Oil leaking from timing case

[gfish]

HI all,

Just had a pre-purchase inspection done and a few things were picked up. The biggest one was that oil was weeping from the timing belt case. The mechanic said he wiped it and it was Diesel oil. He said it is not uncommmon! (his exclamation mark) and that if he was to guess, maybe they lived on a dirt road and dust got it there.

Anyone had any experience with this?

Its a GTD, MY12. Maybe it won;t be an issue but hoping it doesn't signal big expenses in the future...

[gldgti]

That appears to make very little sense. The comment regarding a dirt road is alarming, I have no idea how anyone could make a link between an (apparrent) fuel leak from near the timing belt end of the engine and dust.

My primary advise would be to get a second appraisal.

[Snail Style]

Ummmm there is no front timing case on a GTD.... They have a front main plate/seal which bolts to the block and oil sump. Never seen any 2.0tdi leak from that location and I don't see how dirt roads are going to cause an issue to that seal at all...

Get a second opinion or just a new mechanic.

[The One]

Is this the same clown that told you that GTD's have excessive turbo failures at low kms as listed in this thread: http://www.vwwatercooled.com/forums/...ue-103319.html

#timetoditchthisguy #evenamechanic?

[gfish]

Different guy! I avoided the turbo problem guy because he was twice the cost of others, besides giving that suspect turbo advice.

I got most of this information via one telephone convo with him ('m overseas, wife and father in law dealing with everything). Wasn't the best reception either.. very frustrating.

Below is an image of what the latest mechanic wrote in the report. He said he has never(or rarely) seen this type of leak and gave the area a wipe with a rag to try and detect what the leaking substance was, in his words, "diesel oil". He then said the leak wasn't a major issue and can wait to be dealt with until 120,000 service. Car has done just over 50K.

He also flagged a few other things that were wrong, which the dealer said that they would fix (car hasn't had Roadworthy done yet). He said the car would be worth what we are paying, which made me feel good and besides some slight cosmetic damage, it drives great, No errors came up on the computer (VAGCOM?).

The dirt comment was just him trying to find a reason for why the gasket/seal (I said gasket, he didn't disagree) for how oil was leaking, "maybe they did a lot of driving on dirt roads and dirt crept in there". It didn't make a lot of sense to me either.

The place he worked for came highly recommended on this (& other VW) forums and they know their VW's, if their name is any indication.


He also said the windscreen wouldn't pass roadworthy. Dealer said if it doesn't, it will need to be replaced.

[gldgti]

The thing is, if it really is a fuel leak, its pretty irresponsible to say it'll be right for the next 70,000km.

If its just engine oil, it could have got there any number of ways - even just servicing spillage during the fill!

Everything else on that list looks like normal wear and tear... though rear shocks leaking at such low km might indicate rough road driving, a lack of mehcanical sympathy on the part of the previous owners, or something similar.

[gfish]

The thing is, if it really is a fuel leak, its pretty irresponsible to say it'll be right for the next 70,000km.

If its just engine oil, it could have got there any number of ways - even just servicing spillage during the fill!

Thanks for the reply.
Your post got me a little worried as it'll be my wife's (& newborns) main form of transport. I just did a quick Google and there were some MK6 TDI recalls due to fuel leaks/risk of fire.

The mechanic definitely said it was "diesel oil" (I assume this means fuel, not engine oil).

Dealer said it would be fixed but I have lost a little trust...
Bit concerned now as I'm still overseas and poor wife has to deal with all of this.

Thanks again guys. Awesme help, very much appreciated. Just became subscriber to vwwatercooled right now.

Maybe I should get another inspection after 'fix'?

[Umai Naa!!]

I would probably refer it on to a reputable VW specialist for a third opinion.

[Snail Style]

Pretty sure GTD's don't have battery covers either.
Coolant flush wouldn't be needed unless it has something other than G12/g13+ (something other than pink) in it.
Shockers aren't common but are likely if the owner was on gravel/dirt roads giving them a good workout often(dirt road can be an excuse there ).
The guy meant an oil leak when he described diesel oil, diesel oil is very dark and stains badly. However I'd still be having a closer look at the leak.
Windscreens are very hard to be unroadworthy now in Victoria, scratches have to be quite big and in the driver's wiper arc. Chips have to be over a certain size and in the driver's arc or through both sheets. But most dealers will fit a new screen anyway.

[gldgti]

Thanks for the reply.
Your post got me a little worried as it'll be my wife's (& newborns) main form of transport. I just did a quick Google and there were some MK6 TDI recalls due to fuel leaks/risk of fire.

The mechanic definitely said it was "diesel oil" (I assume this means fuel, not engine oil).

Dealer said it would be fixed but I have lost a little trust...
Bit concerned now as I'm still overseas and poor wife has to deal with all of this.

Thanks again guys. Awesme help, very much appreciated. Just became subscriber to vwwatercooled right now.

Maybe I should get another inspection after 'fix'?

Don't be too alarmed by it - a diesel fuel leak is not a high risk like a petrol leak, but on principle alone you just wouldn't leave it be (if that is actually what it is).

If its not a budget blowout, get a different opinion as others have recommended.

regarding the battery cover - ALL golfs and golf platform cars from the mk5 onward have had them.

[Greg Roles]

The GTD engine has the fuel filter on the timing cover ( drivers ) end, so a fuel leak in any of the four hoses could leave residue down low, and diesel plus road grime could equal sludge buildup. So too Aydan is onto it, the oil filler through the stock engine cover is prone to dribbling oil down the timing end of the engine. That said my now ex GT TDI always had oil weep from the turbo oil feed line, nothing major, but by 50kms, it would be showing down the back of the engine. It was never enough to bother me personally.

Any decent roadworthy would require oil leaks to be repaired, and having just gone through this myself, you could reasonably put it back onto the seller to get it diagnosed properly and fixed.

As Snail has said the Golf comes with lifetime coolant, and you only top it up when doing water pumps etc.

GTD's have the fabric battery cover as far as I can recall, guess the mechanic has seen the better full plastic boxes on the other VW's and assumed this was missing and only the fabric insulation remained? No big deal.

[The One]

If it has any sort of 'leak' on/inside/near the timing cover, I would not be leaving it @ 50,000kms and waiting until 120,000kms, first of all timing belt on these is 105,000/7 years, next thing is if it is actually leaking oil/diesel into the timing belt, over time (not a long length of time!) the oil will eat away at the timing belt. It should also be noted that leaking of diesel fuel onto or near the drivebelt will deteriorate it very quickly, resulting in it breaking apart and very likely shooting into the timing cover, lodging between the crankshaft and timing belt, causing the timing belt to jump many, many teeth (same deal with the alternator pulley seizing, doing the same thing! so you deffs need a third opinion, from a knowledgeable specialist!

Others have already said what you need to know about the coolant and shocks, so I won't even begin to re-write the bible about these things..

[gfish]

Thanks all. Dealer is fixing everything before we pick up the car and we are then going back to where we got it done so they can re-inspect and make sure dealer's promises were kept. He has been a rather good dealer (even threw in new set of tyres) as wife was told that they were new when she did the first test drive (she was a bit naive and didn't look closely).

Thanks again for all advice, I'll let you all know what happened this coming Friday.

[Ryeman]

Seeing TBH's car has a belt driven cam which is lubricated by the engine oil I'm wondering if belts are oil resistant these days.

[Johnnojack]

Could be mistaking oil leaking from the intercooler pipe as coming from cam cover, or could be turbo oil return pipe leaking. Oil has a habit of moving in strange directions under the influence of air pressure around an engine.