Turbo trouble

Hi all
I have a 92 200tdi D90 which I think is in need of some attention in the turbo department. As this is my first technical post, please bear with me....:scratching_chin:
I have noticed a significant drop in performance this week and the engine appears to be hunting at certain revs. Ive also just found oil in my intercooler (dripping from bottom hose). I presume this means the blower is on its way out so will need to investigate. Does anyone have any advice?

all turbos pass oil .so pipes are usually wet inside ,does it smoke ?hunting would suggest fuel starvation or air getting in ,check turbo pipes for splits

Thanks for the info. I haven't noticed it smoking, except a little on first start up, I did give the hoses a quick check and couldn't see anything but will get my head properly under the bonnet this weekend. There is quite a lot of oil, enough to wet the chassis leg, which doesn't sit right with me but, thinking logically (doesn't happen often) if oil is getting out, air must be getting in. If nothing else It'll be an excuse to fit some new silicone hoses!
While I'm in there, I will check the turbo spline for play. The only thing is, I'm not sure what is 'acceptable' movement. Any wisdom gratefully received!!

oil may leak out of turbo/intercooler pipe as the turo creates pressure in them ,does it use oil ,common problems are fuel issue ,lift pump, blocked feed ,air leak between lift pump and tank etc

Thanks jamesmartin. All noted. She's had a new lift pump, but that was about 6 months ago. Will check thoroughly at the weekend. I imagine the intercooler will need a good clean. Any tips for getting rid of 20 years of crud?

Ok, so I've spent the afternoon dismantling, checking, cleaning & reassembling breather pipes, complete intercooler setup & air box. I also checked the turbo shaft for play and was pleasantly surprised with what i've found. Suffice to say, no new turbo required.
However, I found loads of engine oil in the intercooler & pipework so I ran the engine with the breather top hose removed and was surprised by the huge amount of pressurised oil mist that it was spewing out. I reckon this will account for all the gunk in the intercooler. Anyway I have a theory that it could be due to cracked/split valve stem oil seal guides, but I'm not sure if I'm barking up the right tree with this one. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

The more i read the more I'm starting to get worried. Think my crankcase is getting pressurised because piston rings are knackered. I'm not blowing smoke yet bit the problem seems to be getting rapidly worse and I've noticed that she's burning oil at a much faster rate than before. I'd be very grateful if someone could tell me it'll all be alright but I suspect that's not gonna happen. In the meantime I'm stressing about needing an engine rebuild. Which begs the question......Is it better to rebuild or replace with a disco lump?

if rings are worn it will breath heavy out of filler cap if removed,turbo could be passing too much oil ,disco engine can be used as a replacement but rear housing and timing housing need swapping too

Aargh. Just checked and it's not great. Lots of mist coming out of filler cap. Not sure how long I can leave it before it becomes a problem. She's a good old girl but on the original engine which has just clocked up 190k miles. Time to look for a donor disco I think. Pardon the stupid questions but if i get a disco engine, do you know if I can use the manifold, turbo and other ancillaries off my existing engine?

yes plus the other bits ive stated

That's better news than I expected. Thanks for the advice. Anybody in the Yeovil area got a useable 200tdi engine for sale?