Best way to seal cracked crankcase seam?

[maz-o]

It looks like a previous owner teared open the case halves with a crowbar or something. There's a relatively big crack (or gap) below the flywheel under the last bolt (pictured below).
There's a similar yet smaller one on the other side below the oil pump. Both leak. It was stuffed with a silicone sealant at some point, which flew right off when I cleaned the engine with degreaser and a wire brush.

Question is what's the best way to seal it up without having to tear apart the whole engine.

Thanks!

[skills@eurocarsplus]

leave it alone. it's not really on the sealing surface. if it does leak however, the case is kind of junk....unless you split it and go a little crazy with some extra sealant in that area
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[Danwvw]

Yeah, the case looks pretty normal to me, Hopefully, it's just near the edge and not across the sealing surface. Fixing it requires complete engine disassembly. But Yeah, that is not where your oil is likely leaking! Oil pump's usually seep a little and I would not worry about that unless it's leaving a drip on the garage floor in which case you can remove the oil pump and use new gaskets and case sealer to seal it. I don't use case sealer on the outer pump gasket just the inner one. Some people don't even use the thin outer gasket so it will make better oil pressure without the gap of the gasket.
Flywheel end oil leaks are usually a sign of a worn out engine where the #1 main bearing is loose in the case or it could just be a bad main seal. Still got to pull the engine and clutch to get to it. Does the engine have any end play at the crank pulley? (Car in neutral remove the fan belt and set it on a TDC or BDC) to test If it clunks when pushed in and out, if so then it needs rebuilding.
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1960 Beetle And 1679cc DP W-100 & Dual Zeniths!

[Abscate]

Sweet Jesus.

Drain oil

Let sit overnight.

Degrease the area from top and bottom with acetone and hexanes ( MAF cleaner)

Paper towel dry.

JB weld into crack area and let set overnight
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.ssS!

[timvw7476]

^ try this, only I am lazy so I would leave the oil in & use brake parts cleaner^
that way you can try over & over again til is quits dripping. /sarc

[Danwvw]

It's never a leaking case, it's the oil is coming from above.

I just realized you have the engine out, no big deal to check the main bearing (by checking crank end play) and install a new main seal, do you have a torquemaster?

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1960 Beetle And 1679cc DP W-100 & Dual Zeniths!

[raygreenwood]

[Wildthings]

Is the engine out? If so flip it over and spray the area well with brake cleaner repeatedly and then fill the crack with JB Weld or Ultra Silicone. Loctite hydraulic sealand might work as well, it should be able to wick into the crack quite a ways.

I do agree that your leak may be coming from somewhere else but if it is coming from there and you can flip the case then now is the time to do any sealing you can there.

[SGKent]

define leak - all VW engine eventually leak some oil.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[aeromech]

Whatever you use it has to be able to be applied to wet oil. It’s just not possible to drain the oil and expect the area to drip dry or even be able to be cleaned well enough for most sealants to stick. You need something like we used in aviation to seal running fuel leaks from integral wing fuel tanks. It was like two tootsie rolls that you’d mix in your hands and then push up into the seam and flatten out. It would stick and become hard as a rock in about 30 minutes. This was an approved temporary repair. I believe it was called Lyco Tabs but google isn’t helping me right now. The point is, RTV won’t stick and you’ll be wasting your time. Maybe JB Weld will work but their description didn’t say it would seal an oil leak. At least that I could find.

Found it

http://www.laco.com/repair-sealants/epoxy-tabs-type-o-/

LA-CO OylTite-Stik Oil Leaks Repair Sealant Stick, 1-1/4 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002C3L5NO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.FFaBbB7H0R6G
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Tcash]

LA-CO OylTite-Stik Oil Leaks Repair Sealant Stick
https://www.amazon.com/OylTite-Stik-Leaks-Repair-Sealant-Stick/dp/B002C3L5NO

[TomWesty]

[Abscate]

[TomWesty]

[Mispeld]

Maybe this???

Couldn't help it. I'll let myself out....

[aeromech]

They didn’t forget to lube the jackscrew. They didn’t have the proper tool in stock so they deferred it. Then maybe they forgot. Plus the bulkhead repair was caused by the engineers who drew it up, not the sheet metal mechanics that followed their drawings.
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Abscate]

[Glenn]

[aeromech]

Well I can’t speak for other aircraft mechanics, only myself. I worked for 23 years under my FAA license. Many of those years as a lead mechanic. I’ve signed off hundreds of log books in that time. Never once was I investigated or disciplined for anything. I think most other A&P’s fit in that description. One guy I worked with did get in a lot of trouble but like most mistakes, it got passed not only him but an inspector as well. He crossed the hydraulic lines when he changed a rudder pcu on a 737 back around 2002. The plane arrived in CLT with one empty system and the other overfilled and puking overboard. The redundancy built into the rudder system saved the day
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[scrivyscriv]