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k, i dont usually check my oil (i know i should get in the habit of it) but today i checked it when i got home from work and the stick was DRY!.. wtf??! bad? or REALLY BAD? if its dry then i'd have to be running w/o oil for awhile now! anyways... i doodle around the engine some more and i looked where my intercooler connects to the manifold and the bottom steel ring looked a little lower in place than it was cuz you could see where it was before from the crease marks on the black rubber hose. Anyways, there was black residue coming out under the black rubber hose away from the intercooler (it looked like it was being pushed out pointing towards the manifold). There wasn't an excessive amount but enough to get my whole pointer finger black all the way around. Is that not normal? or was it just because that one steel ring was loosened?

I checked the steel ring btw, and it wasn't loosened - just moved out of place. Any suggestions on what I should do from here?
I'm planning to go to a dealership tomorrow but I was thinking to fill up with some kind of oil beforehand. I'm supposed to be getting my oil changed anyway already.

k my car is fine now... changed oil to mobil synth 10w30. The dude said i could have possible "blow-by" ? all i got from it is that theres oil everywhere.... can someone elaborate? will an oil catch can fix this prob? and how do i clean up the mess? also.. theres some battery acid spillage... what do i use to wash that off as well? i tried brake cleaner but that didn't work =/

Yes, the oil in the intercooler/TB area is "blow by", and is normal in small amounts through the PCV or positive crankcase ventilation. ther eshould not be a swimming pool of sludge there, but a light coating is OK. This is the stuff that gets vaporized in the engine outside of the pistons. It gets routed into the engine to get burned to have better emmissions. A proper catch can or even an in'line fuel filter will help with that (not Saber's, hahaha).

As for your "missing" oil, that much would not have made it through the PCV valve. Check for a leak in your driveway, undercover plastic tray, or a lot of heavy soot from your tailpipe. I think even if the stick is dry, there is still two or three quarts of oil in there. just don't make a habit of it.

zaxrex wrote:A proper catch can or even an in'line fuel filter will help with that (not Saber's, hahaha).

Ya, I need to throw some steel wool in there, haha... We found out this weekend that my oil catch can wasn't getting all it should

Ian, you have to keep in mind that most STi's WILL consume some oil. Now I wouldn't say they consume oil as quickly as say an RX-7, but it will go through a quart if you're not carefull. Just try to keep a better eye on it and you should be fine. A good habit to get into would be checking your oil level every other fillup. I mean you usually have to clean off the windshield anyways, so why not spend and entire extra minute and check the oil?


Glad to hear your motor didn't go boom.

true, yeah i've actually been checking up on it when i get home from work. I just let it sit for about 10-15min. then I go back out to check... very good habit.. should've been doin it earlier =/ but i'm glad my engine didn't go boom

btw, is there some kind of spray or solution that will get rid of battery acid? it looks like corrotion near my injectors and everything between that and the battery... some guy told me to just put baking soda/water on it - will that 100% get rid of it though?

That will neutralize the acid and inhibit that accelerated corrosion. It will help it wash away, but will not be the oxy-clean solution to all your problems.

ahhh thx d00d i'm goin all out on the baking soda!

am i the only person who thought he was talking about weed?

^^^ Yes.... j/k