After switch to synthetic my motor is leaking like crazy

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kickster

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I have a 1990 golf 1.8 8v. It has 250K KM on it.
3 weeks ago I switched to AMSOIL 5W50 and ever since it is leaking oil from the back of the engine. There is always a oil spot under my car ( cap full worth) it only leak while it is running. I have already replaced the valve cover gasket. The oil leak is from somewhere back of the motor. I cant figure out where!

Is it worth adding an over the counter leak stop additives?

I cant use ARX since the oil is only 3 weeks old. I am not about to waste $50 worth of finr synthetic oil and Mann filter.
 
That spot that's leaking probably had a "seal" of crud keeping the oil away from the actual seal. Give the new oil time...the superior detergents are cleaning the crud out of there and components in the oil will recondition the seal and allow it to seal as good as mechanically possible given the age and condition of the seal.


Ken
 
Sounds like you might want to give auto-rx a shot.
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No knock on Amsoil, but your car is German...it wants the Green Elixer...your car is not leaking...it is...well...ummm...it is actually crying
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quote:
Originally posted by pscholte:
No knock on Amsoil, but your car is German...it wants the Green Elixer...your car is not leaking...it is...well...ummm...it is actually crying
wink.gif

Click to expand...
Reminds me of "OIL LEAK!!!!......WHAT OIL LEAK?. That is just sweat, from all that horsepower!".
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What...nobody else listens to budweiser radio commercials?
cheers.gif
 
Drain, do the rx, and reuse the amsoil after you're done. If it's leaking that bad, you'll go through the amsoil before the next change, have payed a lot for nothing, and your car will still be leaking.
 
quote:
Originally posted by goodvibes:
Drain, do the rx, and reuse the amsoil after you're done. If it's leaking that bad, you'll go through the amsoil before the next change, have payed a lot for nothing, and your car will still be leaking.
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I second what GoodVibes said. You'll get rid of that leak, and not waste all that good oil.
 
Just yesterday, I posted the oil requirements of my '89 1.8 VW motor. It's the same I-4 8v engine like in the Golf. That 0W-X and 5W-X weak sauce will always find a way out of that engine. The manual suggests 15W-50 and 20W-50.

PS: Sorry for the accidental double post.

[ July 02, 2004, 11:03 PM: Message edited by: moribundman ]
 
quote:
Originally posted by moribundman:
Just yesterday, I posted the oil requirements of my '89 1.8 VW motor. It's the same I-4 8v engine like in the Golf. That 0W-X and 5W-X weak sauce will always find away out of that engine. The manual suggests 15W-50 and 20W-50.

PS: Sorry for the accidental double post.
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Needs a thicker viscosity?...that is understandable, if that is the way the motor was engineered...0W-X and 5W-X is "weak sauce?"...never!
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Well, I had two Sciroccos, both liked to leak oil, especially the lower viscosities. I eventually ended up using 5w-40 in my '89, but it always leaked oil from various spots. Even the headgasket was "weeping." Back then I didn't know much about oil, and I just went with what was considered the latest synthetic. I believe it was BP Strato 5W-40. In retrospect, I should have probably gone with a thicker oil, which is what my mechanic always told me. Maybe I wouldn't have had to replace the valve stem seals every 70k miles?
 
quote:
Originally posted by moribundman:
Well, I had two Sciroccos, both liked to leak oil, especially the lower viscosities. I eventually ended up using 5w-40 in my '89, but it always leaked oil from various spots. Even the headgasket was "weeping." Back then I didn't know much about oil, and I just went with what was considered the latest synthetic. I believe it was BP Strato 5W-40. In retrospect, I should have probably gone with a thicker oil, which is what my mechanic always told me. Maybe I wouldn't have had to replace the valve stem seals every 70k miles?
Click to expand...
moribundman,

Understand completely...in cases like you describe, SLX or M1 5W30 won't work...just don't believe they are in any way inferior in applications for which they are suited.
cheers.gif
 
Try going back to a petro oil to see what happens, replacing seals has to cost more than an oil change,unless it a valve cover or something very simple.
 
this is an all-too-common problem. I ruined the engines in a Dodge and a VW Jetta diesel doing the same thing. (I'm a slow learner - the first one didn't teach me)The higher detergent levels in the synthetic cleans out all the seals. You gotta reseal the engine. Both main seals gotta be replaced.
 
I had a '85 Golf with the 1.8 8V I bought new and can confirm these engines don't like thin oils. Use of cheap dino 5w30 will result in about 3lbs of oil pressure when hot at idle, as soon as the oil shears out of grade a little.

I replaced the valve cover gasket and the oil pan gasket (super easy on these engines) at about 90K and all my oil leaks went away. Used Mobil1 most of it's life, but as the car got to be about 15 years, with 150K miles I tried economizing with dinos. This is how I discovered how poor of quality some of these 5w30 dinos could be(shearing).

My main rear seal never leaked, so maybe you should look into replacing the oil pan gasket and/or giving AutoRX a try if you think the rear main seal is leaking.

[ July 03, 2004, 09:54 AM: Message edited by: 427Z06 ]
 
I also had a 1985 Golf with the 1.8 8V and the only place where it leaked seriously was the valve cover. Replaced it twice in about 110,000 miles. Easy to do
smile.gif
. The oil pan gasket would "weep" and I just tightened bolts ocassionally. It was never enough to change the gasket. As I recall I ran 10W-30 Castrol GTX in the colder weather and Castrol GTX 10W-40 in the warm weather. I don't recall them asking for a 5w-xx oil or even a 15/20W-50 oil Of course I haven't had the car for 9 years so my memory could be a bit fuzzy
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.

Whimsey
 
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