HELP!! My new (to me) '65 Bus is leaking oil!!!

Mr. Bill, meet Mike Rocket J. Squirrel. You two have so much in common.

No guarantees on the happy ending...

Major oil leaks at front of engine are almost always due to leaking oil seal, which is located *behind* the flywheel. Try tightening the bolt, but I seriously doubt it.

Fixing the oil seal means Yoinking (tech term) the engine.

Before you even consider that, I would make a crude check of the crank endplay. It can be done simply and may tell a lot: At the crank pulley, use some kind of prybar(s) to gently pull the pulley toward you. Then push it back in. Eteball how much the pulley moves. Was it a visible amount? The absolute limit is .006" Was it more than that? If so, the front main bearing may have spun, contributing to the leak. You need this info before deciding what to do.

The slow cranking when hot *may* be due to starter/electrical problems, especially if the Bus is still 6V. More threatening though is if it is an engine problem:-(

Try this: When cold, turn the engine by hand (use the Gen pulley). Repeat this test when it is hot and would normally crank slow. If it is significantly harder to turn when hot, you have a "problem".

I don't mean to rain on the parade, but you need an objective look at this.

Speedy Jim

if your VW doesn't leak oil, that means there's no oil in it.

*then* you have a problem.

i am not a mechanic, but my advice would be to keep driving it and keep an eye on it. check your oil on a regular basis. mine have always leaked less when i drove them regularly.

that sounds problematic.

i knew a mechanic who used to say that if you can't touch the case, then your engine's too hot.

i would tighten up anything that was loose, and keep a close eye on it. if you're not an experienced vw mechanic, you might want to have someone who is take a look at it just to be sure.

my '67 bus had hot start issues for all the years i drove it. you can try installing a starter booster and if you're lucky that will solve the problem. it never worked for me, but i know it works for a lot of other people. the hot start issue is fairly common.

it sounds like it's been sitting for a long time which is not really very good for these cars. they like to be driven. some problems sort themselves out with regular use, but you do have to be attentive to things like loose bolts and leaking oil. you're on the right track, you seem to be paying attention and to be willing to take on the challenges. they aren't difficult cars to figure out or to work on.

and if you do blow the engine ... they're not all that expensive to replace, relatively speaking :)

Thanks for all of the replies. Now that the bus and I have cooled down a bit, here is some more detail. It has been converted to 12v. After cooling, the oil leak has almost stopped. Overnight maybe 1 tablespoon of oil has leaked. I guess I'll get some metric wrenches today and cinch things up and go from there.

Thanks

...firstly...1835cc is not trhe best displacement for bus. Secondly I woul be VERY concerned about the overheating isssues. Over heating can easilly kill these otherwise hearty little engines. Take jims advice...check your end play....after than check your valver....check fan belt tension...check fan for debris...chec condition of engine bay seals...check timing if you can and compression...but only after setting valves. report back with all information and we can go from there....oh and congratualtions.

...gareth

Mr Bill -- get ready for a new experience. If you do not have experience working on automobiles and their engines, you'll either get it working on that bus or you'll get rid of it pronto. I started out acquiring a

1971 bus not over a year ago thinking that I would be willing to learn how to do routine things like change the oil adjust the valves myself. That was about all I thought I might need to know. Now the engine is out for the third time, completely opened up for rebuilding because it overheated due to my unskillful inability to recognize a failing belt.

I have a 1776. I was having trouble with the oil leaking out between the cylinders and the cases. When the cases are enlarged to fit the larger cylinders, there is not as much of a mating surface to seal the oil in at that point. The cases are enlarged out to the case savers and that is were the oil leak occurs. It seeps out and runs down the cases to the lowest point then falls to the ground. It will also make a mess of the underside. I finally got the oil leak stopped by using red RTV at the base of the cylinders. - Bob

Good thing though is that if the bus is otherwise ok and restored,=20 you can always get another working engine with reasonable trouble and money. Overheating, oil leak or exessive end play sounds=20 easily fixable to me compared to rust holes etc. My opinion ;)