Woke to find a small oil leak under the Porsche vent tube so Kath and I drove White Cloud to Wallyworld to purchase some ramps so I can diagnose and maybe even resolve the "leak"
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C'mon, Will! White Cloud was just excited to see you!
Bear in mind that, unless you have either a type 4 engine, or a so-called "Sand Seal" in a type 1, it is really normal for type 1 engines, especially anything larger than a 1,776cc, to push a bit of oil past the crankshaft slinger (right behind the crankshaft pulley) and/or out past the filler/vent tube. That's why they HAD a vent tube. ALL old VW's dripped oil from the vent tube - our larger engines are pros at it.
Refresh our memories with your engine size and what it has for a breather box/can, if any, so we can all offer opinions on high buck solutions, but in the meantime, it's NOT a big deal. Put a leak-mat under it.
Gordon's right, Will, any VW engine with the road vent tube (designed and built before emissions were a going concern) is going to drip a little, which should have a one way valve (a rubber cap shaped kind of like a point, or dare I say nipple, with a slit near the end so oil can be pushed out but dirty road air can not enter) on the bottom of it. Either take the oil filler assembly off, cut off the tube and weld it shut or find a later model filler that doesn't have the vent tube. Does the car have a breather box of some sort on it?
Terry, love your sense of humor!
Gordon/Al, the leak is from the distributor shaft which is dumb since it has a new o-ring from Glenn Ring (he rebuilt it) but anyway...at least I found it.
It was my first guess since the oil seemed to be on the flat tin under the distributor but I looked at the sand seal/pulley, not a drop on the shaft or pulley, it has though, run down the pulley tin (from the distributor) to the bottom of the tin.
There is a tiny bit of oil from the vent-tube but so far I've had no luck locating the rubbber do-hickey that caps the end of the tube, the VW ones are too small. The 356 tube is 1" OD.
Breather is the 356 oil canister, you've probably seen the photos.
Well here goes, ....an "internet urban legend". I saw that it was recommended that you cut your drip tube on a 45 degree angle, with the long remaining side of the tube, facing the front end of your speedster.
Sounds like "what are you smokin" to me.
Now what I do remember, the guru's ( that's the smart guys, not me) here said unless you are 2.0 litre and above and driving hard, forget the breather box.
Art, I'm not a "hard" driver but my engine is 2110cc and I have a breather, of sorts.
I think I'm going to have my son machine an adapter that will fit inside the Porsche draft tube which will neck down a bit to allow the VW rubber nipple/thingy to fit on my car.
In theory, the rubber thingy only allows oil/mist/blow-by to pass through as the engine's running. When shut off, there should be no crankcase pressure and no dripping oil (other than what's in the draft tube at the time).
Makes sense to me. In Cali, my SB100, has to have a PCV, to meet the SPCNS requirements. I have an empi breather, thus the hanging hose, relieving pressure meets that requirement. Certainly cheaper than a smog test every 2 years, in perpetuity.
I am very intrigued by your oil canister breather and am going to purse that avenue vs. the empi box. It just looks so, well $%$#.
Is it really possible to stop a Type 1 VW or any Harley earlier than an Evo to not leak any oil?
Yes Frank, it is for an unspecified time but sooner or later they will leak. When i first assembled my engine I took great care to seal off all the places where there is a potential for a leak. Wouldn't you know....I get it running and tons of smoke are coming out of #2 exh port. back out with the engine, off with the head and cyl, and re-position the oil control ring assy. properly and back in again. Next was a unusual amount of blow-by in the breather box and mist spewing out around the pulley. A manometer test showed 7 " H20 ! at the dip stick tube. This was with what I thought was a good set of pistons and rings (Mahle). back out with the engine, off with the heads and cyls. and in with a set of Total Seal oil control rings. Alas ! No Blow-By ! None! Manometer now indicated .25 " H20. Now at 3000 miles, no leaks, no blow-by so far. I know you are aware of potential leaks from the two cyl. head studs inside your valve covers. I have found that a little HT Silicone gasket goop under and on top of those washers before the nut goes on takes care of that one. Considering that there is a seam right down through the bottom of the oil sump I'm always amazed that they don't leak more than they do ! It really is a when not an if.......
As far as the Harley's, I always thought it was a clever way to keep the chain oiled for those who don't like to maintain their ride !......Bruce
Just following this interesting thread
Well, turns out it was a funky (Chinese) distributor o-ring which is a BIG YAY! from me. No leaks now and Paso Steve and I are going for a putt tomorrow morning in our speedsters. Any Central Coast folks who want to join are welcome, we'll be leaving the Target area Starbucks around 9:30 am.