Oil in Intake

[cammmy]

There's no oil from the vent hole and I took the diaphragm out and gave it a clean. It looks intact.

The intercooler pipes are standard and look like they have never been off. They were fabric covered rubber, as you say. The braided pipes (pictured) are from the bottom of the oil tank. I just pictured them as they had oil/dirt on them and I had mentioned misting on the oil tank. I'm hoping it's just from spilled oil. But will clean as best I can and see.

Do you think it's worth getting the other one way valve off and testing it?

As a note, the oil that has been spilled (or leaked) onto the R\H pipe seems to have protected the alloy where it clamps onto the intercooler. On the L/H side there was corrosion where water has been getting between the alloy and rubber. I cleaned it all off and used red rubber grease to prevent it in the future. We'll see if it causes the pipes to blow off now

[Jim Haseltine]

Ah, I've been dim, just realised your pictures are of containers with the oil in them rather than the pipes....

Really, that's not much oil - mine was collecting the stuff at a serious rate, something like 250ml per turbo per week if I remember correctly. One of my inter coolers had corrosion at the hose connection - it also had a considerable amount of salt/grit perforation which meant I had to replace it but that's another story.
If I were you, I'd clean everything, put it back together, run the car for 500-1000 miles then take another look in the pipes - what you're seeing could well just be from normal use if nobody has drained down the cooler hoses in a while. Inter coolers cause breather oil mist in the inlet charge to condense out - most of it drains down through the coolers to the turbo hoses but some makes it's way up to the throttle pipes - more so if the charge pressure is high.

[cammmy]

Okay cool, thanks. I shall stop panicking (and looking at upgraded turbos) then. Is there not a risk of carbon building up in the ports and on the intake valves with this much vapour going through the intake and no fuel to wash it off?

As an aside, what's a good way to clear the intercoolers of leaves and other debris? I got the intact leaves out with pliers but getting the shroud off the front to do it properly seems like it will risk rounding bolts. Should I just fire compressed air into the back of them and call it a day?

[cammmy]

Well, it's all back together. I noticed that when I blow into the port with the orange flap in it, it seals up with anything more than a little pressure. I'm guessing that port is only to let oil drain back into the engine then, and the blowby is allowed out elsewhere.

[Jim Haseltine]

As an aside, what's a good way to clear the intercoolers of leaves and other debris? I got the intact leaves out with pliers but getting the shroud off the front to do it properly seems like it will risk rounding bolts. Should I just fire compressed air into the back of them and call it a day?

Likely the bolts will shear (steel in alloy), mine did. And the shroud won't come off with the bumper in place - they're difficult enough with the bumper off. I ended up having to drill out the remains of the bolts and helicoil the inter coolers.
You won't get to the backs of the coolers easily, there are additional rads are in the way.

[cammmy]

Hmmm, I wonder if I have an attachment for the vacuum that will get in there then.