I took my truck to the dealer to check on an oil leak, and they told that it was coming from the connections of the pipes for the intercooler right over the engine. The leak was very small (3-4 drops in the driveway during a week's time), but I was surprised to hear that the connections could become that loose and that there was that much oil in the intercooler that could leak out and drip. Does this sound right? The truck even seemed to run better when I got it back.

 

the crank case vent on the 7.3 is in the intake tube before the turbo. as the turbo sucks air in it will also suck in the oily air from the crank case vent, over time the intercooler pipes and the inside of the cooler will get a light coating of oil on them. if you had one or more lose intercooler pipe clamps it would blow that oil out.
as far as running better, now that the clamps are tight you are not loosing boost out of the system anymore.
everyting they said and the symtoms you had sound right

 

Thanks - it just seemed odd that enough oil would be pulled through to cause a leak that would run down the back of the engine and drip onto the driveway. I'll keep looking for more spots, but thanks again for the info.

 

wlihntr's comments were perfect.

I am under the impression that the O-rings from the turbo pedastal (bottom and top) are a problem and will be the source of oil leakage. As a result, I replaced mine when I had an unknown oil leak. Since there is a well on the top of the engine, I hope the mechanic took a look at that to rule it out.