Time to move on, Where to start??? Options

[catsltd]

Got the car running tip top.
Replaced coil,plugs.injectors,old rubber hoses,etc.

Now I am down to my biggest remaining problem:Oil Leaks.

When I had the car in to shop getting fucked up,they told me these were the areas that had leaks.

Rear Main seal.
Oil leaking from head(cylinder seal),I am assuming head gasket.
Differential side seals.(Probably NOT RELATED???).

The car is running great,but it is loosing a lot of oil through these leaks.
Questions:
1.Can I fix these thing without removing the engine???(This is the last thing I want to do).
2. Where do I start.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Grant.

[billh1963]

Pull the engine....it's really not that bad.

[bandjoey]

I would suggest. Get a bottle and sprayer of Simple Green bio degreaser and the garden hose. Spray it down and scrub it off clean. This stuff will fade paint if left on. Drive, take pictures of the leaks. U might just find out the common every car leaks are the pushrods tubes and oil cooler. Both easy to fix in the car. Post the pictures and we'll give u a way to go. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[catsltd]

I would suggest. Get a bottle and sprayer of Simple Green bio degreaser and the garden hose. Spray it down and scrub it off clean. This stuff will fade paint if left on. Drive, take pictures of the leaks. U might just find out the common every car leaks are the pushrods tubes and oil cooler. Both easy to fix in the car. Post the pictures and we'll give u a way to go. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

This sounds like A GREAT IDEA.
I will post pictures once I remove all the crude.

If I drop the motor I will be done driving for the year,and I am not ready for that yet.
So I will see where the pictures take me for now.

[Dave_Darling]

In our cars, the head gasket only separates the combustion chamber from the outside air. There are no oil passages that it seals at all. So if oil is coming from the head/cylinder joint, it is dripping from somewhere else.

RMS is replaced by removing the transmission. Diff cover seal is replaced by removing the cover. The other leak is probably on the top side of the engine; possibly the oil breather hose where it connects with the cylinder head.

--DD

[john77]

Is it the diff shaft seals? I did these a couple of weeks ago. I only just started working on my own car, and they were very easy to do.

[catsltd]

I have no confidence in the company that told me where my oil leaks are located.

So I will clean the motor and tranny of all oil,and then watch to see where it is dripping down from.

I told the shop I was going through a lot of oil,they said its time for a rebuild.

I suggested I should fix all my oil leaks before I decide on whether or not I need my motor rebuilt.

Anyway Im off work Sunday so Ill get some pictures.

Thanks for all the suggestions,but I better find out exactly what is leaking before I figure out whether I can do it without dropping the motor.
Thanks.

[stugray]

Rear Main seal.

You 'can' remove the transmission without removing the engine and replace the engine rear main seal.
If you have FI, it is less work than removing the engine & trans as a whole.
If you have carbs, I believe it is about the same effort.

If you go that route, you would:
Disconnect all electrical to the trans/starter.
Remove the exhaust, shift linkage, and clutch cable
disconnect the axles at the trans end and tie them up out of the way.
(if you screw this up and the balls fall out of the cages, no need to panic)
loosen all the engine mount bolts (2X engine bar, 2X rear of trans)
support the engine in the rear of the case
crack the 4X bolts that hold the trans to the engine
remove the rear trans bolts & lower the engine while tipping the trans down
remove the 4X trans to case bolts
Slide the trans off ( almost need a transmission jack ~$50 at harbor fr.)
BLOCK up the engine - do not leave it on a hydraulic jack.
remove the clutch
measure endplay, if you dare (this gives a good indication of how "tired" the motor is)
remove the flywheel
pull the old Rear seal
install new seal and replace a few cheap FW parts
reverse above to put trans back on.

Oil leaking from head(cylinder seal),I am assuming head gasket.

Most likely the valve cover gaskets and/or the push rod tube gaskets.
Both of these can be replaced in a couple of hours and you would need to set the valves afterwards.

Differential side seals.(Probably NOT RELATED???).

These come out easily and can be replaced without pulling the "core" from the trans.
You can do it without removing the trans, but you still need to disconnect the axles & remove the output shafts
While the trans is off doing the rear main do the 2X output shaft seals and 1X input shaft seal

[bandjoey]

O yes Dave brought up the breather hoses I forgot. Oil vapor return hoses from air breather down to the heads on top of the tin. Hose clamp slips or an old hose and it makes an oil mess.
(Pic borrowed from someone's oil thread) search is a 914 friend

[EdwardBlume]

A head leak is typically push rod tube seals, unless you have a cracked head.

RMS is best done with the engine pulled. Agree with not that hard.

Define how much oil is leaking. They all leak, its just how much and where. Dad's car had a cracked head and I drove it with a massive oil leak. Just didn't drive hard near any rollers.

[r_towle]

Pull the motor and do what we call a re seal.

Oil gets blown from a few key places to make it look like it's coming from the heads.

Oil cooler
Oil pressure switch
Head vents.
Push rod tube seals.
F/r main seals
Oil cap, oil filler gasket

Obvious is your valve cover gaskets.
Not so obvious (go look) is the valve cover needs to be installed with the VW logo upside down....or it will not seal properly.
Your mechanic may have chosen to put it on the other way without knowing these motors.

When you remove the engine, remove the engine tin and clean up the fins with wire brushes, some liquid to dissolve the old oil and nests you will find.
Get those fins all clean and your motor will run a lot cooler

This is really a weekend project.
Allow about 4-5 hours the first time you remove the engine to learn how.
Do it on the floor with a dolly and two tall floor jacks, with two Jack stands.
There are how to threads, and videos out there to show you how....it's not terribly hard.
After a few times, it's 45 minutes with. Coffee break.

[bdstone914]

Don't forget the push rod seals. When you pull the flywheel look at the oil galley plugs. They have been known to leak or blowout. If they leak the common fix is to add threaded plugs. Must be done carefully to not get metal shaving in the oil passages.

[Dave_Darling]

The old-school fix for the gallery plugs is to goop JB Weld over them before they leak. That helps keep them in place and greatly reduces the chances of a leak or a blowout. (Odds of that are pretty low anyway, but it only takes once...)

Threading for plugs is best done when the engine is apart, so you can clean out any shavings you create. I know very careful people have managed to thread the bores without leaving any chips or shavings, but I'd rather not take the risk. (Again, it only has to happen once.)

--DD