Pushrod tube seal replacement, You guys help me out Options

[bd1308]

he replaced them, but told me they will prolly go out again. he said he just cant get them clean enough for the surfaces to mate well or something,and its because the 914 is real tight....

[Mueller]

QUOTE (bd1308 @ Apr 25 2005, 11:13 AM)

he replaced them, but told me they will prolly go out again. he said he just cant get them clean enough for the surfaces to mate well or something,and its because the 914 is real tight....

your mechanic scares me (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wacko.gif)

the seals should easily last you for another 5 years.....hopefully by that time you'll be finished with school, have a "real" job and will be able to put a fresh motor it the 914....

[dmenche914]

if mike says it can be done with motor in car, then it can, Mike knows his stuff. I have only done it with motor out. I hate laying on my back under the car, dirt falling on me, etc... besides my car is outside, I can bring the motor into my shop and work on the the bench. If you have no other reason to pull the motor, then do it in the car

[ThinAir]

Mike is right that you can do this with the engine in the car, but it is far easier if you can drop the engine because of the tight space between the frame and the heads.

For sure you want to use the carwash pressure washer so you can see a little better just where the oil is coming from. Although pushrod tube seals can go start to leak, it is far more likely that your leak is coming from the valve covers or the oil pressure sender. Cleaning up the engine so you can watch for leaks as it is running will give you a good idea if it is really the PR tube seals. PR tube seals tend to leak mostly if they are very old (and brittle) or if they were cut during the installation. Valve covers leak more often and are easily fixed with a new set of gaskets and perhaps bending the bale slightly to get a tighter fit.

For the oil pressure sender, check the top of the engine, near the distributor. A leak from the sender will travel down the engine and drip off of the bottom of the oil filter (and get blown around onto the HEs). If there is oil on top of the sender or on top of the engine near it then the sender is likely leaking. The sender is easy to replace (and cheap), but you need to treat the new sender to a coating of silicone where the plastic top meets the metal casing. This is because new senders tend to leak there and this helps prevent the leak from getting started. Also, do not use any treatment on the threads (like teflon tape). The threads are tapered and never leak unless the sender is just loose.

[bd1308]

the only thing that scares me is jack-stands....but bitching about my car not working and not doing anything myself is getting old to me and you all (for sure). So this weekend or next, I'm getting me some jackstands (good stable but high ones???) and a floor jack and i'm gonna at least hit my engine with some degreaser or carb cleaner(dont like that idea) or simple green (thats the ticket!)....or i think mueller mentioned some Castrol SuperClean ™ to use.... i dunno. I also need to replace my heater pull cable (broke it) an i need to repair my battery tray....and look at the longs....mike, as far as the seals are concerned, the mechanic says the seals wont adhere real well cause he cant get them clean enough.....so i'm going to do it....i just need to sell some/most of my computer and car stuff....

[bd1308]

i have valve cover gaskets.....i'll do that next weekend....prolly havent been changed anyway....

[ThinAir]

I'll add my vote for Castrol Super-Clean. It's by far the best cleaner that I've found for this kind of job. Just make sure that you wear some kind of gloves to keep the spray from getting on your hands, and make sure the wind doesn't blow the spray into your face! I've used this to clean my engine compartment and it was clean enough to eat from. I washed it off quickly enough that it did not harm my paint at all.

[bd1308]

paint from the tin..? what paint are you referring to?

[Mueller]

QUOTE (bd1308 @ Apr 25 2005, 03:12 PM)

paint from the tin..? what paint are you referring to?

the engine tin is painted, no paint equals rust since they are metal....

[ThinAir]

QUOTE (bd1308 @ Apr 25 2005, 03:12 PM)

paint from the tin..? what paint are you referring to?

I'm referring to body paint in the engine compartment. Castrol Super-Clean is said by many to be something that you do not want to use on painted surfaces because it will harm the paint. I've used it successfully on the paint in the engine compartment as well as the underside of the trunk (above the transmission) and because I did not leave it on too long before rinsing it did not harm the paint at all.

I've found the paint on engine parts tends to be pretty tough so that you don't need to worry about it like you would about body paint. I've also used Super-Clean on engine tin that I was intending to repaint as part of an overhaul and I found it to be one of the best cleaners around for prepping the tin for painting. The Super-Clean helped me get the tin ready for painting, but was not the cause of needing to paint the tin.

[Aaron Cox]

dont get super clean on your skin.....

i do it all the time and it gives me small chem. burns (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/headbang.gif)

[mihai914]

Castrol Super Clean is really strong stuff, if you let your hands soak it, the skin is going to peel off the next day.

In a friendly way... If you are serious about keeping a 914, you'd better get your sleeves up and get to work. The car is very simple so it's also simple to fix, just like computers except dirtyer (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

The more time will pass, the harder it will be to find a good mechanic to work on your car because the old ones like the Capt'n will eventually retire and the new ones won't know what to do if you can't plug a computer on to a car!

As for your problem, you've got a great writeup from dmenche914, I've done it with the engine out of the car it's much easier, but if Mike says it's doable with the engine in place then it is, the key is to get the tubes to slip in and not cut the seals.

Oh and put tires under the car for extra safety, never trust jackstands alone, and block the front wheels!

[scotty b]

Britt you REALLY need to find a new mechanic. This guy has steered you wrong more times than i can remember lately. You JUST had your valves done and you think your valve cover gaskets haven't been replaced ? That is part of a valve job bro.As for the tube seals, you've had them "replaced" twice to the tune of $620.00 and they still leak....A=you're being hosed.....B=you've got 2 bad mechanics, one being a dealership guy.......C=Your engine is the biggest crack ridden pile ever to drive the face of the earth! I'm doubting C, as you have told us of other "misstatements" by your VW "mechanic" so I'm down to A and B.Ask us first and then TRUST us instead of questioning our info,no one here is going to steer you wrong (knowingly) then proceed with the repair. How much did you know about computers before you got into them??? Take the advise and take your time, be cautious and make sure you buy quality stands. Don't get all boned up about werking on your own car and fuch something up cause you are excited!!

[bd1308]

gotya...i knew very little about computers and now i can build a P4 desktop in 15 minutes