WBX Oil Leak Cures!

[Mojoh]

Last one before bed.

Loads and Loads of WBX engines are dripping oil. In fact, many engines are condemned because of this.
But before you get crazy with an oily garage floor, spend a few hours and fix it.
Nothing serious involved at all. Any DIY person can do this stuff.
Oil leaks are like blood, it looks terrible, even from the smallest scratch.

So here's a plan......

In almost all cases, these are the main points where a WBX engine leaks oil (all over the place!!!).

1. The Plastic Tower on top of the engine (the breather) is very guilty.
Replace the inner rubber ring and bolt it down with larger 6mm flat washers and self locking nuts.
We use the oil cooler rubber ring for this purpose (see No 4). A very good fix.
While there, replace the breather hose from the tower to the air cleaner.

2. The Distributor has an oil seal about an inch down from the base. Replace it. They all leak.

3. The Near Side (LHS) Rocker Cover is prone to rusting through and thus drips oil everywhere!

4. On later 1.9 and all 2.1 engines, the oil cooler is prone to leaking oil. A bit more complicated to fix,
but not rocket science. If you engine is more than 100K miles, this oil seal SHOULD be replaced.
They have a bad habit of going at the wrong time, normally somewhere in France for example.
We call this 'preventative maintenance'. While you are doing this job, replace the small 10mm water hoses
that surround it.

5. Oil Filler Pipe. We are struggling to find a replacement (any ideas??) , but the oil filler pipe is prone to rust and leaking oil.
Remove it when you are doing the oil change, clean it, paint it and replace it. If you are lucky, it will last another 10 years!..

6. Oil pump and Cover Plate. Last of the guilty is the oil pump. And they can leak!.... You have to remove the engine mountings
cross bar and support plate to get to it. Well worth the job once done... (do it with No 5).

You can actually do the entire job in under a day and have a remarkably clean WBX once again!....
usually they are as tight as tight....., hardly ever a drip, but the above points make a messy story out of a clean cut.

Hope this helps someone.

Mojoh.

[silverbullet]

Mojoh, do I detect a non-English speaker with an enviable command of our language? Good to have your input to the wbx scene!

[itchyfeet]

Nice summary MH

Push rod rube seals are another, telescopic tubes can be used to replace without removing heads.

[Mojoh]

Native English speaker gone rusty...... away for more than 20 years.
I'm struggling with Engish and other foreign bodies.

Back to the oil leaks. Those telescopic push rod tubes burst their seals after about one or two years.

I would only use them as a 'get me home' emergency.
I've experienced a lot of oil leaks from tubes on the old air cooled boxers, but not so much in the wbx.
Anyway, normally not as much trouble as the aforementioned (???) items.



Hope the Engish was understandable.

[silverbullet]

No offence meant!

[Mojoh]

My dear Silverbullet

No offense taken. You are absolutley right!......... my English Sucks, and so does my ............ !!!!