10-10-2019, 08:36 AM | #1 |
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O-ring seals for charge pipes
I've had some minor boost leak issues in the past that I've vanquished by replacing all of the pressurized OEM charge pipe seals with o-rings.
Harkes first put forward replacing the charge pipe to throttle body o-ring with a larger o-ring. I figured I'd flesh in the rest for those who want to replace the rest of the OEM seals with better sealing, inexpensive, non-directional o-rings. The grand total of this setup is $3.00, plus shipping. I've boost leak tested it up to 30 psi without any leaks. Be warned that installing fresh o-rings requires significantly more effort. After they've been installed for a while, they form to the seal path better and are easier to reinstall. That first time is a real pain, but it can be done. Be sure to lightly grease both the o-ring and the sealing surface that it'll be sliding onto. These are the largest cross section o-rings I've been able to fit. Hope this makes all of your boost leaks go bye bye, too. Turbo outlet: 1 - 4.5mm X 49mm - $.98 https://www.theoringstore.com/store/...ducts_id=17446 Throttle body: 1 - 4mm x 81mm - $.90 https://www.theoringstore.com/store/...ducts_id=39576 Intercooler: 2 - 4mm x 59mm - $1.12 https://www.theoringstore.com/store/...oducts_id=2242 For looser fitting charge pipe to IC cold side fitments, thejeremyman9 found that a 4.5mm x 60mm o-ring, lightly sanded to reduce it's thickness, worked best at eliminating leaks. Loose intercooler cold side option - 1 - 4.5mm x 60mm - $1.07 https://www.theoringstore.com/store/...ducts_id=17451
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Last edited by hardparker; 12-02-2019 at 08:04 AM.. |
10-10-2019, 11:19 AM | #2 | |
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The cheapest shipping was 2day air at $6.99, so really hoping i get them this weekend and can install. |
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10-10-2019, 01:17 PM | #3 | |
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10-13-2019, 03:30 PM | #4 |
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Following up - i ended up using the 4mm x 81mm Oring on the throttle body. This did make getting the VRSF CP onto the throttle body much more difficult. One thing to note, its not necessarily just the larger Oring, but the larger Oring makes the metal lip of the charge pipe catch more as you are trying to install, so you really need to wiggle it slightly while applying a lot of force.
As for the TIC-IC and CP-IC connections, I had a much more PITA experience, and a couple of noteworthy items to mention. First, I was NOT able to get the 4mm x 59mm Oring on the TIC-IC connection to work. There was absolutely no way. I spent over an hour trying to force this on, but it was simply not going to work. I tried various other 4mm Orings I had in the 50’s mm range and none would work either. I eventually ended up putting the stock tapered Oring back into the TIC pipe. That taper does indeed go back into the TIC pipe, away from the IC, which is the logical way that makes sense for the direction you slide it on. As for the CP-IC connection, I did end up getting the 4mm x 59mm Oring to work. And yes, it was significantly harder to install than the stock one. One interesting note here is that I removed the VRSF CP and first started testing Orings on the stock IC on the ground. I could NOT get the VRSF CP to fit on the stock IC connection with the 4mm x 59mm Oring. Even with the IC on the ground and applying a ton of force, it simply would not go on. However, the VRSF CP DID fit on the VRSF IC with this same Oring (with some effort but not a crazy amount). This leads me to believe that the VRSF IC must be ever so slightly smaller diameter at the connection point than the stock IC, which would in turn lead to a loose/potentially leaky fit with the VRSF CP using a stock Oring. This is consistent with how easily the VRSF CP just slid onto the VRSF IC with zero effort when using stock Oring. FWIW I also tested a ton of other Orings (e.g., also 59mm but 4.5 mm and 5mm CS) and nothing bigger was going to fit on the VRSF IC-CP connection. I thought the 60mm x 4.5mm was a good contender, but it was not going to work (that 0.5mm makes a huge difference). So to sum it up, I used the 4mm x 81mm Oring for VRSF CP-throttle body connection, the 4mm x 59mm Oring for VRSF CP to VRSF IC connection, and the stock Oring for stock TIC to VRSF IC connection. Each of those was the maximum size I could fit; trust me, I spend at least 3 hours trying different sizes, including with the components on the ground. The most annoying part out of all of this is that my logs are no different, I am still not reaching boost targets, and I am starting to suspect stage 1 tune. I am as sure as you can be that I have no boost leaks as every connection is tight, bung plugs are Teflon taped and sealed, Orings are replaced, etc. I welcome any input on my post here: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...postcount=3487 On another note, my boost leak tester failed, as I describe here: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...8&postcount=14 |
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10-15-2019, 09:56 AM | #5 | |
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10-15-2019, 11:17 AM | #6 | |
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10-15-2019, 11:49 AM | #7 |
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Same thing for MHD. Infact, i would recommend doing this. It is nice to have the extra data. Get some logs before making any more modifications or doing any tunes.
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10-15-2019, 01:55 PM | #8 |
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10-21-2019, 08:20 AM | #9 | ||
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10-21-2019, 02:13 PM | #10 | |
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I plan to attempt to make a boost leak tester (v2) again this coming weekend to be absolutely certain of no leaks. |
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10-21-2019, 05:05 PM | #11 | |
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10-21-2019, 06:46 PM | #12 |
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10-23-2019, 10:18 PM | #14 |
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10-24-2019, 06:38 AM | #15 | |
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10-24-2019, 07:32 AM | #16 | |
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https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=13_1500 |
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10-24-2019, 11:39 AM | #17 | ||
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Your best bet is to check your own IC-CP connection (and TIC-IC and CP-TB for that matter) and make sure that the are solid connections with stock Orings. Keep in mind the manufacturing/tolerances with aftermarkets companies may not be to stock specifications exactly. Hence, the larger Orings to make up any differences and create a solid seal. Having a more solid connection and better seal certainly isnt going to hurt. Quote:
I will be interested to see if the larger Oring stops that "leak" after a few weeks of driving. I felt the exact same way with my non directions Oring being more difficult to slide over the connection. Keep us posted. |
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10-24-2019, 02:41 PM | #18 | |
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The last time I messed with the gasket/oring was a few months ago, so I am not too worried about the amount. The leak is probably acting like a catch can so to speak with the can being the intercooler surface lol. I just think it isn't reaching the manifold so its obvious how much oil gets ran through the piping by design(which you would notice with an OCC). When I say it took much more effort to install I mean it, the stock one literally can be dropped onto the IC with absolutely no resistance. I had to use both hands from underneath(not easy) to yank this down over the lip of the IC, and it is infinitely more rigid and secure. I did not use the TB ring or try the TIC side, as I'm certain they aren't an issue. I keep banging on about this but when it comes to force required stock would be about a 0.5 and o-ring would be an 8 or 9. I will definitely keep an eye on the connection to see if any oil accumulates, if so I might just buy a new CP and go from there. Thankfully you can see the connection without having to take the undertray off. |
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10-24-2019, 04:19 PM | #19 | |
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With regards to the oil, i would just comment that i noticed virtually zero oil in my intake, CP, and TIC pipe when I removed the stock IC+CP and was messing around with the intake for boost leak testing. My car has 41k miles. I am on the same page with the increase in effort - my VRSF CP-IC connection literally fell on with zero effort when using stock Oring. I had to pull down with both hands to slide the same connection on using the aftermarket Oring. There is also basically no play in the connection now with the aftermarket Oring. On the other hand, there was no way i could use anything other than stock Oring on the stock TIC to VRSF IC connection. i applied probably 100lbs of force trying to get the TIC onto the IC with the aftermarket Oring and there was no way it was going on, so i ended up with stock. That connection felt fine. I dont think i had a issue with stock Oring on CP-TB connection, but i ended up using the larger one anyways, also with increased effort. |
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10-24-2019, 09:44 PM | #20 | ||
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When I initially replaced the charge pipe and then the Intercooler there was a light film in the plastic CP at most, most of it just gets pushed into the engine and burned off, well with a leak like mine in the system it's acted as a nice drain for that oil. |
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10-25-2019, 11:56 AM | #21 | |
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Also, when did you buy your VRSF IC, and which model is it (5" HD, etc.)? |
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10-25-2019, 12:11 PM | #22 | |
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I bought my IC+CP on labor day weekend. It is the 5'' HD that was $379.99 base price IIRC. I believe there is only the one charge pipe option, 8AT RWD. It was honestly a really annoying buying experience. The product was not in stock (despite no indication on XPH website). It took me almost a month to get my IC and CP, and after i got the IC there was clear fin damage and beyond that a metal "bubble" on the front that i am concerned might be a small leak (I have a picture of that over on this thread https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...8#post25366268). I'm not bashing anyone and i dont really care about the delays as long as the product works, which i hope to confirm this weekend with a boost leak test. |
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