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Sun Sep 12, 2010 8:56 pm

Just wondering if anyone has had a leaking taco plate before and how you resolved it. I installed an oil temp sender and now the taco plate is leaking pretty badly around its perimeter (not at the sender). Should I get a new o-ring? Thanks for any help!

Sun Sep 12, 2010 9:42 pm

First you might torque the bolts to the ftlbs speciified in Bentley and see if that stops it if not then replace the gasket.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 1:35 am

Easy to pinch the orange O ring around the inspection plate there ....

http://www.germansupply.com/home/customer/product.php?productid=17127&cat=297&page=3

Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:51 am

By all means replace the o-ring and torque the nuts. I bought a new plate with the sender fitting from Air-cooled.net, a nice looking billet piece. I thought it would be trouble leaking but not a drop. I think torquing the bolts evenly might be a key.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 8:05 am

Lil' Lulu wrote: By all means replace the o-ring and torque the nuts. I bought a new plate with the sender fitting from Air-cooled.net, a nice looking billet piece. I thought it would be trouble leaking but not a drop. I think torquing the bolts evenly might be a key.

Can you post a link to that? I can't seem to find it and have never seen one except the modded ones at German supply. I turned my own, the whole plate out of aluminum, but it still comes straight out the bottom. The last real one I saw went for $85 - quickly.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 8:50 am

Mine looks like this one, actually it is this one.....

Mon Sep 13, 2010 9:12 am

Randy in Maine wrote: Mine looks like this one, actually it is this one.....

That the one I have a Phil special.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 9:20 am

Randy in Maine wrote: Easy to pinch the orange O ring around the inspection plate there ....

http://www.germansupply.com/home/customer/product.php?productid=17127&cat=297&page=3

Get this o ring. The others are crap and won't seal. It's fun changing your oil three times to fix this leak due to sub par o rings.... :x

Mon Sep 13, 2010 9:20 am

That is crazy- looking. I remember seeing one of those now, but I thought someone made it, I guess Phil? And that's the one that aircooled.net sells? again, I didn't see it.

A discussion of whether the fins would affect the reading. Seems to me the threads are way down that small hole. Does the sender fit down in there?

To not totally hijack, git a pic of the bottom? I used a large radius bit to cut a groove to resemble what VW has from the stamping. It is a tricky piece to make, with the type of 'gasket', the sealing lip is so small.

With a stamped stock piece, tolerances in production, it's surprising they hold so well.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 9:30 am

Yes the sender fits down the hole in the plate tward the rear int he center of the picture.

I don't have a picutre of the bottom of the plate as it is in the bus.

I am not worried about the cooling fins.

That good O ring is also in the good complete gasket sets from Elring.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 11:15 am

Thanks for the info everybody. Looks like I may have overtightened the bolts a bit. The good news is that the o-ring doesn't appear to be damaged. I'm going to give 'er another go at 5 foot pounds of torque and see if that resolves the issue. Update to come...

Mon Sep 13, 2010 11:25 am

I also used the 6mm copper sealing washers (from a type 1 oil change kit) on those 2 little bolts.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:21 pm

Thanks Randy, do you think the copper sealing washers are critical (read - I don't have any on hand :) )?

Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:31 pm

The "Phil pill" is not the one I have but it looks like it would protect the sender better than mine.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:58 pm

Silent Running wrote: Thanks Randy, do you think the copper sealing washers are critical (read - I don't have any on hand :) )?

Gee I don't know, but mine doesn't leak. Of course it didn't leak before I used them thoughh....

Mon Sep 13, 2010 1:54 pm

Well, so far, so good. I found a place in town that sells the original replacement o-ring, so I'm going to head down and pick one up today just in case :)

Thanks again for the help!

Mon Sep 13, 2010 3:48 pm

Silent Running wrote: Well, so far, so good. I found a place in town that sells the original replacement o-ring, so I'm going to head down and pick one up today just in case :)

Thanks again for the help!

Just make sure it's the same color as the one linked to on Scott's site. The black ones are too small in diameter and will leak no matter the torque on the nuts. Really.

Mon Sep 13, 2010 5:25 pm

Thanks Ritter, that's one of the things I asked them :) - and yes, it is the orange one.

So, one final update. I noticed an ever so slight leak coming from the plate still, so I drained the oil again and installed the new o-ring and BAM, not a drop - whoo hoo!

Tue Sep 14, 2010 8:36 am

Silent Running wrote: installed the new o-ring and BAM, not a drop - whoo hoo!

Love it when it works out like it should have the first several times!

Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:45 pm

Holy crap, just ordered a new o-ring from german supply cause I heard they are the best. $11 U.S., $18.50 to ship! Gotta love hawaii.........