05 jetta tdi BEW oil leak

hi all,

I have a 05 jetta wagon BEW engine and I have an oil leak on the back side of the engine. It seems to be leaking quite a bit, and its been leaking for quite some time (~1 year). I've only looked at it from the bottom so far. My biggest concern is that it leaks on the exhaust manifold and it really stinks (can't handle the smell any more). In the winter it doesn't smell, it only seams to smell when there is low cabin pressure. I thought it was exhaust so I changed the pipes out of the muffler to straight pipes past the bumper. Didn't help.

Any way last weekend I removed the valve cover, checked the seal (looked good, no visible signs of leaking), cleaned and put it back on. No change in the leaking.

So what I've read the intake manifold could be the culprit. My question is. Is it normal for that much oil to be in the intake manifold? It seems like quite a bit. Will replacing the gasket solve my problem?

Thanks for listening to my rambling. This VW could be the last with all the problems it's had. The first three were stellar.

Check the tandem pump. If its all wet underneath it then the pump is leaking.

a victor reinz (sp?) german made valve cover gasket is only 14 dollars from napa. I would change it out, they get hardened over time.

thanks guys. pretty sure it's not the valve cover after inspecting. is it really possible for the tandem pump to leak and the oil make it's way to the exhaust manifold?

checking this weekend.

If it's leaking out of the exhaust manifold, you may want to have the valve guides checked in the engine. I am going thought the same issue as we speak.

If your tandem pump is leaking, it could also be diluting your oil with diesel fuel, which could cause wear to your cam bearings..


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had a look on the weekend. only the two exhaust manifold studs closest to the tandem pump are wet. the two closest to the timing belt seem to be dry.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5rrgSqhavTacjZ4WTdUcFNDMms/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5rrgSqhavTaNGNLak42d24yUms/edit?usp=sharing

here is what I saw.

(tried to insert pictures, but didn't work. i think the links work)