Problem? Air? Oil? Exhaust?

Hey guys. Today I was driving down the highway, and i heard a knock on the engine bay, it sounded like i left something something in there and it rattled for awhile and eventually it sounded like it fell out. I pulled over and everything seemed fine. No check engine light, temperature is fine, everything seems fine. I kept driving it home and it was fine. Well anyway, got home and took a better look and noticed oil around the BOV and a little on the side of the fuse box. No where else. It was mostly over the BOV. It seems like it shot out oil out of the BOV. Anyone have any clue? I also noticed the last couple days that when I floor it SOMETIMES it seems like there is something clogging the air flow/ exhaust, but its still pretty quick. But it doesnt launch me forward and push me back into the seat as it used to be. But sometimes it works fine and pushes me up against the seat. Anyway have any idea of what this is? I am kinda afraid to drive it.

Check your turbo for shaft play or any other problems.

Shaft play? Its a new turbo. I've had the turbo for about a month.

But, I will check it out anyway. Could it be anything else?

i would do a compression check just to make sure you have no issues there. Are you using a breather on the head or a catch can?

It sounded like there was an obstruction in the exhaust. Thats what led me to believe turbo... as if the shaft was stuck.

no breather or oil catch can. I was planning on the oil catch can... sometime whenever i get the money.

Would putting too much oil cause this to happen?

I jacked up my car and found alot of oil around the the stock SMIC. Could it be that my intercooler is too small, so it can't hold that much power? please help. I also found alot of oil around the tip of the intake filter (the part connected to the turbo)??? PLEASE HELP.

That is most likely oil build up over the years and it's now coming to a head. Clean out the smic. Put a filter on the breather valve, that's where a lot of oil comes from (if not a broken seal on the turbo). Don't forget to change out the PCV valve. I don't know why you have oil on the filter. Take your entire intact tract apart and clean the piping. Clean your air filter too since you said that it had oil on it.

Not the filter, just the intake pipe (at the end right before the turbo)

By the way, is there something to clean the turbo with? Can you clean it with something?

Do you have a 1g or 2g or should I ask if you have an MHI or Garret turbo? Is your bov recirculated or do you have it vented to atmosphere?
Can you track down where the oil is possibly coming from?

I have a 2nd gen. I have an EvoIII Big 16G. The oil seems to be around the BOV. But today, I jacked it up and notice alot of oil around the intercooler. So today, I did and oil change and while i was on it, decided to do spark plugs and wires, because it was due in a little bit. Anyway, i also cleaned out the intercooler with gas. I took it for a spin, it did it at first but eventually it spooled up fine. The oil i found in the intercooler wasnt a little bit, it was ALOT! The the normal kind of oil found. But damn, definitely alot. Anyway, I let it cool down and took it for another spin and it was still fine. I hope that was it. I guess i will find out tomorrow. But what would your guess be? What do you think it is? Its a month and half old turbo. It has no shaft play. Its pretty much brand new. My guess, is the fact that the stock SMIC is too small. I am planning on the FMIC next. What do you think?

the rattling & exhaust restriction could be the cat coming apart , chunks of it getting stuck then flying out .... if you still have it on that has no explanation for the oil tho

So anyone know whats up with the oil? I cleaned out the SMIC and the intercooler piping. Nothing? Still does the same thing. I found oil around my BOV again after taking it out for a drive... PLEASE HELP. This is killing.

Check your intake tube, the one before the turbo, and check it for signs of oil. You need to trace the origin of the oil. This will involve you taking all the intercooler piping off. There's no other way around it. I believe that the oil is coming from the breather valve (the tube coming from the left side of the valve cover) and making it's way down the intake, through the turbo, in and out of the intercooler, out of the bov (during blow off), then making it's way into the intake manifold and finally into the chambers. Do you notice puffs of smoke out of your exhaust? It's not a lot of oil, it may not even show, but still need to ask.

So, again, there's no other way around taking the IC piping off and tracing it back. Where else can that oil be coming from? Perhaps the turbo seals, but you said that it's pratically brand new! There's no other way that oil can get into the intake tract....is there? No, there is only two ways oil can get into the intake and I just mentioned them. It's not that hard bro, you just have to make sure you tighten everything back up real good and boost leak test it afterwards.
Here's a great write up on how to do a boost leak test on a Honda forum of all places and done on a 2g of all things.
http://honda-acura.net/forums/showthread.php?t=148666

Gotta love DSMs

Thats what I did yesterday. I took off the intercooler piping and clean it all. Yes i did find oil in the intake pipe. I also found it in the lower intercooler piping, intercooler, and upper intercooler piping. Even a little on the BOV. So the oil was found starting at the throttle body all the way to the turbo, and some on the intake. BUT, i cleaned it all out. It still does it (it seems like something is clogged and just not letting the air push out). I drove it back to school and at first it spooled up fine, but towards the end of my journey, it started to do it again. I popped the hood and found some on the BOV again. It spools, but not til like 4500 rpm. It should be spooling at least by 3500. Thats the weird thing. DOES this help?

Get one of those small fuel filters that have two hose nipples on each end, cut your breather valve hose in half, and put that filter inline.
Next, buy a new PCV valve (do not tighten it down hard or you will crack the valve cover!) and let us know how that works out.
Oil in the intake tube (the one that connects to the filter and turbo) is a sign that oil is getting in from the breather valve, which could mean that you have blow by issues or that the PCV is clogged or stuck open and is allowing pressurized air into the valve cover. From that pressure, it needs to go somewhere.....the intake tube and down the intake tract.
Does that make sense to you?

Yeah.. Thanks man. By the way how much is a PCV valve? Where is it located exactly?

This might help me out? Look: http://members.shaw.ca/dsm.1000q/Engineprimer/2G/visual-index.htm
Where is it on there?

http://members.shaw.ca/dsm.1000q/Engineprimer/2G/pcv.htm

not sure where exactly the oil is coming from but a way to filter most of not all of it out is a catchcan, i'm sure you know this already. they are not very expensive and not hard to hook up at all!!! i'm relatively a novice at engines still but i've hooked 2 of them up. i would get this before you get your FMIC and new piping to ensure that it stays clean (or as clean as it can be).

Yeah, i was planning on the oil catch can too. Thanks man.

By the way, those PCV valves arent expensive right?

no they are very cheap. Like $10

Awesome. I am gonna go get it today. But got one more question... do i have to drain anything or unplug anything when changing the PCV valve?

...

Just the intake hose, it's on the backside of the valve cover. You can see that you don't have to remove anything but the hose after you find it. Do you have a Haynes/Chilton's manual? If not, they are a good investment.