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TheShane Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2008 Posts: 356 Location: Lexington, Ky
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 8:30 pm Post subject: Replacing oil cooler seals |
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Hi all,
I have had a pretty terrible oil leak for some time now and I finally decided to do something about it. After searching TheSamba I concluded that my leak was either oil pressure sender unit or oil cooler seals. I replace the oil pressure sender and it didn’t fix the leak so that left the oil cooler seals. In the search process I read several posts saying you had to drop the engine to replace the seals and several saying you didn't have to drop the engine. I didn't drop the engine and here are a few pics documenting the process. These are the only pics I took, I didn’t feel like cleaning up and stopping to take a pic every time I made progress. This is my first "how-to-ish" post so hopefully it helps someone out.
Just for kicks...before pics:
Removed the bumper:
Removed exhaust:
Removed fan, alternator, and coil:
Removed fan shroud and oil cooler:
The culprits:
It was a pretty simple job. I even found a few things that needed some attention in the process. Best part of it all is that it doesn’t leak oil! Well...it doesn’t leak much oil at all! 60 cents for oil cooler seals and about 5 hours of my Saturday sure beat the heck out of paying my mechanic $350 to put them in. If anyone is considering this job, do it.
-Shane _________________ '78 Sunroof Bus
Central KY VW Club
NASkeet wrote: |
I suppose that's what happens when one drives a passion wagon, which comes factory-fitted with a double bed. |
Last edited by TheShane on Sun Apr 12, 2009 8:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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calebmelvin Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2006 Posts: 3140 Location: Seattle, WA
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greenbus pilot Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2008 Posts: 1285 Location: Wisconsin: Rustbelt, USA baby!!
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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calebmelvin wrote: |
Dang that is one clean engine bay. To be honest, I was expecting a mess until I got to the picture with it open. Nice bus! |
Yeah, not too dirty- I guess you fixed it before too much mess. Just think about all those Busses we've all seen, completely covered in grease. That stuff doesn't just happen overnite , you know.......
Good save ! _________________ Sent from a white van down the street. |
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TheShane Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2008 Posts: 356 Location: Lexington, Ky
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:58 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks guys. I learned the hard way about how a VW engine should be treated so I vowed to keep this one in great shape. Unfortunately for it but fortunately for me this was my first and only car, I have been daily driving it for about 4 years now and I have learned a lot. _________________ '78 Sunroof Bus
Central KY VW Club
NASkeet wrote: |
I suppose that's what happens when one drives a passion wagon, which comes factory-fitted with a double bed. |
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otiswesty Samba Member
Joined: November 21, 2006 Posts: 1731 Location: Portland
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:45 am Post subject: |
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Nice writeup.
Funky breather on top of the case. Is the motor from something else, not like a 78 bus that I know of? _________________ 1978 Sage Green P22 Westfalia
1989 T3 Syncro Single cab
Just a regular guy |
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TheShane Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2008 Posts: 356 Location: Lexington, Ky
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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Ah, I should have made note of that. Good eye. It's from a Vanagon, I think one of the pics had a picture with the two dipsticks in it. I took care of that too while I was in there. _________________ '78 Sunroof Bus
Central KY VW Club
NASkeet wrote: |
I suppose that's what happens when one drives a passion wagon, which comes factory-fitted with a double bed. |
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BryanNAutumn Samba Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 135
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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1. Thanks for the post!
2. Nice paint job/art on the bus, way cool.
3. Where did you get the heater blower tubing/ducting?
4. What other maintenance did you do at the time of the oil cooler seals replacement?
5. Did you do or consider changing the crank/pully seal? I'm pondering that when I do my seals but don't know if I should fix what's not "broke".
I'm going to change my 2.0L oil cooler seals the weekend after next.
Thanks again for taking the time to post thi. _________________ -Bryan |
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TheShane Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2008 Posts: 356 Location: Lexington, Ky
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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BryanNAutumn,
1. You're welcome, I get so much out of TheSamba I thought I would try and give back.
2. I'm glad you like it, the forum tends to not like it, its about 50/50 but the general public love it. I can't go anywhere without getting my picture taken and I kinda like it. It's fun.
3. I'm pretty sure those are original, they were on the bus when I got it and it looks like the ends were made to fit. I did manage to crack one so you can see some black electrical tape with white writing on it wrapped around it.
4. I went ahead and changed the oil and filter while I had it drained and man was that filter easy to change with the exhaust and fan shroud off. I also put a new fan belt on just for the heck of it. I cleaned the oil off of everything while I could get to it and that was pretty much it. I felt that the bus performed a little better as I also found some exhaust leaks and a very loose alternator bracket that needed addressing.
5. Actually upon removing the fan I noticed that someone had used the wrong bolts(too long) when attaching the fan and they had made contact with the seal so it was missing some rubber. I didn't have one on hand and the car is my daily driver so I had to leave it. I don't see any reason no to replace it though.
The job was a lot simpler than I had imagined and there was a nice sense of accomplishment afterward. Good luck with yours, glad I could help.
-Shane _________________ '78 Sunroof Bus
Central KY VW Club
NASkeet wrote: |
I suppose that's what happens when one drives a passion wagon, which comes factory-fitted with a double bed. |
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BryanNAutumn Samba Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 135
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks again for the post Shane. I completed this job on my wife's bus this week. A summary of the project:
- vw76westy sold me an oil cooler and saved me some $$, which I appreciate since being laid off last week. Having 7 day weekends has been great for bus maintenance though.
- I pulled the fan housing w/ engine in place to remove oil cooler.
- I made a tool, utilizing tire valve stems and sheet of aluminum( bolted to cooler and pressurized) , to test the old and replacement oil cooler. One of two “old” oil cooler seals were leaking and the oil cooler itself had a leak, it bubbled like crazy when it was tested under water at 47 PSI. The replacement oil cooler tested perfectly, no leaks under pressure.
- The dipstick boot had a tear and this was an additional source of oil leaks, had purchased a replacement at the Pomona Swap Meet in advance, just in case... it came in handy as a replacement
- I replaced the oil fill tube gasket as well.
- Replaced leaky exhaust gaskets while at it.
- Degreased all the mess on tin, engine, etc.
No more leaks! Dry, dry, dry. _________________ -Bryan |
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rcnotes Samba Member
Joined: July 09, 2005 Posts: 641 Location: Ann Arbor, MI
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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Good job!
Nice to see more people gettin' their wrench on! |
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fusername Samba Member
Joined: March 15, 2006 Posts: 2897 Location: Boston MA
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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you took the entire exhaust off? I would think only removing the muffler would be adequat. I just don't want to mess with those supid oval gaskets. I need to do the same thing, oil all over the filter from what must be the cooler, and I need a new muffler anyways, so it all makes sense!
oh, and ditch the clear dist cap. no good can come of it. _________________ [email protected]
Need something custom bent up? shoot me an email, maybe we can make it work!
FORSALE: Thrust cut T4 and 1.9 main bearings
obnoxiousblue wrote: |
Maybe Ben Pon's ghost comes and vomits NOS stampings for your bus, but not mine! |
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1977_L63H_P27 Samba Member
Joined: January 17, 2006 Posts: 2345 Location: Bristol, Tennessee
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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Great job! it looks as tho' I'll be pulling the head off of 3 & 4 side this week, and I don't want to pull the engine again. You've given me the courage to try it in bus. Peace! _________________
busdaddy wrote: |
...and try a few chubby ones until you find one you like.
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1977 Westfalia P27
you can't spell Volkswagen without SWAG
M-code Plate
Full Moon Bus Club |
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BryanNAutumn Samba Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 135
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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fusername wrote: |
you took the entire exhaust off? I would think only removing the muffler would be adequat. I just don't want to mess with those supid oval gaskets. I need to do the same thing, oil all over the filter from what must be the cooler, and I need a new muffler anyways, so it all makes sense!
oh, and ditch the clear dist cap. no good can come of it. |
Go for it, you will appreciate the lack of oil mess. I keep looking at the bus and thinking " Wow, no more leaks!!!". The exhaust had some leaks so I replaced most all of the gaskets, nice clean job. _________________ -Bryan |
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fusername Samba Member
Joined: March 15, 2006 Posts: 2897 Location: Boston MA
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 8:40 pm Post subject: |
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she goes under the knife as soon as I finalize a new muffler source, mmm, no more putting cardboard under my car when I park in friends driveways. the last 3 weeks have been rediculous. best part is, she actually stopped consuming oil as soon as the leak got crazy. _________________ [email protected]
Need something custom bent up? shoot me an email, maybe we can make it work!
FORSALE: Thrust cut T4 and 1.9 main bearings
obnoxiousblue wrote: |
Maybe Ben Pon's ghost comes and vomits NOS stampings for your bus, but not mine! |
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MrBluesky Samba Member
Joined: May 07, 2009 Posts: 22 Location: Tallahassee/Crestview FL
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 11:10 am Post subject: |
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Just a quick question... How did you keep thw fan from spinning when you removed those 3 bolts in the fan? |
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busdaddy Samba Member
Joined: February 12, 2004 Posts: 51153 Location: Surrey B.C. Canada, but thinking of Ukraine
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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MrBluesky wrote: |
Just a quick question... How did you keep thw fan from spinning when you removed those 3 bolts in the fan? |
Leave the fan belt on and hold the alternator nut or put the bus in gear. _________________ Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.
Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
Слава Україні! |
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BryanNAutumn Samba Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 135
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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I used a large pair of channel lock pliers(same ones I use to get that high tension spring clamp off and on the oil filler spout... I hate that thing!!) , grabbed the belt tight to apply tension enough to undo the three bolts. As Busdaddy noted, leave the belt on. Use whichever method works best. Best wishes with the project, hope to hear an update when you're done. _________________ -Bryan |
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busdaddy Samba Member
Joined: February 12, 2004 Posts: 51153 Location: Surrey B.C. Canada, but thinking of Ukraine
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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BryanNAutumn wrote: |
I used a large pair of channel lock pliers(same ones I use to get that high tension spring clamp off and on the oil filler spout... I hate that thing!!). |
You obviously don't own enough tools, these make those clamps behave nicely:
_________________ Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.
Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
Слава Україні! |
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BryanNAutumn Samba Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 135
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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busdaddy wrote: |
BryanNAutumn wrote: |
I used a large pair of channel lock pliers(same ones I use to get that high tension spring clamp off and on the oil filler spout... I hate that thing!!). |
You obviously don't own enough tools, these make those clamps behave nicely:
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Now that's nice, I'm going to get one of those! I can never have enough tools, especially when it comes to saving time. _________________ -Bryan |
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raygreenwood Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2008 Posts: 21520 Location: Oklahoma City
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 5:09 am Post subject: |
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If your fan bolts have the proper lock washers....and are not over torqued....you can simply loosen them with one hand on a ratchet and the other holding the fan.
If they are more difficult than that...they are way overtorqued...and this damages about half of the hubs out there by bending the ears.
Ray |
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