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New Owner of my VS Superwide-Almost seizied Engine

Marty GrzynkowiczMarty Grzynkowicz2012 IM Suby-Roadster
I talked to the the new owner today and here is what happened. He was aksing me about small oil spot in his garage and I gave hime the truth about these motors. Small spot, with no noticiable oil level drop, no oily valve covers or oil in the engine compartment = no real problem. Well, this dude is beyond anal and he kept going back to the mechanic. They recomened some fancy new expensive valve cover gasket. He agreed and installed it under the nice Porsche Valve covers I had Roland install for me. This Sunday his daughter wanted to go for a short drive and they stopped by a cousin a few blocks away. When pulling out of the driveway the cousin started screaming to stop, he noticed a ton of oil on his driveway. He looked under the car and the entire Porsche valve cover was missing. Luckily this happend close to home; we were thinking about goining for a long drive that day. I am not knocking the mechanic, as they were my guys too. They always did quality work and I dont know what really happened.

I am not sure how long he ran without the cover, is there any real damage that could have been caused here?

Marty Grzynkowicz

1959 Intermeccanica, Subaru H2O Turbo (Convertible D-GT) "Le Cafe Macchiato"

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Marty GrzynkowiczMarty Grzynkowicz2012 IM Suby-Roadster
I talked to the the new owner today and here is what happened. He was aksing me about small oil spot in his garage and I gave hime the truth about these motors. Small spot, with no noticiable oil level drop, no oily valve covers or oil in the engine compartment = no real problem. Well, this dude is beyond anal and he kept going back to the mechanic. They recomened some fancy new expensive valve cover gasket. He agreed and installed it under the nice Porsche Valve covers I had Roland install for me. This Sunday his daughter wanted to go for a short drive and they stopped by a cousin a few blocks away. When pulling out of the driveway the cousin started screaming to stop, he noticed a ton of oil on his driveway. He looked under the car and the entire Porsche valve cover was missing. Luckily this happend close to home; we were thinking about goining for a long drive that day. I am not knocking the mechanic, as they were my guys too. They always did quality work and I dont know what really happened.

I am not sure how long he ran without the cover, is there any real damage that could have been caused here?

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Jack CrosbyJack CrosbyHot Springs, AR, VS RabyTypeIV
Marty:

Well, if the valve cover is gone, the bail wasn't set to hold it on.

I know you are concerned because that's the way you are, but whatever the outcome, you are absolutely not at fault.

What's a "fancy new gasket"? The cork ones are perfectly fine if they are prepared right and put on a clean gasket cover.

The only way to know anything is to know if it was running ok before the engine was turned off. If it was then fill it with oil, replace the gasket and valve cover and crank 'er up. But DO NOTHING until someone who really knows chimes in here.

Tell your buyer to get it going and join us in Asheville in a couple of weeks!

I hope the engine is fine.
WildBillWildBill
Those covers are held on with nuts that were apparently not tightened properly. IF they only went a few blocks and it still puked oil in their driveway, that means there was still some oil left in it. I don't foresee much if any damage IMO. I DO hope that they went back to look for the missing cover as they aren't cheap. If not, replace the cover, fill it with oil and all should be well.

~WB
SS Scott S.
Marty-looked through your "photo" file-the valve covers in question probably need a dab of semi-permanent thread sealant, a mechanical locking washer, or even safety-wiring. I seem to recall that Larry Jowdy mentioned he had (in the past) installed some of these valve covers (?). I certainly defer to any who've had first-hand knowledge here; and also to any serious off-roaders who would probably know.
Gordon NicholsGordon NicholsMassachusetts 1993 CMC Supporting Member
I've used similar covers (those using two bolts to hold them on) in the past and even lost one of the baled covers more than once in Dune Buggies. Fortunately, someone usually saw the telltale river of oil following me and I walked back to find the cover and re-install it.

I, too, doubt that anything super-bad happened, especially if there was enough oil left in there to puke on the driveway.

Find the cover or get a new one (even the VW-style, bale wire types are good - they just don't look quite so cool), use a good CORK cover gasket, DO NOT use gasket sealer on the gasket (OK, maybe a light coat of automotive grease, but that's it) and you should be good to go.

Once refilled with oil, change the oil and filter again after about 300 miles and forgetaboutit.

gn

Oh, and tell him to stop worrying about a drop of oil on the floor here and there and don't fix it if it ain't broke.
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