Oil Leak: Which part is missing?

johannes · 14 May 2011, 11:38 am

I spotted a large oil puddle under the engine [2L air cooled] and found that I must have lost some sort of plug from the back of the engine block next to the oil refilling pipe. Please see attached photo. Can you tell from the photo which part I have lost and whether this indicates an underlying problem [blockage, ...] with the oil distribution system.

grumble · 14 May 2011, 11:55 am

It will be the main oil gallery plug,there are a couple of them and they work loose over time and then pop out,I tap the hole and fit a plug.

johannes · 14 May 2011, 12:30 pm

Thanks, and there are no other parts, springs, ... sitting behind the plug that could have popped out?

grumble · 14 May 2011, 6:45 pm

it is the gallery plug as described No!.The oil pressure relief valves are accessed from below.From the pic I can't tell. ( a couple of beers etc)

johannes · 15 May 2011, 10:18 am

Interesting, the one time I should have been watching the oil pressure and the oil temperature gauges to pick up a potentially "catastrophic" lubrication system failure, I didn't. Pure luck that I lost the plug just before parking the car [must have, otherwise there would not have been the large oil puddle] Yet to repair and check whether the engine has copped it. Hope not. Thanks for your advice. How about sparkling?

grumble · 15 May 2011, 5:47 pm

johannes wrote:Interesting, the one time I should have been watching the oil pressure and the oil temperature gauges to pick up a potentially "catastrophic" lubrication system failure, I didn't. Pure luck that I lost the plug just before parking the car [must have, otherwise there would not have been the large oil puddle] Yet to repair and check whether the engine has copped it. Hope not. Thanks for your advice. How about sparkling?

Trust in the big fella watching over you,the first one that spat it on me was a customer's car with a broken clutch cable,I jump started it in 1st and drove it to the front of the workshop,stopped and nearly died when I saw the oil trail.It took me nearly 2 hours to clean it up and the stain still lives. Cheers les