sure it's not running down the back of the pedestal from the turbo itself? As in from between the turbo and mount? There is a shadow at the top right of the pic-top of the mount-that looks wet. Maybe just a shadow? Itll take a mirror to see back there.

JohnT24 · Dec 23, 2021

If it is in fact the O-rings

If it was me
I might smear a light coating of Permatex #2 on them ….

6.0 Tech · Dec 23, 2021

Try cleaning the **** out of it with brake cleaner and take it on about a 10 mile spin, driving it fairly hard, and see if it comes back. Could be residual, seeing as it ain’t real big. If it does come back I concur with using a mirror and making sure there isn’t a turbo issue or something. I’ve been burned on a couple I thought was the pedestal leaking and when I got it off and apart, found the bearing housing in the turbo was cracked. But those were typically leaking much more than yours is

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TexasJ · Dec 27, 2021

We made it!

Well guys, we made it to our destination! I cleaned it well with brake cleaner before leaving, and after over 6 hours on the road with a few stops for fuel and provisions along the way, loaded down with 2 adults, 2 giant dogs, and lots of luggage, and traveling at speeds of up to 82mph and reaching boost of up to 12-13psi (maybe more during hard accelleration), the oil spot has returned under the pedestal. I confirmed that it is NOT coming from the pedestal to turbo o rings, it is for sure coming from the pedestal to engine o rings. That being said, after all of that driving under the conditions described above, the oil spot is only half the size that it was before. With it being such a small leak, do you think I just need to tighten one of the pedestal to engine bolts a bit? Or is it possible one or several are overtightened, and that's causing a leak? I'm at a loss...

Thanks guys, and hope y'all had a merry christmas and have a happy new year!

psduser1 · Dec 27, 2021

Maybe double check the pedestal bolts, clean it up again. Sounds like it is better, possible its residual.

79jasper · Dec 27, 2021

If you had the time for playing around, I would be curious to see the results if you took the orings out, then bolted it in with plastic gauge to see the clearance. Possibly more manufacturing defects and it isn't able to tighten down all the way.

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JohnT24 · Dec 28, 2021

79jasper said:
If you had the time for playing around

IMO,
There is NO “playing around “
When it comes to the pedistal/turbo
Unless you have tiny alien fingers or the engine is OUT on a stand.

I would be be hotter than a hornet if my pedestal was leaking.

Worst job on the OBS by far.

Plasti-gage????

Magnum PD · Dec 28, 2021

Plasti-gauge is a tool used to measure the clearance of, mainly, engine bearing clearances.

JohnT24 · Dec 29, 2021

Magnum PD said:
Plasti-gauge is a tool used to measure the clearance of, mainly, engine bearing clearances.

Quite familiar with it.

Magnum PD · Dec 29, 2021

Thought you didn’t know what it was

TexasJ · Jan 2, 2022

Yeah I'm going to have to tear the thing apart AGAIN when I get home. I've been keeping avery close eye on it throughout my trip, and cleaning with break cleaner before long drives. It's continuing to seep. And it seems to also be leaking down the back side of the engine now. Not through the drain hole in the valley, but down the back behind the valley. I looked up that plasti gauge you mentioned and watched a video of its use on an engine bearing. How would I use that in this context? I understand I would have to cut a strip of it off and put it between the pedestal and the block, but how long of a strip (or does it matter)? And should I run it along one edge in front of the oil holes, or between the oil holes from front to back, or in some other orientation? Should I use multiple strips in different orientations? And what kind of clearance am I even looking for? I have zero math skills so I'm a bit lost on how to go about this.

TexasJ · Jan 2, 2022

The other thing to note is that when I installed this pedestal the passenger side rear mounting bolt (pedestal to engine) was VERY difficult to thread in. It wasn't finding the hole. I actually had to lift that back corber slightly, almost rocking the pedestal on the Orings, in order to get the bolt to thread in. And even then it was giving me a lot of resistance like the hole in the pedestal wasn't lined up quite right with the threads in the engine. I'm wondering if the pedestal is still at a very slight angle because of that, causing just enough of a gap to allow for this tiny leak.

79jasper · Jan 2, 2022

I would think you could make a ring around the oring hole. No specific number, but should smash it flat pretty uniformly.

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JohnT24 · Jan 2, 2022

Like I said before, I think what I would do (right or wrong) is lightly coat the NEW O-rings with Permatex #2 and put it back together.

JohnT24 · Jan 2, 2022

79jasper said:
I would think you could make a ring around the oring hole. No specific number, but should smash it flat pretty uniformly.

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I’m sure that’s possible but
Once you get your measurement
What does that do for you?

It doesn’t take into account how much the rubber O-ring is going to compress or not compress once it’s tightened down.

I guess it’s worth a shot if you’re really that curious about it but
The fact is,
It’s such a ball buster to even get to the bolts
I wouldn’t wanna be taking it apart multiple times just for research.

In any case this is all bad news
It almost makes you wanna put the original pedestal back on…