Do all Bays have oil leaks?

[westbay]

I'm only asking as everyone i seem to contact about their Bays for sale on either ebay or the likes often say the normal vw oil leak when i ask about any oil leaks.
Is this just some lame excuse for not servicing their engines properly as my T25 didnt leak oil, My Golf doesn't and i have a few friends, 1 has a Bay and no oil leaks, another has 3 (yes 3) splits (2 in bits, one ok) with no oil leak and another that brought a right dog of a Bay that used to spit its whole engine oil contents out every trip, now fixed after alot of time and money and doesn't leak anymore.
I had alot of wasted trips viewing T25's last year as the owners were far than truthfull about the condition of their vehicles and i'm finding the same with Bay owners too, the one on saturday not only said there was no oil leak (the engine and gearbox was covered in it), he didn't even know it had disc brakes on the front. :?

I think we may come up to camperjam at the weekend to see whats for sale (probably the usual extortionate prices)

 

[Tofufi]

My one always drips a bit, I've been and fitted 4 flywheel oil seals (including german genuine VW ones and all) to it (not all at the same time) and no difference. I'm wondering if the case halves are seeping oil between them somehow.

Either way, it isn't really a problem, and I suspect you'll find it is common, especially on motors more than a couple of years old...

 

[bermuda blue]

Not a Bay (but flat four engine) - my '66 KG Coupe has never dropped oil in 6 year's , OK so it's only used for sunny Sunday cruising & shows but regular 50-60 mile run's..........................so I don't know answer to your query....JIM.

 

[froggy]

My engine was fully rebuilt last year and despite using the recommended sealant i think there is a slight weep from the case joins, to be honest the 'usual' leaks most advertise are mainly the flywheel oil seals and (in my case) the generator / alternator stand. They are not major leaks and i (like most) just accept the fact and live with it.

If you do goto Camperjam this weekend come over to the Earlybay camping and say hello. I'm sure if theres a van your interested in someone will have a close look at it for you

 

[AxlFoley]

every air cooled dub i have owned has!

 

[james_stan]

MIne leaks from two places - one I think is rear pressure relief valve cover (wrong copper washer I hope) and the other appears to be flywheel seal. I'm trying not to think
about it too much.

I did notice though when I fitted the flywheel seal that the case halves met very very slightly
offset (just a few thou but noticeable) often thought that could be the cause..

James

 

[westbay]

Thanks for your replies.

I had sort of noticed the flat fours did leak quite alot from just looking at the access roads at Oktoberfest and Vanwest, with all the fresh oil drips

 

[Tofufi]

To be honest, the condition of the bodywork and paint are far, far more important than the condition of the engine...

A decent respray can cost several times more than a brand new engine, and secondhand (1600cc) runners can be hand for between £200-£500.

Rust repair and bodywork is an altogether more daunting prospect, especially if you're paying someone else to do it! Most mechanical work on VWs is so simple most owners can do the majority of it from home with only simple tools

 

[Bessie]

Haha its not just Bays... i reckon all Kombis mark out their territory.

 

[ghop99]

Mine does!

 

[Clem]

Most vans will at least 'sweat' some oil. I try as hard as I can to prevent it, but its an uphill struggle .... mostly due to poor quality seals etc that are commonly available.
Ive a current seepage due to the shoddy oil pressure switch I had to buy quickly ....

 

[Magiceddie88]

My art for EarlyBay.com!

And this is a good read on the subject...http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28874

Needless to say I oil the local roads...

MagicEddie

 

[adamski]

I'm down to only two leaks now! hopefully they are just poor fittings from the oil cooling system. You shouldn't really get leaks on a new or good quality engine. The leaks tend to come from poor fitting rocker covers (made in china ones) incorrect seals, and where you have joins in an external oil system. These can be repaired with sealant and good quality connectors.

 

[K@rlos]

I've got a new engine, 6 months old and that drips from the right hand rocker cover due to **** seals. I find it anoying, if you check the oil regular it should'nt be a problem.

My old engine dripped really bad, then 1 day it did big style. BOOOM, got out looked :shock:
Thought to myself that a big trail of oil, goes from my house to the town centre, about 1 mile. you can still see the sae 30 snail trail today, 9 months later :lol:

 

[adamski]

Get some good ali clip on ones, not the blot-on ones, they seem to do the trick, and the best quality seals too.

 

[K@rlos]

Why not the bolt on covers :|

 

[adamski]

Well just my opinion (and a few others I've spoken with) but when you tighten them up, you can easily fully tighten them up, and there actually be more 'seal' to go. The clip on ones will press on all the way and are not restricted by the amount of thread available on the rocker bolt adaptor that the bolt goes into. Not sure if they screw with the valve timing too. Plus you tend to get leaks from the bolts sometimes.

I've also fitted a breather box which can help (but means yet more joint you must ensure are correctly fitted).

My bus is going to the garage next week, and they will hopefully fix the final two as it is in for something else!

Right, I'm in full on friday mode already, roll on CamperJam!!!

 

[K@rlos]

cool 8)

 

[ground hugger]

My art for EarlyBay.com!

And this is a good read on the subject...http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28874

Needless to say I oil the local roads...

MagicEddie

I like your drawing made me Hope you don't mind "I had to do it" :lol:

 

[Danbury Doug]

My bus was dripping oil, but in my case the cause was fairly quick to fix. Some of the studs on the oil drain plate had worked loose, and it was dripping through those.