Newb question about rear main seal/Oil leak

[BigBadBeetleBorg]

Hi! I'm crazy new here and to Beetle ownership so hopefully I'm asking in the right place.

I've got a '62 Beetle that has a significant leak coming from what I believe is the rear main seal. The oil is dripping down from the "back nut" and from my youtubing/googling the rear seal is often the cause.

I'm super keen on learning how to pull the engine and fix the leak but I really don't want to do it now as I've just got the car and the suns out. I figure if I start working on fixing the problem, my amateur ass would probably take forever to fix it. So I am wondering if it would be improper/not recommended to just keep topping up the oil up when I take it out on the sunny weekends (and throwing something under the leak when parked) and delay the work until October-ish where I've got all the time in the world. Would that be a bad idea? Is this a problem that could cause more damage by delaying the fix?

Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated!

[modok]

Basically yes. As long as you don't run it too low on oil, you can probably keep driving it for some time.

But also I would advise to keep an eye on the crank endplay.
If the end "observed" play exceeds .030" or so, repairing the engine case may get a lot more expensive or impractical.

If that is NOT the reason, then what is?
Also could be the engine case is cracked
or just the seal is damaged
in either of those two cases... driving it longer cannot do any additional harm.

It could also be another reason, but that would be the top three most common reasons.

[vwracerdave]

Welcome to The Samba.

If the clutch gets saturated with oil then it will start slipping to the point it won't hold anymore. You might get lucky for another few 1000 miles or it could end in 10 miles.

If you can push & pull the crank pulley in and out and see it move then your case is pounded out and you need a rebuild.
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[oprn]

Assuming it is the flywheel seal at the FRONT of the engine and not the rear crank seal behind the pulley... of which there may be or most likely does not have a seal.
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[MrWhoopee]

Since you say "rear" and your description suggests that you mean rear of the car, I'm going to assume you mean from the pulley area. There is no seal there on a stock motor. What size motor is it and could you post a picture showing the entire engine compartment? Larger motors have a nasty habit of "puking" oil out past the pulley hub due to high crankcase pressure with inadequate venting.
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[Cusser]

[Ohio Tom]

I would venture to say that millions of VW's leak from the main seal.

Very common.
Yes, you can live with it for now.

I will say that when the main seal is leaking, there is usually a reason.
Either the case is pounded out, or the bearings are shot, or both.

Grab the big pulley and push/pull on it. Do you feel any play? Does it go "clunk"?
If so, the case is likely wasted out. Just drive it until it dies. Or, you save enough money to buy a new case.

If there is no play in the pulley, then you might be OK with just a seal change.

Also, "Front" means front of car, so flywheel end.
"Rear" means rear of the car. So, pulley end.

[oprn]

I must confess to not comprehending the common advice to "drive it till it blows"! To me when it comes to end play issues I would far rather pay for a $300 align bore before the case is ruined to save $1000 + for a new one when it blows. Also with excessive end play you risk losing a wrist pin clip or two damaging pistons and cylinders.

Maybe I am just not affluent enough to understand it.
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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[BigBadBeetleBorg]

Hi again!
I’m not sure how to reply to individual posts so thank you all for the feedback.

To clarify a few comments; I erroneously called it the rear seal but yes it’s the flywheel side of the engine.

I’ve tried pushing and pulling on the pulley but I can’t feel any movement at all. The previous owner had rebuilt the motor but for health reasons didn’t drive it much, if at all, after restoration so my theory is the seals dried up and cracked after sitting for 3-ish years. Not sure if that’s a reasonable theory but…

I’ll enjoy the ride for the summer and enjoy the learning experience of yanking out the engine in the fall!

Thanks again for your help. I’m sure I’ll have a bunch more questions soon.

[calvinater]

Don't forget to post pics, we love pics
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[Ohio Tom]

OK, motor is not that old.

No play in crank thrust.


My next most likely guess is that the previous owner put a cast flywheel on the motor. I have seen them eat up seals.

Cast iron can have a very rough finish when cut. (like fresh brake rotors).
It will eat a seal if not polished smooth first.

I have seen in more than once with cast flywheels.

I throw them f-er's away.
Why would anyone use a cast flywheel is beyond me.
Save a few dollars?
Risk of explosion. Seal eaters.
No thanks..