Oil Spray (Rookie Beetle owner)

Hi Guys

New old Beetle owner (I just bought a 64)

It is a high quality car but gave me a bit of a scare.

I took it for a long run Monday and today when I was looking around i found some (not a huge amount) of oil sprayed around the engine bay. It was not there prior to Monday.

I have just had the oil changed so it was nice and clean but had leaked or been sprayed from somewhere?

I cant really work out where it has come from. A little was pooled at the base of the belt where the chrome plate covers the base of the engine bay. More droplets were on the passenger side of the engine bay the opposite side to the oil filler. Some spray was on the drivers side also.

The oil filler is chrome with a filter? with blue metallic top on it about 10 cms (ish) below the actual oil cap.

I was guessing this filter was the culprit? and maybe it had been overfilled with oil? When I touched the filter it did have some oil on it.

mmmm should i be worried?

I am a little panicked as it is a very very clean engine bay until i noticed it this morning.

I checked everything i could think of and then took her for a 15 min drive with no visable signs of more oil.

Could it be that the engine overheated a little Monday (it was 28 in Adelaide) and the last bit of my trip has a very long hill to get up.

Advice ?

Thanks is advance.

More than likely an aftermarket cap/filter setup is the culprit. I would use a stock one.
Also check the breather hose from the filler to the air cleaner for blockages, and the filler itself.
The area the oil is, is typical of excess blow by, or too much crank case pressure.

If you have a filler with a small filter as a breather on it, I would put it back to having the hose to the air cleaner, or run a seperate breather box.
In my opinion on a stock engine, the stock setup works perfectly..

Thanks for that!

I see your point about the stock set up.

If excess crank case pressure is the culprit is that something I should be looking at getting fixed?

I have seen a lot of very worn out old engines, that still dont blow oil past the front pulley from too much pressure, or out of anywhere else.
I would make sure the breather things are in place, and clear.
Also some of the cheap aftermarket crank pulleys will leak no matter what. So if one of those is fitted, go back to stock!

[ Edited on 4-10-2007 by xornge666x ]

If the breather is blocked or restricted
then oil will be pumped out the crankshaft pulley
as there is no seal there just an oil slinger]
also, overfilling will do the same...

and i agree, after trying different breathers
the original type is the best...
although I use an alloy filler now with a hose that goes
up to the non genuine air filter...

Lee

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug

How much oil did you put in it?

If you overfill them, then they will leak oil from behind the pulley.

Just something to check.

Andrew

If the oil filler cap goes on crooked you can get oil everywhere. Yes, you should be worried about it. I set fire to my BMW M5 after incorrectly putting the cap back on (I was talking to someone while I did it and didn't notice that one of the lugs didn't engage). Luckily, it was just a bit of oil on the headers that was on fire - but it did "impress" the other guys at the track day.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone

I am sure the cap was on properly.

I think the most likely cause was overfill.

Since then I have tested and checked a few times with no more leaking.

I really appreciate your help everyone, it is great to know there are people out there who can guide me through my beetle ownership

:thumb:thumb:thumb:thumb