Substantial oil which looks like it's coming from or being blown in front of the passenger side valve cover on the VW thing. Left side, pretty clean.
And....... Go.
By the way, definitely leaking at the axle boot passenger. There are no hose clamps at the trans boot or wheel boot.
How do you get trans fluid in a VW gearbox? The Spyder bolt is facing up. I feel like it will just drain if I take this fill bolt out
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There's a bolt on the driver's side that come out. Fill it until some starts to run out of that hole.
Either that or turn it upside down and use the hole on the bottom.
Hahaha.
Found a rigged way to get clamps back on that side without them.
Oil change, spark plugs, wires...... Maybe timing today.
If it's the CV joint you'd have to remove that axle and take it apart, clean up, re grease the CV joints and swap the axle boots. I would do both in the axle at the same time; if one is gone, the other one is probably going soon; heck, I'd probably do both axles. Also, make sure your transaxle fluid fill hole can be taken off and accessed before draining the existing oil.
@Impala posted:Also, make sure your transaxle fluid fill hole can be taken off and accessed before draining the existing oil.
Wise words worth repeatIng. What could be worse than draining your trans only to find you can’t get the fill plug out? Plus, according to Murphy’s law, doing it this way will ensure you never have a problem with the drain plug. 
The best alternative use for my Motive pressurized brake bleeder I’ve found has been filling transaxles. I remove the brake fluid reservoir cap and replaced it with a length of copper rubbing bent about 160° to form a hook, which goes into the filler hole (and stays). Give it a few pumps and wait until the gear lube starts coming out the hole.
pro tip: do it on a hot afternoon or you’ll be waiting forever.
@Chris MacDonald posted:Hahaha.
Found a rigged way to get clamps back on that side without them.
I was once greeted by a large puddle of gear lube when I rolled my Spyder out of the storage unit where I keep it. Opening up the clamshell I saw one of my clamps had broken.
Replaced the worn boots and I didn’t like the slotted hose clamps that came with the new set so I bought some solid SS thin-band clamps from CAP Hardware. Pretty easy to replace on a Spyder, but I still had to undo them all the way and reconnect them.
ps: last time I had a VC leak it was because I re-used a set of cork gaskets when I adjusted my valves. I guess there’s a reason they come in packs of 6-8
Sorry dlear, this is my wife's VW Thing. From the rear, looking at the axle, I fixed it but when cleaning it up, we noticed a bigger hole facing from the front.
We bought new parts (which are taking forever to get here) to just replace the whole passenger side, rear axle.
It's still leaking oil somewhere but appears to be on the top of the engine. Valve covers don't appear to be the source.
"...but appears to be on the top of the engine"
I'd put my money on the oil cooler or its pedestal in the fan shroud. Ask me how I know.
Bingo!!! What Lane says ☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️Could be just the 4 oil cooler seals or the oil cooler itself. I put my money on the seals.
@Lane Anderson posted:"...but appears to be on the top of the engine"
I'd put my money on the oil cooler or its pedestal in the fan shroud. Ask me how I know.
I had nightmares about that when I put my TypeIV oil cooler on as part of my Thing shroud install. Beginner’s luck I guess. They haven’t leaked a drop.
@Lane Anderson posted:"...but appears to be on the top of the engine"
I'd put my money on the oil cooler or its pedestal in the fan shroud. Ask me how I know.
Didn't you have a porous casting that was leaking?
Yup, the oil cooler pedestal. Oil spray coated everything in the engine compartment. It would have been great rustproofing on a steel-bodied car.
@Lane Anderson posted:Yup, the oil cooler pedestal. Oil spray coated everything in the engine compartment. It would have been great rustproofing on a steel-bodied car.
I once forgot to replace the fill cap on my Alfa after an oil change. Same-same.
What a mess.
I had a Miata with a bad oil sender located below on the upper block below the exhaust manifold, Removed the bad one, replaced with new one by feeling where the hole was to start the threads then tightened in place. Started the engine and 4 quarts of oil shot across the garage floor....sacrificing a large throw rug to stop the oil spill. I had caught a female head boss hole and not the actual sender threaded hole :~)
