how serious?

[jthom]

fixed.

[Dino]

An oil leak in the turbo might not sound like a big deal but it can go from not so bad to worse really quickly, and the long term effects can be quite severe.

You might just notice that your oil level is going down a bit between changes, but if the leak suddenly gets worse you can get a significant loss of pressure to the top end which can turn catastrophic really quickly. Also when the oil leaks from the turbo it goes straight down the intake. In addition to saturating the intercooler you also run the risk of fouling glow plugs and worst case cenario you will gum up the intake valves causing an extreme loss of compression.

Your best bet is to get it fixed soonner rather than later. I've known some cars to run for years with a leakey turbo, but I've also seen them go from not bad to it doesn't run within a week.

[Rattlenbang]

There are new turbos you can get online for half that, and replacement isn't difficult. Neither is rebuilding yourself which costs less than $100.00

[Lomoski]

Where did you get the rebuild kit from? I have a leaky turbo and am not afraid of getting a little dirty.

Marc

[Rattlenbang]

There's a topic in the tech section where I detail how I did it.

I bought this kit: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221114253451?it ... 23&vxp=mtr

There are cheaper ones available to be sure, but I am suspcious of really cheap parts. It worked well and my turbo no longer leaks.