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Extreme Oil leak, what is the cause?

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2025 8:15 am
by mubmoh
Hi

I have an extreme oil leak on my POLO 2013 1.2L TSI CBZB Engine. R4 1.2 TFSI EA111.

Oil leak seems to be between Pressure Pipe 03F 145 673 F and throttle valve adapter 03F 133 062.
I have no DTC fault codes.


The entire region is a very oily mess.

I don't know if its a bad breather pipe, bad throttle body.


Also before this issue my gearbox was running fine, but since this leak it has been stalling and jerking ridicously, complete overnight change. Is this a cause of a bad throttle body? Or has oil leaked onto my flywheel/clutch which can cause these symptoms?

See attachment for images pls.

Re: Extreme Oil leak, what is the cause?

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2025 9:12 am
by RUM4MO
Well, to start with, while a "small" amount of engine oil will be getting carried into the turbo's incoming air - from crankcase fumes that still have a small amount of oil in them (oil separator should remove most of the oil), if your engine is properly worn/broken, more than expected oil will be getting into that air, plus if the oil separator is not doing its job, then more oil will be reaching the turbo's incoming air - and so ending up down there.

Then, there are the seals/bearings etc in the turbo - is this the source of your problem.

Finally the O-ring seal at the point where the charge pipe connects to the throttle body, it will probably need replacing - but I've found with the later 16V version of this engine, that even with slight oil mist getting through, some will weep out or creep across that O-ring seal - so oil showing up is just the "effect" and not the "root cause".

Good luck!

Edit:- take the charge pipe off and see just how much oil is collecting in it, only a few drips of oil should run out, if that is all, clean the charge pipe up, fit new O-ring seals and refit - and keep an eye on it.

Re: Extreme Oil leak, what is the cause?

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2025 8:29 pm
by Le_Combattant
Yeah, replace the seal and you should be good.

I don't think your pipe is cracked since you don't have any fault code (boost pressure too low for exemple).
It's quite common on TSI, even the last 1.2 TSI 16V start to "leak" around this area. Replace the seal and you are good to go.

Re: Extreme Oil leak, what is the cause?

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2025 11:02 pm
by iichel
there will be a small pipe coming from the air intake hose from the air filter, going to the turbocharger. that pipe is connected to a small valve in the head. the pcv valve.
that sometimes breaks off, making a mess of that area too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tULZemP ... ystianDEPL

and yes i'm posting this because the cat is cute

Re: Extreme Oil leak, what is the cause?

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2025 4:45 am
by ciclo
I agree with everything mentioned.
'Depending on the mileage', it seems that this amount of oil is coming from the turbo instead of the PCV. I think there's too much oil left on the throttle body. The oil trail from a broken PCV usually runs down the side of the engine toward the bottom instead of toward the throttle body.🤷‍♂️

I'd just like to add that I recommend scheduled PCV maintenance. Due to its low cost, I do it every 30,000 km🤭, taking advantage of the air filter change and the warning notes added in erWin for air filter replacement.
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If the small PCV pipe is broken, it's a good idea to remove the PCV seal and inspect it, with luck, you'll find the damaged plastic parts inside... if not, your engine is digesting those little plastics.😁

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/oKXVT1y5b ... autoplay=1

Re: Extreme Oil leak, what is the cause?

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2025 2:38 pm
by Le_Combattant
We don't have this kind of PCV on EA211, on EA111 yeah but not on the new one.

EDIT: oh wait we are on EA111...my bad :mrgreen:

Re: Extreme Oil leak, what is the cause?

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2025 8:44 pm
by ciclo
This week I'm trying to figure out why my sister's 2017 BMW F20 116d 85kW engine goes into Limp Mode after 15 minutes of operation.
Tomorrow I'll diagnose it with BimmerLink. I hope it's just a pressure/air charge/temperature sensor...🤔

Oh wait, this is a VW forum... my bad.😁

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This valve clogs over time... it's better to replace it than clean it.
It's also better to use lighter or less dense/viscosity oils... 0W-30 instead of... that f*****g oil s**t... :mrgreen:

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Valve changed, problem SOLVED! No permanent faults... with BimmerLink. The engine no longer goes to Limp Mode.
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Note:
I did some/light net research on why this generation of 3- or 4-cylinder BMW diesel engines (2015-2020) go into Limp Mode, and I was surprised to find a common fault is the incorrect installation of the oil filter cartridge, which has a sealed plastic nipple on the bottom that must fit in a certain position.
The location of the oil filter cartridge makes it somewhat difficult to remove/install —it's easy, but you have to do it meticulously with a flashlight and mirror— so that when you turn the cap/cover, it should fit smoothly all the way around, otherwise, the filter is installed incorrectly.
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