Oil trap and crankcase ventilation clogging
Attaches to D5244T at engine level · Engine · carried by 2 variants across 1 chassis
Overview
Oil trap and crankcase ventilation clogging is a common fault recorded against D5244T at engine level, typically from 130–220k km. It shows up as oil pushed past the crankshaft seals, a rising oil level in the catch area, and in bad cases a whistling from the crankcase. Where it's documented, the repair runs €300–€700 (trap and hoses at a specialist, more if a seal has been pushed out, costs dated 2026-07), and it can be partly checked before you buy. 2 variants across 1 chassis in this database inherit it.
What happens
Symptom. Oil pushed past the crankshaft seals, a rising oil level in the catch area, and in bad cases a whistling from the crankcase.
Cause. The oil trap and the ventilation system silt up with age and short-run use. Pressure then builds in the crankcase and finds its way out past the seals. It's a maintenance item rather than a design fault, but it's routinely ignored.
How to check it
Static checks
Ask when the oil trap was last changed, look for oil around the crank seals and the sump line, and treat a car with no record as due.
Engine off, ideally on a lift.
Every variant that carries this
| Variant | Chassis | Body | Years | Risk | Good buy | Cost as % of good buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D5 D5244T | P3 | wagon | 2007–2016 | R2 | €5,350 | 9% |
| D5 D5244T | P3 | sedan | 2010–2016 | R2 | €5,150 | 10% |
The last column is the point. The same repair is an inconvenience on one variant and a reason to scrap the car on another. A failure costing a quarter of the vehicle's value changes the purchase decision regardless of how rare it is.