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Mon Jun 09, 2014 4:29 pm

so my pushrods seals are leaking and need help asap!!! how do i fix my problem? i have a full gasket kit for the one side (left) oh and i have a 69 vw 1600cc single port motor in my sand rail.
i should be able to pull the head with out pulling the motor off my rail..can you guys help me out plz??? step by step guide how to pull the head would be great...... i need my rail up and running asap.

Mon Jun 09, 2014 7:44 pm

I wouldn't pull the heads, get a set of spring loaded push tubes, and seals. Pull the rockers, pull the push rods, and cut the old tubes out. Install spring loaded push tubes, and keep on riding.

Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:10 pm

Agreed. You only need to pull the ones that leak unless your worries about looks. Are all of them leaking?

Tue Jun 10, 2014 5:32 am

You mean they aren't supposed to leak? :shock:

Tue Jun 10, 2014 7:37 am

Just do it right for shit sake and replace em all

Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:19 am

If you have cooling tins in the way, it might be easier to pull the engine and set the whole thing somewhere where you can easily scrub it clean and install new tubes.
I suggest you don't get the spring loaded tubes, they are garanteed to leak a bit (IMO). I believe you can carefully remove just the head or at least loosen it enough to get a new tube in, without needing any fancy gaskets. Of course you'll need to be able to take apart the valve train and put it back together and correctly torque down the head before that. But if you want to stop leaks thats the way I'd go and get all new silicone seals like HERC said. You may not even need to replace your tubes if you can clean them up enough. I just soda blasted mine the other night and gave them some primer and paint. It may not last long but prolly long enough.
I put some really bitchin anodized blue and gold spring loaded tubes on my last VW because I was afraid to touch the heads. They weren't leaking like facets but they always had a fresh film of oil all over them.

Correction: they weren't spring loaded they had jam nuts and springs

Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:48 am

ok i got the tin off and now it looks like its leaking were the cylinders meet the head. or were the cylinder meets the case... alot of oil and gunk build up around the cylinders ( topside of motor). going to get some degrease and clean it up before i tear anymore into her.

Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:38 am

In the first post you made a casual reference to the left side. In last post you mention oil around the base of the cylinders. It sounds like you may have leaking oil cooler seals or leaking oil cooler.

Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:40 am

:popcorn:

Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:51 pm

my pushrods tubes are fine. hopefully its my oil cooler seals.
ill keep you guys informed.. hate to ask but if my oil cooler seals are fine what should i look for next??

Tue Jun 10, 2014 1:55 pm

valve covers and main seal
Might as well check your trans plugs too

Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:39 pm

its coming from the oil cooler seals or the cylinders..will know more when i get the gunk off the motor...valve covers are fine going to put on new seal tho

Wed Jun 11, 2014 6:56 am

just remember, the oil goes in the motor

Wed Jun 11, 2014 11:25 am

HERC wrote: Just do it right for shit sake and replace em all

I was on the trail. Log jumped up and grabbed a tube. Not a good place to pull a head. Thats why I keep spare spring loaded tubes. Since mine never leaked, I have 1 blue tube. Actually, I have since tore it apart for other reasons and did replace it then with a stock tube, but I had a blue one for almost 2 years.

Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:25 pm

2 of the tubes seals are leaking against the case :( oil cooler and seals are fine :) and its leaking oil were the cylinder meets the head!!! (#4) WTF should i do know??? im at a stand still

Thu Jun 12, 2014 7:17 am

You're going to have to learn how to work on your motor. Just relax and start methodically pulling shit off and fix it. We're all here to help.
You know you can do it, you just lack the confidence.
Dont worry, just do it correctly.

Thu Jun 12, 2014 9:02 am

so should i try to find a set of cylinders and pistons????

Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:22 am

not yet. you may just have a loose head. Pay close attention to the tightness of the head nuts as you take them apart. If any are finger loose, that may be causing the leak.

Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:51 am

It's possible the seal at the bottom of the cylinder gave which is only a bead of RTV. It's possible you could get out of this real cheap if you just take your time and ask the right questions. If you don't have a lot of experience taking engines apart pickup a manual so you can have some instructions and torque specs. Nothing terrible complicated about what you have to do. You already have the cooling system apart. Just a matter of loosening head nuts, removing head, sliding cylinder off piston and inspecting your parts for damage and the cause of the leak. Then you just clean it all up and do the reverse to put it back together.

Thu Jun 12, 2014 11:18 am

Are you absolutely sure it's leaking at the cylinder base?

there can be a lot of turbulence there and the oil leaking from the tubes will find it's way up.

Before you get in too deep maybe just do this first. I will list it in order since that is what you are looking for.

1 spray everything oil covered down with a solvent ( I use carb or brake cleaner) to rinse away the dirt and oil till you get a dry pallet to work with.

2 remove valve cover.

3 loosen two rocker arm shaft nuts that hold it down to the head by two studs. Pull shaft with rockers off and set in a clean spot noting it's orientation in the head so you can put it back correctly.

4 you can now reach in and pull out each pushrod and set them in some sort of holder noting which cylinder each came from. usually I like to flip a box upside down and poke holes for the pushrods and draw and arrow depicting where the flywheel would be in respect to the pushrods in their holes

5 use something to snip the pushrod tubes. I wouldn't use a cutting wheel or saw since that will make shavings which would be bad in the engine. use some snip of some sort. I have never done this but it may require a little bending and crumpling before you can free them

6 grab your new adjustable pushrods with new seals installed on their ends and adjust them down short, then stick them into place adjusting them out to fit snug.

7 replace pushrods in their order make sure they seat

8 slide rocker shaft onto head studs carefully and tighten down nuts doing each side a little bit at a time so that it comes down as straight as possible onto the head. Some valves will be getting pushed so one side will inevitably want to resist this. Don't forget to watch the rocker arms to make sure the pushrod ends are seated in the cup on the arm. It's easy for them to slide out quietly and not notice it. Torque nuts with your torque wrench to spec in manual.

9 repeat for other side

10 read your manual on checking the valve clearance on you rockers. Technically you didn't change anything but it's still good practice to be certain. Measure valve clearance with your feeler gauge and adjust if necessary.

replace the rest of the parts

I just rebuilt the top-end of my motor and now I have found a tube with a pin hole leaking oil. After just explaining this to you I think this is what I will do despite my condemnation of adjustable tubes in an earlier comment. :roll: