oil oil everywhere!

[staggerwing]

Noticed a new pudddle of oil under the buggy the other day along with some near the right J-tube? Since it's collecting ahead of the joint I figure the valve cover gasket is leaking.

[Jack Duncan]

Try venting your valve covers to an air box up above the engine somewhere. I just happen to have a pair of Scat valve covers with the vent installed. All you would need is the box and hoses. PM me if you are interested. When you come to the Round-up you could pick them up.

[GregR]

This is a new problem, right. You didn't have this problem at the Blast did you?
The vented covers wouldn't hurt, but I wonder if a cover gasket just went bad.
Is there oil on the underside of the tin or anywhere else? Is it only on the exhaust and bottom side of the head?

[staggerwing]

The leak is new. Looks like it's only on the bottom of the exhaust and under the head, didn't really look at the tin, will tonight though.

I've had the covers off a couple of times since Salado. Even took the right head to a guy to have it checked fer leaks. While I was there he squirt some solvent in around the back side of the valves and said he thought the head was fine, no leaks, at least at the valves. Said the guides look okay too. I told him about the plug fouling problem I've had since day one and he asked me to bring the car in so he could check it out. "Maybe it's something to do with ignition"? I'm too hard-headed for that... I did install the balance tube that has been off all this time cause someone posted that the car would run better without it!!!?? So far so good but too early to tell cause I haven't really done any slow driving like we do on the cruises to verify the fix. Maybe tonight.

Used to have only one leak that was basicaly under the engine, this new puddle is off to the right side. When it was discovered, I ran the engine a bit (probably didn't get it quite hot enough though) with my hand down there around the valve cover and where the oil is, hoping to get a squirt or two from the source but never did. I suspect it's happening on the road somewhere at some condition that isn't reproduced by what I was trying to do. Stuff is hard to clean off, cooked on there pretty good. My first thought was that it's connected to the plug fouling problem that I've had since day one, but now I'm thinking it's just a new valve cover leak.

[blackthree4me]

Ive heard them leak out of the rocker arm and head bolt holes as well, but looks like a cover gasket issue
should put on a new gasket evertime
but most of us dont LOL

[staggerwing]

Man I wish I had my wallet with me today! Wonder if they'd shoot me a line of credit? That's funny just thinking about it.

[Bill K]

I agree: It sounds like a valve cover gasket issue. From what I see in your photo you have the chrome valve covers such as I have. The insider surface of those is pretty smooth and if not sealed well can leak pretty easily. It makes replacing the gaskets a bit of a pain, but I use a gasket sealant on the gasket side of the valve covers.

Also, the aftermarket bales are not made of as good a steel as original equipment and when you run the car a good bit and they heat up, they can expand more than original equipment and thus lessen the tension pressure on the valve cover.

Lastly, generally the gasket will stick up above the sloping surface of the inside of the valve cover keeping all the oil from draining back to the head. So, the oil is just trapped there behind the gasket trying to leak between the gasket and valve cover surface. I cut vee slits in my gasket to allow all the oil to drain back to the head.

But hey, why worry about it, your car is just doing a double good job of marking its territory like every good VW does.

[staggerwing]

New gaskets go in tonight. Man, when I first saw this oil leak, I thought I'd stumbled on the root cause of my plug fouling problem (POP!). She has been quite for a while after adding the balance tube to the carbs. Picked up another set of plugs while I was at the parts place; just in case (POP).

[MURZ]

Are you still having problems with Plug fouling?????? Time to get some IDF's..... what are your jets now???

I like the Empi stainless valve covers. They have a nice channel on the inside to hold the gasket and look nice.......

[Ken]

Couple thoughts I don't see mentioned yet...
Head bolt torque?
Push rod tube seams?
Push rod tube seal?
Fluid level?

You might try cleaning the wet oil completely with a good engine clean, driving a few miles, continuously stopping and inspecting looking for the start of a leak. Try and keep you speed down, because obviously the wind quickly spread the escaped oil everywhere.

[Vee Dub Nut]

Time to get some IDF's.....

Nahh... Time for fuel injection

[staggerwing]

MURZ, that's the funniest reply I've ever seen - GOOD ONE!

I have been all over the jetting spectrum with this problem, and have followed a few other dead ends trying to solve it. Someone told me a LONG time ago to take that balance tube off, someone else told me "you have to have it" (ring a bell?), and the information out there about whether to run with or without it is about 50/50. I'm back to stock jets (135/55 I think) and the tube is back on. In about 2 hrs I'll know for sure whether or not it's been the culprit all along. I have a 35 mile route near the house that's equivalent to a cruise route that the club normally does and it does a good job on fouling plugs. Haven't been able to drive the car for a while but we've set aside an hour this evening to get er done. Won't need to warm the engine, that's fer sure. You guys in Dallas are having a bunch of fun this summer with the heat up there - right!

[staggerwing]

Okay, that went well! Gonna try it again tomorrow and as much as I can the rest of the week to see if "The Tube" was the problem al along