Turbo intercooler

[moomoo]

Hello again.
The peugot boxer 1.9 TD van wouldnt start again yesterday after being stood in the driveway for about a month...the battery and starter are absolutely fine but the engine would not turn.
I removed the turbo pipe at the joint at the bottom of the engine and once again at least a couple of pints of water gushed from the pipe....Ive mentioned this before.
I removed the glow plugs to find they were soaked with water....i turned the key after taking out the glow plugs and the engine turned.... spraying water everywhere!
I left all the turbo pipework off ...replaced the plugs and the van started at the first turn of the key.i left the van ticking over and started to replace the turbo pipework then it stopped suddenly as I started to replace the pipe that connects to the turbo intercooler.
Should there be water in the turbo intercooler or should it be dry?
The coolant in the expansion tank is bang on the mark so i dont believe the water is leaking from engine...it's getting into the turbo pipe from somewhere though.
The reason I ask is because the engine stopped due to sucking water from the intercooler unit....I then took the intercooler off to find it was half full of water....should it be like that...ie ...should it have water in it?
Thanks

[CitroJim]

No, absolutely not, there should be no water at all in the turbo intercooler or anywhere else in the inlet tract...

It's dangerous as water in the cylinders can result in a hydraulic lock and a destroyed engine. You were lucky to get away with it on this occasion...

The source of the ingress of water must be established... Not being familiar with the inlet tract layout I can't suggest where to start...

Are you sure it's not coolant? It will have a distinct smell. If it was though, I would have thought you'd have seen a significant fall in the header tank level?

Screen washer fluid is another remote possibility and one to exclude?

Some inlet tracts have a distinct 'U' in their pipework that could retain a fair amount of water and indeed the intercooler itself could..

Have you been through deep floodwater at any time?

[moomoo]

Thanks for the reply Jim as always.
The coolant header tank is up to its level mark....the water in the intercooler is clear....I suspect its rainwater getting into the pipework somewhere ...
I'm going to strip the lot of it from the turbo back to the intercooler t see if any of the hoses are perished or split.,
Idont know where or how its getting in!

[CitroJim]

A complete strip is the way to go and remove the intercooler completely so you can ensure it's completely empty...

Check all rubber hoses as it only takes a small split for lots of water to potentially enter under suction...

And do not dismiss the possibility of a hole in the intercooler being the problem. Front facing straight into any rain and it could easily fill up...

[moomoo]

Thanks Jim.