severe oil leaks

ok I have no idea how many miles are on my engine (reads 17000 something km) but that is not obviously true to the engine. my engine leaks oil very very badly, I am starting to think the only way that I can get it to stop is to have the engine rebuilt. It leaks badly from the midline of the engine and also collects on the nuts for the oil strainer and drain plug (I don't know if it leaks from there or just collects into drops) this engine has been abused by the looks of it and I have very limited knowledge of engines. with a good book could I rebuild it succesfully myself or should I trust that to the pros...does any body have any other ideas ...
I need help badly (my exhaust system is holding together on hopes and dreams (shattered headers where they all cometogether) and it looks like some dope really over tighted the right side flange and split the pipes, just had the carbs rebuilt to get it running and of course the brakes are horrible)

PLEASE HELP

did you just buy this tub?

Can you try to quantify what you mean by your oil leaks? That is to say, when you park it overnight after a drive, how much oil do you see on the floor the following morning? Perhaps you believe that there should be none and with most VW type 1 engines, if that is what you have, most likely there will be at least a little bit. It goes with the territory.
Hoss

OK Russell slow down and take a breath. This site has a wealth of knowledge. I see you are having oil leaks, brake problems, and you don't know what kind of car you have yet.

First things first - if you have a digital camera use it, these guys are pretty keen and can tell you what kind of car you have with a few pics posted.
Next, listen and learn. Some of these guys know more about these cars than you and I will ever know in 10 lifetimes so be concise on the description of your problems and they can help you better.
And last, if you can't do the work yourself find a good VW mechanic. I'm just learning things like how to adjust valves and carbs but a good mechanic can take one of these engines out and put it back in in 20-30 minutes. These are pretty simple engines as engines go so no problem should be overwhelmingly difficult or financially devastating. Do the little stuff yourself and leave the big problems to the pros. There isn't a single thing on my car that hasn't been repaired in the past year, from an engine rebuild to a new rearview mirror, you name it and it's been fixed or replaced. Ask and you shall recieve - TC has already given great advice. Take a look at your pads and see if there is anything left on them or just get some and replace them anyway, they're cheap. Then bleed your breaks and you're good to go until you get your disc conversion. A VW repair manual would be a well spent $20 and there are a bunch of websites that can give "How to's" as well as other technical advice.

Go easy, get lots of oil and keep it in your car and get your breaks fixed.

ok sorry I was a little freaked out...now I am calm and not ready to pull my hair out...this car has been in my family for about 12 years. My grandfather bought it from a guy in LA cali. It was this guys project and his wife made him sell it before he started another project. That is the extent of the history that I know of. My grandfather was not mechanically inclined in the least, his idea of working on the car was driving it to the mechanic and whatching them get greasy.

Now when I got this car I expected some oil leakage, I have seen enough vw to know that they leak a little. But everytime I stop driving and while the engine is running there is constant dripping from somewhere.

as far as the brakes are concerned I am going to change them next payday, if anyone has a link with pictures and descriptions of the job it would be very helpfull. This has to be done, I can put my foot to the floor and not drop 15 mph in a block.

I will get some pictures up soon

I am not an expert mechanic by any means, but I am trying to do what I can because I can not afford to run to a mechanic over every little thing. So I will try to explain myself as best I can. I am extremely happy to have found such a helpfull site and look forward to talking to you all some more.

Russell,

1. The good thing about having a constant oil drip is
A. it means you still have oil left in the engine
b. since it's consistant it's easy to find(then you can choose to fix
or leave it as is)

2. >15mph drop in a block---you don't have any brakes. I think wind resistance is doing more for you.
A. The brakes are no big deal for your average mechanic. If you are not capable of determining the cause of your brake issue prior to starting the job I would suggest(in the kindest way) that you should not attempt the job alone. Proper bleeding, adjustment, shoe installation and the undoing/proper retorque of the rear drums is not
something everyone can do or has the tools for. You should try to determine if a brake adjustment will get you through a few paydays
and have the job done by a vw guy. Parts are relatively cheap, it shouldn't be too bad.
Where are you located? Ask for help. Barter. Ask for a recommendation for a vw mech.

Once you get it straightened out I'm sure you'll be happy. Good luck.

Russell, If the engine is pretty dirty, get some degreaser from the local auto store and clean the engine. I will help you locate the leak source more easily. Check you oil level . Make sure it's not over the required capacity. Check all fittings, push rod tubes and rocker covers.

Where are you located?

The VW shop here in Ft Lauderdale has decals that say "VWs don't leak oil, they're only marking their territory".

Russell, if you are not a VW savvy mechanic, or not even a person that is comfortable with general auto mechanical work, I would suggest a book called The Idiots Guide to Keeping your Volkswagen Alive. I am not suggesting that you are an idiot. I proudly claim that title. But it is a good book to learn about VWs. It is also just a fun read for people like myself who are borderline insane. And I sneak across the border all the time!It is available on Amazon.Com. Money well spent! It will talk you through brake problems and oil leaks. If your engine has been sitting in storage for a while, the pushrod tube seals often get died out and will leak. Happy motoring!

Hello from stockton california (aka satans armpit)

well for an update...I got one of my oil leaks fixed, turns out my oil temp/oilpressure sending unit was barely screwed in. I do not how it got loose I had to disasemble it to get it tightened again. Also got my headers welded up and my muffler refastened(it nearly fell off yesterday) I was going to just buy a pair of used headers and put them on but apparentley I do not have a stock set of headers. My flange from headers to muffler only has two bolts, took it to bugformance and the lady there politley told me that I was going to end up spending a lot of maoney for custom headers. Well forget that I have a friend with a muffler shop and he had all exhaust leaks and the headers fixed in like 30 minutes for the price of lunch.

Well that was how I spent my day off, and my engine has not sounded this good in a long time (since my grandfather got it I think) it no longer sounds like the engine is in your lap, still sounds great though. well gotta go people talk at ya later.

Don't over tighten the oil press fitting that goes into the block.

In my early Corvair days I referred to my oil leaks as the "full flush system". You keep adding oil - really cheap back then - and you never need an oil change. Think about it - one new quart of oil added every 1000 miles equals a complete oil change every 4000 to 5000 miles.

Air cooled cars do not have to leak oil. It's a sloppy builder that has come to accept it.

In my experience air cooled VW engines will all eventually leak; even factory OEM ones.... Granted it's also a question of degrees; they shouldn't be gushing oil all over the place but some drips are normal.

With a good oil trail, you can always find your way back home !