04 bew On and off oil leak

Liquidanthrax

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Location
New York
TDI
04 Jetta wagon
Ok so I want to start off by saying I know almost nothing about tdi’s but I just got one because I wanted a wagon and a reliable car. So now the car seems to have a little oil around the drain plug on the oil pan I can’t see any wet oil spots any where else. There is also oil in the intake pipe going to the intake. I’ve only put about 700 miles on the car since I got it so I’m watching it close. I have not left more than a couple drips in my drive way since I had the car but twice now I’ve stopped and found a six inch by six inch puddle under the car after I drove away stopped checked under the car no oil was dripping out one drop fell in two minutes of waiting. I have let the car run in place many times 45 minutes after I drove 50 miles just to try and make it do it and never seen anything. Any thoughts to what it could be should I replace the drain plug or just get new crush washer and wait to see if it happens again I plan on driving the car to Dallas from upstate ny and don’t want to blow the motor.
 

Tdijarhead

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 10, 2013
Location
Lawrenceville PA
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
A small amount of oil in the intake is normal.

Check around the drain plug, any chance the oil pan has a crack in it? These oil pans are cast aluminum and crack very easily. I have a dieselgeek skid plate on mine for just that reason.
 

Liquidanthrax

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Location
New York
TDI
04 Jetta wagon
I didn’t see any cracks I ran my hand on the bottom to see if I felt a crack I didn’t I’m going to have to get up close and check. There was a little bit of oil I seen it not a puddle thanks. Tdijarhead
 

Tdijarhead

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 10, 2013
Location
Lawrenceville PA
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
When I change my oil I put a bit of liquid gasket material on the plug to seal things up.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
BEWs are notorious for "sweating" oil down the back of the block. This is coming from the valve cover. Go in and snug up the bolts (SNUG, not gutentight) with a ratchet in one hand. Or if you've removed the valve cover for a cam inspection or what-have-you, put a small blob of black RTV at the corners where the humps are.

Could also be a rear main seal. Mine had a crack through the RMS housing that would dribble oil down the oil pan bolts. Sometimes would look like it was leaking from the drain plug. Replaced it last year while doing my clutch, no leaks since.
 

Liquidanthrax

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Location
New York
TDI
04 Jetta wagon
Still trying to figure out what would make the oil spot twice at random times and not all the time?
 
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BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Still trying to figure out what would make the oil spot twice at random times and not all the time?
Small leaks just do that. Since it's new to you, you might just monitor the dip stick for a while. Have you checked the drain plug is tight?
Once you get it sorted out you might consider a metal plate underneath.
 

scurvy

Good Ol' Boy
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Chicago IL USA
TDI
2006 Golf
After retightening my valve cover bolts, my PD stopped leaking oil.


Until the rear main seal housing got cracked when my oil pan broke on a chunk of concrete.





That one weeped oil down the oil pan bolts for 4 years until my wife had enough of it and forced a replacement. Naturally, I did the clutch at the same time. Now it's been dry as a bone for nearly a year.
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
Do you have a belly pan? Oil will collect and dump out if accelerating a little harder from a stop. That's the only explanation I have for an intermittent puddle.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
All the 4 cyl PDs sold here have a tendency to seep some oil at the rear (manifold) side of the valve cover, worse it seems towards the flywheel end.

Depending on how bad it is, the steps I take are:

1: snug the bolts... just a wee bit, not much at all.
2: replace the gasket...note that on some engines the replacement gasket will not work with the existing valve cover, you'll have to buy a new valve cover.
3: replace the valve cover.

This assumes that the tandem pump gasket is not leaking (another common spot) and that the tandem pump itself is not leaking (they can leak both oil and fuel...fuel leaks are typically much worse and more pronounced).
 

Wahlstrom

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2018
Location
Denmark
TDI
A4 B6 Avant 1.9 TDI AVF 6MT
I have replaced the valve cover gasket recently, the tandem pump was replaced two years ago or so..

Still wet in the rear manifold side.

Egr valve has been sealed and closed, as it also was leaking

Perhaps a new valve cover including gasket should be considered

I got the AVF engine
 
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