Excessive Engine Oil at the Inlet or Outlet of the Turbo Charger

It could be turbo seals but it could also be excessive diesel engine blow-by

We have had a number of customers rebuild their OM 617 Garrett turbos only to report back that the turbo "is still leaking oil"  If the new sealing rings were installed properly - and I mean not broken during installation and the turbo wheel shaft and housing surfaces are in good condition then you probably have another issue.

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Problem & Solution

Common among these chassis:

W116
W123
W126

There are two other reasons for seeing excess intake or exhaust engine oil:

1. Worn valve guide seals. This condition will allow engine oil to leak down into the cylinders when the engine is shut off and not restarted for a few hours. The signs of worn seals are excess engine smoke at startup and a higher than normal oil consumption. This condition can be solved by replacing the valve stem seals. We have complete kits with instructions to help you do this yourself. 

2. Excessive piston ring and cylinder wall wear: This is a typical condition in high mileage diesels and leads to engine "blow by." If your diesel engine has excessive engine blow by (crank case pressure) the engine oil may be working its way into both the intake and the exhaust of your turbo diesel engine. If the engine has low compression or uses an excessive amount of oil between oil changes - these are the signs of excessive engine blow by. Short of a complete engine overhaul there is no way to fix this condition. You just have to "live with it" and in many cases these engines will continue to go 1000's of miles but they will just use up oil...