TheSamba.com :: View topic - leaking rear main seal. how far can i go?

Wed Apr 11, 2012 3:04 pm

87 westy 2.1 engine. Just noticed that the rear main seal is leaking motor oil. About 2 tablespoons a day. Need to drive about a thousand miles during the next two weeks. Don't have time to fix the leak. Planning on driving about 150 miles at 60-65 mph between stops. Will check oil at every stop. What's your opininions of doing this? Otherwise I will have to rent a van for the trip about a $1000 rental fee.
Thanks for your input.

Wed Apr 11, 2012 3:13 pm

just do it man! sounds like a small enough leak that it wont foul the clutch. i drove halfway across the country and back with my auto trans leaking, 2 cases of fluid later and i was home safe. checked fluid every 200 miles or so. sorry environment :(

might also remove the oil cap and check for crankcase pressurization.

Wed Apr 11, 2012 3:48 pm

wynnep wrote: 87 westy 2.1 engine. Just noticed that the rear main seal is leaking motor oil. About 2 tablespoons a day. Need to drive about a thousand miles during the next two weeks. Don't have time to fix the leak. Planning on driving about 150 miles at 60-65 mph between stops. Will check oil at every stop. What's your opininions of doing this? Otherwise I will have to rent a van for the trip about a $1000 rental fee.
Thanks for your input.

Just wondering if your crankcase breather hose looks like this one with the White Arrow pointed
at it?

People say that when this hose collapses on itself then the rear main seal will start to leak.

Wed Apr 11, 2012 9:45 pm

Mine looked like that, and I changed that hose, and NOW I have a rear main leak :lol:

Thu Apr 12, 2012 6:09 am

If you are heading to DC area we can put a new one in.

Thu Apr 12, 2012 6:18 am

Really depends on the amount and type of wear on the seal. If the seal is about to wear all the way through, the seal can become a gusher within seconds. No way of knowing without pulling things apart and taking a look. Any idea how many miles are on your seal? Have you check to see if there is excessive crank end play?

Thu Apr 12, 2012 6:38 am

Maybe a stupid question... but which end of the engine has the 'rear main seal'?

Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:08 am

Ahwahnee wrote: Maybe a stupid question... but which end of the engine has the 'rear main seal'?

In engine terminology the rear main seal is towards the load end of the engine, in this case towards the front of the car. It is probably best to say flywheel seal or pulley seal when talking about VW engines as those terms prevent this kind of confusion.

Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:39 am

Just because its pointing to the front of the Van doesn't mean it isn't in the REAR of the engine :lol:

Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:00 am

This always confuse me when someone would say

"Rear is rear and front is front"

Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:24 am

Thanks all. Replaced the oil hose with heater hose a couple of months ago. Engine has 195,000 on it. Records do not indicate the engine being rebuilt. Heads replaced at 157,000 miles. New head gaskets at 185,000 miles. Have not pulled the engine to check for crankshaft end play or check the seal.
Being sarcastic: To me the rear main seal is the seal at the back of the engine where the engine and transmission connect. Doesn't matter which way the engine and trans set in the car. If it did matter then the engines that set siceways in the car the seal would be called the sideways seal. Sorry couldn't help it.

Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:30 am

wynnep wrote: Thanks all. Replaced the oil hose with heater hose a couple of months ago. Engine has 195,000 on it. Records do not indicate the engine being rebuilt. Heads replaced at 157,000 miles. New head gaskets at 185,000 miles. Have not pulled the engine to check for crankshaft end play or check the seal.
Being sarcastic: To me the rear main seal is the seal at the back of the engine where the engine and transmission connect. Doesn't matter which way the engine and trans set in the car. If it did matter then the engines that set siceways in the car the seal would be called the sideways seal. Sorry couldn't help it.

You can do an quick and dirty endplay check by loosening all the belts and then forcing the pulley forward with a bar or piece of wood. Then have someone step on the clutch while you feel for any movement of the pulley relative to the engine case. The correct end play is about the smallest amount of movement you can possibly perceive.

Tue Apr 17, 2012 7:08 am

87 westy 2.1 manual 195,300 miles.
Just noticed that the seal does not leak at home. Just like a good dog does its business in someone elses yard. Started looking at the vans parking space: at home front of van is lower than the back end; at work front is higher than than rear. Starting to think that it may be the manual transmission leaking fluid. Crawled under the van last night, transmission is fairly clean and dry, bottom of engine is clean and fairly dry. Fluid is accumulating on the brace under the engine that attaches to the exhaust pipe and the bottom of the engine where the engine and transmission are joined. Tried to remove the transmission filler plug and it wouldn't budge. Used a 17mm bolt head with 4 nuts jamed together. Transmission was supposed to have redline 90 weight oil replaced when it was installed about 30,000 miles ago.
I try to run the engine oil halfway between the add and full mark. The oil light started blinking and the oil buzzer started buzzing, Stopped the van, let set a few minutes, checked the oil and it was below the add mark. Added about 3/4 quart and brought the oil back up to the halfway mark. I use Castrol 20/50 oil and a Mayle/Merle recommended oil filter. The van normally uses about a quart of oil every 1200-1500 miles.
Still planning on a 1200 mile trip starting Thursday.

Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:06 pm

There is no harm in filling to full mark...

Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:29 am

Yes, I know I can fill it up to the full mark. Will do so before leaving on my trip. Going to.carlisle pa next week for the spring car show.

Wed Apr 18, 2012 7:10 am

AFAIK that 'full' mark is a 'Do not exceed' mark. There is potential for the oil to get aerated when above that mark which would lead to an oil pressure and delivery problem that you do not want.

If it was mine I'd keep it at the 'midway between the marks' level and check it more often.

Wed Apr 18, 2012 7:16 am

The level is lower when the engine is running, a lot of the oil is stuck in the heads and push rod tubes...

Wed Apr 18, 2012 7:50 am

My rear main/flywheel seal has been leaking for months. It's not bad, and I finally got a new seal last week. It's messy, and I check the oil periodically so I don't run low, but it hasn't caused any issues running-wise.

I suppose you're just taking the risk that the seal fails while on the road; not much risk for me, because I'm always close to home, but I suppose you could always budget for a seal repair while on the trip. I seem to recall about $400 when I had one done a few years ago on another vanagon.

Best,

B.

Thu May 03, 2012 7:21 am

drove 999.3 miles. added 1quart of oil a bit at a time at gas stops and when the oil buzzer and light flashed(1 time on trip). Backend of van is covered with oil. Water overflow tank was full of water and barely dripping, the other tank was low but not down enough to make the water guage flash or buzz. The temp guage never got above the red light. Have driven another 60 miles around town, oil dip stick measures full and the water tanks have equalized. Also when I checked the oil this morning the rubber gasket on the end of the dip stick was gone, don't know when or where I lost it. Do I need to replace it.
Still dripping oil when parked. MPG was 20 on the trip at 3600-3800 rpm indicated 65-70 mph. At the present time the van starts and idles well.
I know i have some problems. May pull the engine for a rebuild. Have a spare engine with 135,000+/- miles with leaking heads. Also it is an automatic. Mine 87 westy with 196,500 mile and manual trans. What to do? What to do? Fix or sell or dirve till she blows.

Thu May 03, 2012 7:40 am

Fix, sell, or blow up? Really? You have to ask? Fix.