Would a leak from the tubes in the picture below really account for this severe of an oil leak? The whole bottom part of the engine is wet.

This is the red 1974 with the unknown big bore in it, a.k.a. the turbo car.

That whole area was clean less than 100 miles ago.

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Yes....

Are your heads vented?

Thanks for the fast response. I have no idea If the heads are vented, are you referring to a boil breeder wine? Sorry-type 4 engines are totally new to me still.

The engine builds up pressure as the pistons are moving near the speed of sound at high RPM's.

This can build up enough pressure to blow by the seals, especially if they haven't been installed correctly.

The oil in the heads .....horizontally opposed in this case... drains back into the sump by gravity. Imagine a straw and putting you thumb on the end of it.

The venting helps relieve the crankcase pressure and helps the oil drain back to the sump.

This is true of most internal combustion engines.

I would thoroughly clean the bottom of the motor and then inspect it while running statically to try and tell where it is leaking from.

I can't quite tell where it's oily, but have you checked the valve cover gaskets? Mine keep slipping out of place and spraying oil everywhere.

Thanks gentlemen-it does have a breather on it, thanks for clarifying.

Cleaning everything and then running static is a good idea, thank you.

How tough of a job is it to replace those tubes and seals?

Thanks!

Super easy with the engine out!

Oh fine, suggest I do it the right way.

Grin.

You are not alone in the leak department. I don’t wanna pull the motor either

Clean the whole motor done with petrol (gas) or brakeclean,place a sheet of cardboard under the motor and trace the leaks after bringing up to temp,done this for years ...it works.
Good luck .

How are your push rod tube seals? Those and head cover gaskets are easy to do in the car. At least nail those off before pulling the engine.

Engine doesn’t need to be pulled to replace the pushrod tube seals. Definitely easier with the engine out though.
I’m betting your oil cooler seals need replacing, too. And likely the rear main seal...
(All can be done with the engine in the car)

I would check the oil pressure switch.
It is tucked in next to the distributor under the engine sheet metal.
Since it is under the engine sheet metal and up high in the cooling air flow the oil get blown all over the passenger side of the engine and makes a mess all over when it leaks.

Jim

Thanks for all of the responses and ideas.

Let me read up on those procedures.

That looks to be the left side (driver's side) of the motor, where the thermostat goes. There's no thermostat or bracket, which is suboptimal; it is generally much preferred for the thermostat and cooling flaps to be there and work correctly.

Is there a pulley wheel a little forward and above where we can see in the photo? The stock thermostat wire goes around a pulley up there. The pulley is mounted with a bolt THAT GOES THROUGH INTO THE CRANKCASE. If the pulley is removed and the bolt is not replaced, you have a very nice hole there for dirt to get into and oil to come out of.

You might check that.

Replacing the pushrod tube seals is no more difficult IMHO than doing a valve adjustment. You wind up pulling the tubes halfway out of the heads and letting them dangle by their middle from the hole in the rocker box, giving you easy access to each end.

You have to make sure the area where the tubes go is clean--both ends of it! And lubricate the O-rings with engine oil or a non-hardening paste lubricant. Ignore Elliott when he says to use RTV; FAT Performance (who built his motor) is way too fond of that crap.

--DD

,I would think that if this engine has multiple leaks @ all the places mentioned earlier on engine removal is a better option if you head down the "do it once and do it right" road.
In regards to the best sealer for the pushrod tubes, I can't say enough about Hylamar blue,a top product,stays soft and is resistant to oil fuel etc,been using Loctite,Permatex and many others for years but none of them do such a good all round job as the Hylomar.
Dave made a good comment about the cooling system,seen many overheat and this causes seals to dry out and then the leaks start,a very dirty/oily crankcase will also effect cooling due to poor heat transfer..VW put cast fins on the lower crankcase for a reason.