I give up! - advice on who can help - oil everywhere post rebuild

Hi all

I am at the end of my tether. Last year I had my 1600 twin port seize, so rebuilt it myself over the winter on a new autolinea case with reground crank and new bearings etc. The engine had an oil cooler on it. I was advised by the engine people to fit a maxi3 pump as part of the rebuild. So, I thought I had made one mistake in the rebuild which was the pressure relief valves in the wrong way round. With help from Mike and others on the forum I thought that was sorted. Next I came up against fuel pressure problems as I run twin 40 carbs with fuel leaking from the carbs so I fitted this weekend a new electric fuel pump. Today I fire it it up and after 500 yds there is smoke everywhere, but its not exhaust smoke its smoke from oil coming out apparently all over the place, but massively from what appears to be behind the pulley. After so much working on it I have to admit defeat. Does anyone know a garage or mechanic who they could recommend near to me (South Devon- Totnes) who could take this on and sort for me. Thanks all.

 

Sorry its giving you trouble.

Im crap at technical stuff.

Hopefully someone will be along who can recommend some local to you in South Devon / Totnes.

Stick with it

 

I feel for you. It’s heartbreaking when that sort of thing happens. Probably hard to imagine but It will get fixed and all will be good again. I’m sure there’s a lot of good people down that way. And the good people on here will recommend someone I’m sure. Hang in there.

 

Oil pump is behind the pulley. Does it have a pump take-off for the cooler? Maybe it came off? Hang it there until you can look more calmly.

 

Good advice. You’ve come this far and know what you’re doing (unlike any “mechanic” you’re likely to find). Take a break, then get stuck in again

 

I googled maxi3 pump and it is a take-off pump, flow and return.
I've found I need to use loctite for brass fittings into aluminium/alloy to stop them leaking in the past so use it every time now. That wouldn't be a big leak though.
Or you left a clip loose?

 

That might be a poss. Any oil that hits the exhaust will produce great clouds of smoke. Impressive, but may not be a catastrophe.

 

Perhaps it is something simple like an oil pipe came off the push on fitting when pressure is high on startup?

Take a break, as others have said.

Like blood, a little spilt oil, goes a long long way.

 

As I have found, spilt brake fluid is perhaps even worse.

 

I bypassed my oil filter head running up the engine on the stand using cheap hose, and after 15mins the hose split from end to end, pumping oil onto the hot exhaust. You literally couldn’t see the engine any more. It vanished from view in a great cloud of smoke...

 

Thanks guys, but it's not the hose I am pretty sure. There is oil dripping down into the little gulley in the tinware below the pulley and the engine bay is getting covered with it when it's running. I guess as its under pressure it could but who knows. I have searched garages locally but am not finding much in the way of expertise. I think it's best I have someone who really knows look at this for me though as I can't afford the time and would like someone who really knows their stuff I.e. Not me to look it over. Any thoughts on who or where?

 

Overfilled with oil.

But thats probably the carburettors leaking petrol...

Check the dipstick level...

Or the pump cover bolts have stripped the thread in the original AS41case as these use bolts where studs were originally fitted. On mine I "found" some more thread with fitting bolts that are 5mm longer on the left two holes where the cover plate is thicker.

However on an I see you have an Autolinea new case ..the tapped threads are shallower and you torque it up onto the bolts bottoming out rather than pressing properly onto the pump body so it pukes oil..did that quietly at TE a couple of years back ....shortened the bolts a bit now Ok

 

I did crack my Maxi3 cover when I overtightened the pipe fittings, but saved it permanently with JB Weld... I do have a complete spare lying around.

 

Oh and if the carbs leak with high fuel pressure, the pressure from a full tank can also enough be enough to defeat them overnight. Some pump designs block inlet pressure from the outlet, others allow it to bleed through the valves in the pump.

You may have done better with a SSP mechanical pump and a shutoff solenoid.

 

OK so I know less than most on here when it comes to the business end, but the state of our 1600 TP bus when we bought it came to mind with your last post ... Apparently there's a little "doodad" near the pulley that "chucks oil back in" and can easily be fitted back to front making it "chuck oil out" instead ... about as technical sounding as a rose petal but sometimes it's "left-field" that helps

 

Give https://www.southwestsplitz.com/ a call, just south of Exter

 

Try this link - it should a a google map of vw based garages.


https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa...2188&spn=26.256274,56.162109&z=4&source=embed

 

If oil comes out from the pulley, it means there is pressure inside the engine, or the oil level is extremely high.
Check on the dipstick.

If the oil level is high you still have a petrol leak from the carbs or you overfilled it or it just ran back from the oil filter into the engine while it was stopped. (shouldnt do that, the whole thing should be airtight so the oil should stay put .. does on mine)

You do need to make an allowance for the volume of the filter when you top up at first - between 0.5 and 1.0 litre extra dependent on the filter size and the length of oil pipe - mine needs 3.5L to completely fill with a small filter, 4.0 with a FRAM HP-1.

Breather pipe : Check the breather pipe is not kinked .

If the oil level is normal, do a compression test. Make sure there is not problem with a gas leak past one of the pistons.

Wipe down and check where the oil is really coming from

So at the moment this is just an external oil leak - if it is smoking on the exhaust it is spraying somewhere if its not the rocker covers .

I reckon you have just misinstalled the oil pump or its connections.


Break the problem down step by step.

 

The oilway arrowed is the path back to the sump for oil that flows out of that side of the bearing. Might you have inadvertently blocked it with case sealant? If it is blocked the oil has nowhere to go other that past the oil thrower, past the spiral on the pully and you know the rest.


There is another at the other end of the camshaft, if that one is blocked the bearing has no flow on the outer part and will seize.

 

I'd have another go rebuilding with what you have learned. If it's as simple as that oilway blocked it would be nuts to pay someone else essentially to take it apart and put it back together? Not like you haven't done it before - if that was a first time you'll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is second time, you've done 99% of the work/parts etc already.