New VC gasket, now a much bigger issue

[67rustavenger]

So I noticed a little drip under the right hand side of my engine. Upon investigation, I discovered that the VC had a small leak. No big deal. I have several extra gaskets in the attic. I removed the VC and removed the offending gasket. Lubed up the new one with some grease as suggested elsewhere on the samba and installed the VC.
Ah! Life's good again.
Patting myself on the back for a job well done. I took the car for a fill up and country drive. All went well on the drive until.................. I noticed the green light on the speedo. Yep no oil pressure This was after pulling into the driveway.

Dammit!
So I pull the dipstick and find NO OIL ON IT! Dammit again. I look under the car and discover oil all over the right side of the engine and rear fender. Somewhere in Washington County there is about 3 qt's of oil deposited all over the road.

I pulled the right VC and discovered that the gasket had broken into 4 pieces.

I decided to sleep on it and address the issue in the morning, more like this afternoon.
I removed the sump plate and screen. There was very little oil in there but I was somewhat relieved that it wasn't completely dry.
The sump plate has some flecks of bearing debris on it.

But the screen was free of any large shrapnel. I do have a filter downstream of the pump to catch debris.

I have to wait a couple of days for a new strainer screen and gaskets to arrive. Then I'll try to fire it and see what the condition is. If it sounds somewhat solid I may hold off on the tear down.
If it knock's, well shit!

This was the first time that I have tried grease on the VC gasket. Never again. I probably kinked it while applying the grease. But screw it, I'll just install it dry (as I always have) in the future and deal with the minuscule oil drip.

This post is more of a rant, than a help question.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!

[79SuperVert]

What kind of gaskets were they? Cork? Something else?
_________________
Central Jersey VW Society

Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt.

[67rustavenger]

Cork. New from a individually sealed package. Made in Germany.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!

[wcfvw69]

I use to NEVER grease or glue the valve cover gaskets to the covers. I never had an issue over the decades. Then a year or two ago, I pulled into some friends house trailing oil. An older valve cover gasket had "shrunk" opening a gap for oil to escape/leak.

Now, I do glue the new valve cover gaskets with Indian shellac. Some veteran VW mechanics said the new gaskets are so terrible that gluing them in is the only thing that will keep them staying in place.

I also install new valve cover gaskets at each valve adjustment as well. I then fire the engine, let it get to temperature and make sure they are not leaking.
_________________
Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc

Decades of VW and VW parts restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.

**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche distributors or I can restore yours**

[79SuperVert]

Sorry for the inane questions, but this really sounds strange to me.

You're saying that just a few hours after installing the gaskets, one of them broke in four places while driving, allowing the oil to leak out. And that you think the reason for the cracks was either faulty installation, or using grease.

I'm just finding it hard imagining what would have caused the gasket to break like that. Installation is very straightforward and I can't visualize how one could crack a soft cork gasket in four places just by fitting it to the VC and placing the VC on the head. Could it have been a manufacturing defect and the gasket was already cracked when you installed it...but you would have seen that when you put the gasket on.

Grease by itself wouldn't have caused the gasket to break. Nor thermal stress. And it wasn't dried out, since you said it came from a sealed package.

Very odd.
_________________
Central Jersey VW Society

Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt.

[67rustavenger]

It's on me. I think I kinked the gasket while applying the grease to it. I didn't think anything about it and installed it.
Once installed on the head, I wiggled it a bit to center it in place. I think that's where it broke into pieces. I have never used grease on a VC gasket and thought it might be a good idea to stop a persistent leak on the right side. Guess I thought wrong.
When I install them dry. They don't move around at all, once mated to the head. In this case I could move the VC all over the slop between the head flange and the edges of the VC.

[79SuperVert]

I was intrigued because I just finished adjusting my valves this afternoon, and after reading your post I was in a tizzy!

I reused my gaskets this time around, because I adjust my valves twice a year and the gaskets are at most six months old, so they looked and felt OK to me (I don't use grease to put them on). Like you said, when the VC's go back on, they kind of snap-slip into place and can't be moved around, and when the bale goes on they are stuck on for good until the bale comes off. Seems like it was the grease that allowed you to unintentionally stretch them after putting them on.

I know, sounds like a tempest in a teapot, but that is one horribly simple way to destroy an engine.
_________________
Central Jersey VW Society

Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt.

[wcfvw69]

I remembered I took a picture of the shrinking gasket that leaked on my 67 bug. Note the gasket is curling up at the bottom of the valve cover. This is where it leaked.

This is why I now glue them in place.
_________________
Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc

Decades of VW and VW parts restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.

**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche distributors or I can restore yours**

[67rustavenger]

[KTPhil]

I use rubber cement on one side, grease (a VERY light smear, almost rubbed off with a paper towel, just enough they can move against the head as I position them and tighten the bale).

I can't imagine grease did this. I used to use grease on both sides until the new ones seem to not fit quite as well without the glue.

It is also odd that it broke cleanly and symmetrically like that. Something else must be at work here.

Speculation aside, I hope and expect that your engine is okay. Loss of pressure means it ran out of oil of course, but there should have been a film there providing at least SOME lubrication right up to that point. Fingers crossed!

Another side note... no oil drain plug? You have a remote filter but still remove the screen to change/drain oil?

[67rustavenger]

[KTPhil]

In the hopes that it is not ruined, I'd check the valves before putting the new covers on. I think I'd take the coil hot lead off, and crank it until the oil light goes out. Only then would I fire it up. It may be a lost cause (perish the thought), but this gives you the best chance to minimize any further damage.

[79SuperVert]

Yeah, here's hoping no damage was done and all you had was a bad scare.
_________________
Central Jersey VW Society

Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt.

[67rustavenger]

Post oil changes, I always follow this procedure. I build oil pressure before an engine start. That way I make sure the the filter is full and not leaking past the O-ring.
I just didn't check it after the gasket install, beyond the cursory glance under the engine.

[jssweatt]

You did say you got the valve cover from your attic....could they have dried out and become brittle up there? The breaks almost appear to show that.

[fl59bug]

This makes me want to install a VDO oil pressure gauge. I'm thinking a good gauge would be cheap insurance and allow one to catch the issue much earlier.

Good luck and I hope your engine is okay.

[Cusser]

[rockerarm]

[rockerarm]

[wcfvw69]