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Thu May 10, 2012 12:01 pm

just boug a 1971 vw bus.
body and paint need some work but engine sound good the only thing on the engine there a leak the is coming fron the push rod cylinder close to the valve cover just want to know how to fixt that any seals? or just sealer ????? the oil that leak is leaking on one of the muffler pipe and is burnig so theres a big funky smell of burn oil please help :(

thanks........

Thu May 10, 2012 1:59 pm

Welcome!
You'll have to clean up the suspect area and find out exactly what's leaking, rocker covers are the most common culprit, either because they're bent, cheapo aftermarket chrome or the gasket has shifted. Pushrod tube seals can leak as well, to replace them properly on a type 1 you have to remove the heads, if the rest of the engine is happy and dry you could remove the pushrod, destroy the tube with pliers to remove it and install a collapsible threaded tube in it's place, best to find out exactly where the leak is first.

Thu May 10, 2012 2:25 pm

Busdaddy no lie

The thing is that there are rubber seals on each end of the push rod tubes and these get hard after several years causing leaks. If that's the case then you should do an engine reseal and be done with it. But, if you find it's just one bad tube the spring loaded tubes will work as a fairly quick repair.

Thu May 10, 2012 7:38 pm

Thank u guys for the info, but this is my first time working an a air cool engine it look simple but I don't want to screw this up any links or web sites were they show how to remove the heads.....?

Ones again thanks for the info guys ....... :D

Thu May 10, 2012 7:50 pm

Find the actual source of the leak before you do anything.
If it's a pushrod tube seal you don't want to tear down an otherwise good engine just to fix that leak. You can use a spring loaded pushrod tube like in Garys picture without tearing your engine apart.

Thu May 10, 2012 8:13 pm

jessecm89 wrote: I don't want to screw this up
Then step one is expand your library, you'll need:

Even if you never dig into the engine the Wilson book will give you an understanding of what lurks beneath and how to avoid F' ups, the Muir book isn't the first technical reference I'd choose but it explains the air cooled VW and what the parts do in a way a non mechanic can relate to. The Bentley is a must have as it's full of tightening torques and prcedures that can save you hundreds of bucks the first time you don't F something up by attacking it the wrong way.

As DBM, Aeromech and I said clean it up an see just where it's leaking first.

Thu May 10, 2012 8:17 pm

The push rod tubes have a gasket at each end. Normally they weep rather than leak when they go bad from age. Pushrod tubes can get bent which causes a leak or they can rust through. As BusDaddy said, the most common leak is the valve cover. It can be a weep or drip drip drip puddle.