Oil leak and metal rubbing noise = breakdown

tofflolea · **Joined:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 4:43 am **Posts:** 5

Hi all,
This morning, after a 5km drive, my KJ CRD started doing a metal rubbing noise coupled to a strong oil smell.
I tried to drive few more meters to park safely but eventually stopped (noise too freaky) and I called for a tow.
Back home, I had a look and could not see any leak from the top but a melted small and short pipe running from air filter cabin to .. CCV ?not sure? (Pic. 1 & 2)

Under the car, oil is still leaking slowly from around front diff. (left side of the car, Pic. 3).
I checked the oil filter, looks ok, no trace of oil. Oil Pan looks alright too, no trace of oil, sealing still ok.
Actually, it really looks like if the leak comes from the front. diff but my oil level is completely down now so it must be somewhere else .. well I think ..

Pic.1

Pic.2

Pic.3

I have a very little mechanic background but was ready to get more involved since I got my KJ that I love but this is too much for me and any help would be appreciated :-)r

Questions are:
- what pipe is Pic.1 & 2 ?
- any diagnostic/advise/hutch .. ?

I'll try to post more pics of the front diff shortly.

Thanks.
++

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:51 am

I suspect the oil pipe going to or from the turbo has broken.
Trying to make it a few KM may have put the nail in the coffin :dizzy:

The metal sound you noticed might have been your engine's last sound :dead:

tofflolea · **Joined:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 4:43 am **Posts:** 5

Thanks Joe, even if I started regretting my post giving your reply

it sounds like going to be :2cents:

to fix this ..
Just two more things.
I drove a few meters, no KMs, that sound was too freaky .. Then, when I parked the engine keeps running .. it would have stopped if died, nop ?
I guess the oil pipe you mentionned is not the one on the picture (but another one from the bottom) cause no trace of major leak around this CCV pipe. Oil really comes from the very bottom.
Thanks.

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Sun Nov 20, 2011 1:25 pm

Sorry

I'm not metrically inclined :mrgreen:

Yes, the oil lines for the turbo are underneath :JEEPIN:

papaindigo · **Posted:** Sun Nov 20, 2011 2:08 pm

When geordi lost the turbo oil the engine died, lost front piston I believe, like almost instantly so if the engine was still running when you shut down don't even think about restarting it until you find the problem. There is an oil cooler on that side too that could perhaps have failed and the metal sound may have been your turbo vanes failing against the housing.

FYI that hose on the top is from the CCV (hockey puck looking thing) down to a fitting in the airbox to turbo air hose right before that hose ties into the turbo.

tofflolea · **Joined:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 4:43 am **Posts:** 5

well .. I am taking the car to the garage tomorrow.
The engine was actually rebuilt 11 months ago, I firstly thought the one year warranty was off already.
Anyway, papinfigo, is there anything that could explain your statement above (almost same than a mechanic friend of mine did today) ? I mean, can the garage blame me (I did last services there) about anything (off road driving?) resulting to this failure or is this just bad luck ?
Another question I have in mind is: is that possible that driving off road, a piece of rock or so did come in the engine and caused that :furious:

?
Well .. this last one may sound weird :oops:

but it is like critical to get that failure falling under warranty..

I keep fingers cross, hoping for a happy end, meaning :JEEPIN:

again soon with my beloved KJ :lol:

papaindigo · **Posted:** Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:34 pm

Check geordi's posts at viewtopic.php?f=5&t=63024&p=697169&hilit=failure+turbo#p697169 and viewtopic.php?f=5&t=56958&p=635986&hilit=failure+turbo#p635986 . Bottom line is anything that can cause a failure of oil lube in the turbo area can quickly cause a catastropic engine failure. I'll defer to geordi but if I recall his first turbo failure was bearing related which of course implies an oil issue but the bottom line is he last all engine oil extremely quickly and after installing a new turbo lost #1 piston rod, I believe, out the engine almost immediately. Sources of massive oil leaks on the passenger side of the engine can include 1) failure of the turbo bearing; 2) failure of the oil delivery system to the turbo; 3) maybe failure in that oil cooler thing I mentioned; 4) failure at the oil filter end; 5) there may be other things I am thinking of.

Assuming you kept the oil at correct levels there is nothing you can do in a catastrophic loss of oil situation except shut down as instantly as possible and don't restart until the problem is diagnosed and fixed including any secondary damage from what ever failed and what ever was oil starved. The only proactive step you can take is an oil pressure gauge but installing a "T" off where the idiot light sender is located is not much good as that's right at the oil filter which is that very last place that will lose pressure. Geordi and I have discussed, with some GDE input, an oil pressure sensor install in the same gallery that feeds the turbo, there are apparently plugs there, but have not gotten far enough into the engine to see if that's possible. IMHO the back plug on the passenger side just in front of the firewall may be reachable with the turbo and heat shield out of the way.

As to anything you did probably not unless 1) you did not pay attention to oil level or 2) in off roading you bashed your oil filter. Otherwise my bet is bad luck and marginal engine oil flow design.

tofflolea · **Joined:** Wed Nov 09, 2011 4:43 am **Posts:** 5

Papaindigo, thanks for your reply.
When it happened my first action was to check the oil filter but looks alright, no leak and no dents (that could have been caused by off road driving).
In case of oil filter failure, is there any visible/outside proof ?

papaindigo · **Posted:** Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:51 am

If the filter was wacked it would be obvious.

Oil leak and metal rubbing noise = breakdown

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