Oil Leak on my 96 Passat GLX

Hey guys, im 17 years old and im studying to become an Auto technician, and i just recently bought a 1996 Volkswagen Passat GLX 5spd, and i have rebuilt the front end on it already due to a accident last summer, and bough the car for 400 dollars.

I have replaced the Oil Pan gasket already, because i have a massive oil leak, it was fine until about 2 days after the replacement was done, and now its leaking like a sive again..and i cant figure out where its coming from, it looks like it could be the crankshaft seal, or the PVC boot, but im not sure...its spitting oil out from the oil pan seal itself, and just wont stop..

  1. How can i fix this?
  2. Where could the oil be leaking from?
  3. I just want to get more information about this, and expand upon my knowledge of Volkswagens, before taking it to a shop to be replaced.

please i really need help with this, because i am car less as of now, and the Low Oil Lever light keeps coming on and making me mad, haha. just wondering what this could be from and if anyone has any suggestions i can do to stop this oil leak and get my car back to normal operating conditions so i have a car i can actually drive.

Thanks A lot, Matt

96PassatGLX
Reply to
96PassatGLX
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As usual - by fixing :)

Everywhere where it finds it's way through.

Take the oil pan off and you will see the place it was leaking. Get a new gasket. Tighten the screws properly, too tight is as bad (or even worse) as too loose, as it can damage the oil pan. Look up the exact torque values in your repair manual (which you should have).

The special place for your attention is at the back of the engine, where the gearbox is mounted. There is a crankshaft seal with metal body around it, the potential place for oil to leak.

Reply to
draugaz

Thanks a lot i really appreciate this help, and i will hopefully be able to get a new gasket tomorrow..but due to TURKEY DAY! haha i cant get one at the moment, but i well reply back to you about this oil pan situation and i thank you again for the reply to my message..i'll keep in touch if i need any other help, which most likely i will haha bye Happy Thanksgiving and have a good holiday

Matt

96PassatGLX
Reply to
96PassatGLX

Hi Matt:

Was the oil pan gasket in good shape (new and undamaged)? Was the oil pan torqued down correctly? Did you check to see if the leak is coming from the oil filter? Are you sure the leak is engine oil? The tranny and the power steering also use oil (of a different type).

It's none of my business, of course, but if you haven't done so already, do some career research and ask yourself some questions. What courses do I need to take? Does the Auto Technician school have a good reputation? Will the school provide assistance in obtaining employment upon graduation? Do I know any graduates of the school? How are they doing? Are jobs available? How much can I expect to earn? Will those jobs endure for very long? Are those jobs available at my location? What can I expect in the way of task assignments as a new hire?

As an added thought, if you hope to be successful throughout your life, you will discover that your education never stops - whatever career choice you make.

I wish you the best.

Reply to
Papa

Didn't have the class "Oil Leaks 101" yet. When trying to locate an oil leak always start from the top down, unless you live where's there's no gravity. Common places for leaks on them older VR6 engines were the oil pressure switches, and seals for the oil cooler. Before you replace the oil pan gasket again look closer elsewhere. It's kinda hard to FU the pan gasket.

Reply to
Lost In Space/Woodchuck

Hey thanks Papa, and yea the schools im looking at right now are Ohio Technical College, Universal Technical Institute, and Monroe Community Center of course..haha but who knows i'll get into a good school somewhere, scored a 92 on my auto tech finals last year, for basic chasis, electrical/engine performance, so those will reflect on me where ever i go...but thanks a lot of the help...keep in touch with you soon..thanks again.

Matt

Reply to
96PassatGLX

Hey Lost in Space/Woodchuck, yeah i havent had that class yet either, but im bound to find the leak somewhere...but im just getting so fed up with my car, haha im spending every paycheck on either oil, or just some stupid part that i need...haha which costs me like 45-100 bucks, but its all apart of life right? haha

But i do have a question about the Oil Pressure switches, i was just wondering where those are located within the engine of the 1996 Passat GLX's so i can do some more research on what needs to be done to replace those switches and to see if they are leaking from anywhere..but thanks for the advice, and i will keep in touch somewhere along the lines of getting my car on the road, and to NOT LEAKING ANYMORE!

Thanks A lot, Matt

96passatGLX
Reply to
96PassatGLX

Hey Lost in Space/Woodchuck, yeah i havent had that class yet either, but im bound to find the leak somewhere...but im just getting so fed up with my car, haha im spending every paycheck on either oil, or just some stupid part that i need...haha which costs me like 45-100 bucks, but its all apart of life right? haha

But i do have a question about the Oil Pressure switches, i was just wondering where those are located within the engine of the 1996 Passat GLX's so i can do some more research on what needs to be done to replace those switches and to see if they are leaking from anywhere..but thanks for the advice, and i will keep in touch somewhere along the lines of getting my car on the road, and to NOT LEAKING ANYMORE!

Thanks A lot, Matt

96passatGLX
Reply to
96PassatGLX

Sounds like you are doing a good job getting prepared, Matt, and your grades are impressive. I think you have a good future ahead of you.

Reply to
Papa

Oil pressure switches are located on top of the oil filter housing. There are 2 ways to get to the switches, 1- remove the oil filter housing and

2-loosen the front engine mount and jack the engine upward some. Are you anywhere close to Dublin OH? There were I got to VWoA school.
Reply to
Lost In Space/Woodchuck

Hey Papa, thanks, im really looking forward to my college years and getting to actually start my career in the Automotive field, i have already worked at Mercedez-Benz in Henrietta, and they are all great people to work with.

Hey Papa, i have a question, on my radiator support, there is a little canister that says on top of it, "servool", and i have no idea what that is for, and it looks to be like oil within the canister itself, but im not sure what that is for..havent done any research on it yet, but im going to do some right now actually, but if you have any idea what that canister could be, please let me know haha. thanks again Papa

Matt

Reply to
96PassatGLX

haha yeah right, im about 5 hours away...haha i live in Honeoye Falls, New York, right outside of Rochester...so yeah not really close enough haha sry lost in space...but i think i will try and get to the switches on ontop of the oil filter housing...so yeha thats my best chance right now...dont really have the type of garage to get there....but thanks!

Reply to
96PassatGLX

"Servool" is a German word, but it is probably a technical word and therefore you won't find it in a German-to-English dictionary. I think it is referring to power steering oil, and the canister you mentioned may be the reservoir for the power steering system. That's my guess anyway. Any VW service manager should be able to tell you the correct answer.

Regards,

Papa

Reply to
Papa

Hey Papa, thanks for the definition of that word. I figured it out before, so now i know what the hell the canister is for haha so i can now put power steering oil in, but does it matter what type of oil goes into the resevior itself or no...just wondering, cuz that actually might be the cause of my Low Oil Lever MIL light could be showing up..but thanks a lot.

Thanks

Matt

Reply to
96PassatGLX

The power steering system requires power steering oil, so putting in another type of oil could be a disaster. AFAIK, the low oil level light refers to the level of the engine oil, and has nothing to do with the power steering system.

I suggest that you obtain a Bentley or Haynes service manual for your car (if Bentley has one available for your specific car, it would be the best).

Reply to
Papa

Hey Lost in space/Woodchuck, just wondering i have found the leak in my car, and why its spitting out so much oil, its due to the oil filter gasket and the oil pressure switches, but i was just wondering how they cost, and if my oil pressure switch comes either with a gauge or a light, im not sure what that means, but if you could get back to me on that, that would be great..thanks a lot

Matt

96PassatGLX
Reply to
96PassatGLX

Hey Lost in space/Woodchuck, just wondering i have found the leak in my car, and why its spitting out so much oil, its due to the oil filter gasket and the oil pressure switches, but i was just wondering how they cost, and if my oil pressure switch comes either with a gauge or a light, im not sure what that means, but if you could get back to me on that, that would be great..thanks a lot

Matt

96PassatGLX
Reply to
96PassatGLX

Hey Lost in space/Woodchuck, just wondering i have found the leak in my car, and why its spitting out so much oil, its due to the oil filter gasket and the oil pressure switches, but i was just wondering how they cost, and if my oil pressure switch comes either with a gauge or a light, im not sure what that means, but if you could get back to me on that, that would be great..thanks a lot

Matt

96PassatGLX
Reply to
96PassatGLX

I would try the oil filter gasket first? (Again?). That means you have to change the oil again. Hand tight when you put on an oil filter. Don't wrench it on. That makes them leak. Of course you know that you are supposed to rub oil on the new oil filter gasket before you install but I won't mention that since you should know this. You can get a paint strainer from a paint store and just reuse your recent oil change oil.

What do you think is the difference between a gauge and an idiot light for the oil pressure sender? Hint, they make different senders for each so which one do you have?

You should at least have a Haynes manual for your car before you start wrenching. I have both the Haynes and the Bentley manuals for my VWs. I also wrench Jeep and Honda but that's another forum. You should see the Jeep factory manual. It's as think as a phone book for a large city. The reason being more than one manual is that they sometime overlap the gaps in just one manual.

Next thing you should do is go to Home Depot and buy some cheap hardware to make a Turbonator electric Turbo for around $30. :-) Impress the yocals women. You will get 10hp more out with that mod. :)

:-)

Reply to
Peter Parker

Haha thanks for the tips, and yeah i should build myself one of the turbonator electric turbos for my car..wouldnt mind it...but i got the oil pressure switch i needed, it should be here in about 3 days or so..and then i get to replace my oil again, but im lucky because i can oil for free..haha i got the hook ups.

but thanks alot for your help, and hey give me the directions on how to build that turbo..sounds like a good idea to mess around with while im waiting for the girlfriend to come home from college..which is in 19 days..so i got nothing else to do besides work on my car and get dirty..haha

Thanks a lot Matt

96PassatGLX
Reply to
96PassatGLX

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