oil in carberator

I have recently noticed what appears to be engine oil around the air filter element and all around the right side carberator and intake. The car is still running fine. I'm just wondering what is causing it and if it requires immdiate attention.

Thanks
Chris

Do you have a breather line from your engine back to your air cleaners? A photo might help.

I second Cory.

from where to where should the line run

thanks
chris

I'm basing this on an assumption; correct me if I'm wrong.
You'll have a metal assembly on top of your engine which encloses your two air cleaners, and you'll have two carbs sitcking up from the engine -- one on each side -- holding that apparatus up.
If that's the case, you'll have a breather line, most likely a black rubber hose (the diameter of a nickel) running up from the block, in the vacinity of the lower right side of your pulley.
That guy is supposed to return hot air from the crank case to the air filters, and you'll sometimes see oil pooling in the bottom of the air filter's carrier. That metal gizmo most likely has channels in the bottom stamped piece OUTSIDE of the filter itself, anticipating that problem popping up from time to time. That will keep the occasional oil from going into the carbs.
If you don't have the big, giant metal boxy things up there, you probably don't have the breather line. We'll be needing to see some pictures.
How many miles are there on your engine? I'm going to again make an assumption that it isn't brand new from a crate ... What other symptoms are you having?

Stock, the VW engine had an oil breather vent off the oil filler tower (where you add oil to engine). See http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC%2D113%2D115%2D451%2DD
This was either vented to the air filter or the cooling shroud. Correct "modern" routing would take it to an oil breather box. See http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ACC%2DC10%2D5376 and then to both carb air filters. As engine get more and more worn the amount of air (blowby and internal crank case pressures) and oil vapors increases. Some seal off the oil filler vent and directly vent the valve covers --- BUT the engine has to be vented some way.

Using an aftermarket breather box setup, mount it horizontal and centered on the firewall with the cover facing up just above the fan shroud.
Two 1/2" ID hoses from the bottom of the breather box to each valve cover, the hose fittings get installed at the forward top corner of the valve cover.
Another hose from the breather box to the oil filler tube.
Hoses from the top of both carb air cleaners housings back to L & R sides of the breather box. Add one additional 1/2" fitting on the vertical face of the breather box,install 2" mini air filter here. You can upgrade the supplied hose to 1/2" ID stainless steel braided hose for appearance.
Any oil that pools in the breather box is gravity fed back the the valve covers, this greatly reduces the excessive engine case pressure in the bigger motors .

Alan, you mentioned "excessive engine case pressure". I wonder if that could be why I seem to have oil weeping from the seam at the top of my engine's crankcase. I'm not sure if that's where it's coming from, but it looks like it. I also have a bit of leakage at one of the fittings to the external oil filter. Any thoughts? Is this normal, or something I should attend to? The volume doesn't appear to be large, but the harder I run the car, the more there is.

Lane,

Depends on a number of thing and in your case ( no pun intended)the fitting may just need to be snugged up a bit.

The motor.....maybe email me a photo of the leaking area?

I am well into my VS car with the interior gutted, I'll be dyeing the seats, door panels, brow and replacing the grungy carpet. Add a sway bar on the front, change the weather stripping, refit the top, add an oil breather box set up, heater cables, improve on the hot air heat tubes that are now thin aluminum fresh air tubing, change the flimsy thin stainless steel wiper arms to a better type and wider meats 245x55x16 on the back wheels so that they fill in the turbo flares better.....Two weeks maximum, and I'll be road ready. Man, I do like this speedy!


Alan

Lane, you are talking two different pressures and kinds of leaks.
At the case seam (if above the water(oil line) is internal case pressure. The weep at the fitting is oil pressure. Teflon tape the fitting and reinstall it. Don't overtighten as the fitting is much
stronger than the case (it will win).

The case weepage bothers me more that the filter fitting. the latter is actually at a fitting where one of the rubber oil lines attaches to the external oil filter mount in the rear fender, away from the engine. I figure it's an easy fix. The case weepage, assuming I have located it correctly, would be a big deal to fix, and I'm hoping it's a non-issue that I can just live with. The overall volume is not high, but it makes the engine a bit messy.

Oh yeah, Chris - sorry to have hijacked your thread. If you want, we can ask Theron to move this to a new one.

You don't have to move. As always the information provided is more than useful.

Thanks
Chris