Oil Leak at Drain Plate 73 DP 1600

[2381Buggy]

This is a 2 part question. I finally got an original 73 style air cleaner box for one of my buggies and removed the home-made metal box I had been using. This is the flat paper style plastic box.

I have the 2" pre-heat tube hooked up and the breather hose coming off the oil fill tube connected. The other port connection on the box is covered up, I am not sure what hose even connected to it. The port is slightly larger than the breather hose port.

All of sudden, which could just be a coincidence, I have an oil leak from the sump plate. I would not think this air cleaner is causing some type of back pressure that the other one didn't.

So am I going to drop the plate and put a new gasket on it. I got a Mahle gasket kit from Autozone but after doing more reading, wondering if I should order the silicone set that Wolfsburg sells. Is it that much better at stopping leakage?

[Glenn]

Get the silicone ones
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

[esde]

I have seen success and failure with the silicone gaskets. Check your drain plate to make sure it's flat, sometimes there will be distortion where the nuts tighten. Running a file on the gasket surface will show any high spots and you need to knock them down. When tightening the nuts, go round and round to make sure the gasket is equally clamped.
On engines where the case surface is not so good, I will use some sealant on the gasket side that faces the case.. I'd rather clean the sealant off the case than oil off of the barn floor.
SD
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modok wrote:
Bent cranks are silent but gather no moss. I mean, ah, something like that.

[2381Buggy]

Thanks for the ideas. As it turned out, it was just the drainplug leaking, the plate was pretty dry. I replaced the washer on the plug and will hope for the best.

I may order a silicone kit for the future so I will have it when needed.

[neil68]

For me the silicone gaskets worked for a while, until they didn’t.
I’m using the Ross Wulf viton gaskets now. Excellent quality:
https://rosswulf.com/shop/ols/products/ross-wulf-vw-type-1-viton-drain-plate-seals-pair
_________________
Neil.

Der Kleiner Rennwagens
68 Beetle 2332 cc, 204 WHP
12.5 seconds @ 107 mph
Dynojet Test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9B_H3eklAo

[toxicavenger70]

If the new gasket does not stop the leak you might need to remove the oil strainer bolts from the sump and put some pipe dope on them. Then install some new acorn nuts with a gasket.