Date:         Mon, 26 Sep 1994 09:15:46 -0400 (EDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         drahzal@c1south.convex.com (Matthew Drahzal)
Subject:      Re: Oil sprays all over my rear ...

> 
> Hi,
> I kind-of have a problem with my vanagon.  It is a 1982 diesel and I seem
> almost unable to get the thing to stop spraying oil droplets all over my
> rear ... or the vanagon's rear, at least.  I also seem rather unable to really

Hmm. Time for the Stephen Smiths and Matthew Drahzals of the world to help...

1) Repeat after me. "I like diesel engines"
 (30 MPG, zero maintenance, no emissions inspection, no computer,
    48 Mighty HP, no chance of speeding tickets...)

Right off the bat, you can try the *easy* things. Check the two bolts which
hold the oil-filler nozzle to the pan. They are allen bolts I believe.

After you find that these nuts are tight (and you will), its time to 
check the valve cover gasket. It costs about $6 bucks. Once you
find that this is shattered (and it will be), you can fix it. (This 
is not your main problem though)

Next, its time to replace the seals. Probably the front seals, which on the
Vanagon, are in the back. It cost me about $224 to get them replaced.

Why are the seals shot?  Because, in NuBus, I had wicked blow-by. The
diesel has a much higher (3X?) compression ratio than the gasoline engines.
So, before you do any of this, check to see if you are having wicked blow-by.
(Air blowing past the rings and into the "bottom" of the engine.)

The symptoms on NuBus were

  1) When I drove with the oil-filler cap loose, I got oil blown out the 
filler tube and all over the engine {Due to the pressure in the engine}

  2) When the Crankcase Ventilation hose was disconnected, loads of air
was continously blown-out.

If you have wicked blow-by, the new valve-cover gasket will get blown-out,
and the new seals will not hold. There is just too much pressure for them.
And according to the Parts Place Catalog (aka Recylced inc.), the blow-by can
force oil up throught the PCV valve and into the air-filter, and then
the oil from the air-filter can be drawn into the cyclinders during the 
intake stroke, and this oil will act as fuel, causing uncontrollable RPMs.

I spent $$$ to get the seals replaced. It stopped the leaks, but 2 weeks
later the engine blew up good. I then spent $1K to have a different 
diesel engine put in.  I can now put it in the garage with *no* stains
on the floor.

I think we need a "Diesel leaks Oil FAQ"...

Matthew
drahzal@convex.com
'82 Diesel