Yes, it's actually normal. The reason is that the oil comes from the crankcase breather valve and is drawn into the inlet. Theer is a filter in the breather valve, but it doesn't stop the fine mist from getting through. That's why some install a catch can, to catch the fine vapours, but their effectiveness is hit or miss.

Cheers

Ray

 

thanks ray

is the crankcase breather valve connected into the inlet or is it somewhere near and therefore drawn in?

is this one of the common causes of issues with this engine?

 

The outlet valve is on the rocker cover near where the turbo is and the inlet line to the air tract is closer to the MAF side. This not really a cause of any issues, it just tends to coat the inside of the intercooler and make it less efficient over time. It's easy enough to take the intercooler off now and again and give it a clean.

Cheers

Ray

 

I started to clen my 2.8 intercooler out today.. OMG! the amount of crap in there is amazing.. Ive only had it for a couple of years & id say that its never been done... I also cleaned out from the turbo ouput to the inlet manifold.. But I really need to do the intake manifold to.. It is totally coated with oil to the point you can put you finger in & get it covered.. I've got a OIL catch can to put in just gota get some hose the right size..

 

is it common for oil to appear in the intercooler in a ZD30? and also around the inlet of the turbo?

i've been looking at a few to buy and was keen to know if its a common thing or if its a good sign that the engine is on its way out...

i know it can be solved with a catch can but dont want to even bother if the damage is already done.

any help would be much appreciated

As Ray said, it is common for the oil mist to coat the inlet piping, intercooler and manifold. My old ZD30 had only done a few thousand k's on a new engine when I bought it and it had coated its' inlet piping with oil in that short time. It's not a sign the engine is on its' way out.
However, that oil mist will eventually foul your MAF and that is a common cause of engine problems. If you're looking at older ZD30's try to get one that someone else has already spent their life savings repairing.

 

We had a look at my brothers newish hilux today ~ he bought a provent and wanted help installing it. He was suprised when I showed the pools of oil in his intercooler. The hilux crankcase breather pipe goes straight from the crankcase to directly above the turbo, making fouling the maf nearly impossible - much better design. It has quite a few sensors after the intercooler though which could get affected..

My intercooler is still bone dry after fitting the provent a while ago.

 

My 2007 Triton I owned before I got the Patrol had the intake manifold replaced under warranty after it completely blocked up with oil and carbon.

Go the provent!

 

Yes it is very common with these engines. I used to work at a 4x4 wrecker and most intercoolers from the zd30 patrols and navara's had it. Not sure what causes it though, sorry.

 

YEah fortunatly the 2.8's breather goes just before the the turbo. But wouldnt this cause the turbo to suck the oil throught the breather? Or is this meant to happen to lube up the turbo or something? either way Im going to have to pull the intake manifold off & clean it at its to the point of the oil pooling in the bottom which would explain the blue smoke on startup..

 

The oil is fed back into the intake to meet emissions and environmental standards. Does not have any lubricating application.
The IC leaking oil is because the end tanks are crimped on instead of welded. Hence the leaking over time. After market IC for the patrol are usually the factory end tanks with a new welded on core.

 

Ive got a catch can I'm goin to install this week. Just trying to find the right size hose & fittings to suit. Is it best to put it inline just before where the breather enters the turbo or at the other end near the rocker cover UFO thing?

 

I cleaned mine a few weeks ago, was pretty black. Not as bad as I thought it would be, probably due to the crack in the tank & a couple of holes in the core (from the IC cover) which I discovered once it was clean. Anybody know where to get a cheap IC ?

 

Has anyone noticed a correlation between how much oil goes through the system and the amount of air cleaner restriction.

I learnt a while back to only use the dry paper element and not the oiled version.

Regards
Spinifex

 

Has anyone noticed a correlation between how much oil goes through the system and the amount of air cleaner restriction.

I learnt a while back to only use the dry paper element and not the oiled version.

Regards
Spinifex

One should have nothing to do with the other.