# Wagon owner with ground breaking 2.8 oil leak Q's...



## sounds good (Sep 26, 2006)

I just bought a 05' passat wagon with 44K on the ticker... 

Ive been reading more and more about the PCV system failures and it being the root cause of oil leaks..

What I know..

Oil leaks commonly from timing adjuster and head gaskets
suction pump and associated lines are prone to clogging... 


my question is, i would like to do some preventative maintenance and be onto of these things before failure... 

~I am not getting burning oil smell, so how do i know when to change these things?

~If i am getting small leakage now, will changing them stop the leakage? or are the seals toast? 
maybe those crazy german engineers designed the system to "weep" some oil...? 

~Is it dependent on which side the oil is leaking from... for example, pass. side means PCV system, driver side means something else.




thanks guys... i hope this dent turn into a headache...


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## O_o (Nov 12, 2009)

sounds good said:


> ~I am not getting burning oil smell, so how do i know when to change these things?


When you have to top it up with more than a quart between oil changes.



sounds good said:


> ~If i am getting small leakage now, will changing them stop the leakage? or are the seals toast?


Leakage where? If it's coming from the valve cover, or is disappearing into the engine, then it's probable that refreshing the PCV system will cure it.



sounds good said:


> maybe those crazy german engineers designed the system to "weep" some oil...?


Ha! No engine is designed to leak oil, unless it's a Wankel, 2-stroke, or old GM small-block... The 30V is pretty much bulletproof though, so if you're losing a little oil, it's not the end of the world.



sounds good said:


> ~Is it dependent on which side the oil is leaking from... for example, pass. side means PCV system, driver side means something else.


Nope.


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## sounds good (Sep 26, 2006)

O_o said:


> Ha! No engine is designed to leak oil, unless it's a Wankel, 2-stroke, or old GM small-block... The 30V is pretty much bulletproof though, so if you're losing a little oil, it's not the end of the world.



Everything is built to fail at a certain point... it might not be convenient... for example.. a shaft driven by gears... the gears might be made of plastic or soft metal. although hard steel makes more sense.. the plastic gears would allow them to strip or sheer off if the shaft is locked up. 

it would be less money and time to replace a gear than a shaft... 

I have not changed a head gasket on the 30v, but it sounds like a relatively easy job... I think they designed it that way.. 

anyhow.. thanks for your great info... 



It sounds like the blockage problem is stemmed from cold temps and condensation... would it be crazy to change the suction pump every spring? 

what about the "updated" vented oil fill cap, did the addition of that part help the problem? My wagon is a 2005 would my oil cap be the vented one?


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## O_o (Nov 12, 2009)

sounds good said:


> Everything is built to fail at a certain point... it might not be convenient... for example.. a shaft driven by gears... the gears might be made of plastic or soft metal. although hard steel makes more sense.. the plastic gears would allow them to strip or sheer off if the shaft is locked up.
> 
> it would be less money and time to replace a gear than a shaft...
> 
> ...


I've never pulled the head on a 30V, but I don't think it's easy. Just thinking about the layout, I'm pretty sure the engine would have to come out, or at least be jacked up a foot or so...

It would be excessive to change the suction pump every spring. If your PCV system is clean, it will be fine for as long as the original parts lasted. Blauparts and a few other places (MGM Autohaus, ECS Tuning...) have various PCV kits (hoses only, or pumps and valves included) for a semi-reasonable price. They're just cheap plastic flex hoses, but it's nice and convenient to everything you'll need in one box, shipped to your door. It's a common problem with this engine, so if the mileage is high, it probably needs doing anyway, and there's a good chance it will stop your oil leak/consumption.

I think all MY 2003+ s have the vented cap from the factory, but I'm not sure.


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## tryin2vw (Dec 30, 2006)

I have changed the heads on my AHA V6. The head gasket is not difficult, but it is a full day job. It entails doing a complete timing belt job, then removing the intake manifold, all of the PCV system, the coolant header, the SAIP and the exhaust. Then the specialty tool for the head bolts is used to back out the bolts. New bolts must be used as they are stretch and single use. The head bolts are torqued to about 45ft-lbs, then 90 degrees, then 90 degrees again to get the right torque. A head gasket kit is about $130 iirc.

Be organized, have the right tools and it will go ok. Have the complete timing belt change kit available, with G12 coolant, water pump, tensioner, tensioner roller and idler roller. Do not use the Blau serpentine belt as it will fail after about 20K miles. There are DIY's around for changing a head.


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## sounds good (Sep 26, 2006)

Maybe i am thinking to far out of the box, but i remember when i had my F150 Lightning one popular DIY mod was to install a water catch made for air tools in line with the PCV system to catch water before it entered the supercharger... 

Could this possibly help the with the problem in the 2.8 system?


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## sounds good (Sep 26, 2006)

kind of like this... i mispoke.. its to remove oil from the PCV system... perfect for the 30v 2.8



what do you guys think... i might give it a shot... 

http://forums.focaljet.com/forced-induction-nitrous/511853-diy-oil-seperator.html

and ..


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## O_o (Nov 12, 2009)

tryin2vw said:


> I have changed the heads on my AHA V6.


Huh. I'm surprised there's enough room to clear the studs before the head hits the frame.


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## O_o (Nov 12, 2009)

sounds good said:


> Maybe i am thinking to far out of the box, but i remember when i had my F150 Lightning one popular DIY mod was to install a water catch made for air tools in line with the PCV system to catch water before it entered the supercharger...
> 
> Could this possibly help the with the problem in the 2.8 system?


Yeah, a lot of people like to use catch cans. I personally think they're more of a PITA than they're worth.


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## tryin2vw (Dec 30, 2006)

O_o said:


> Huh. I'm surprised there's enough room to clear the studs before the head hits the frame.


To what studs and frame do you refer?


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## sounds good (Sep 26, 2006)

O_o said:


> Yeah, a lot of people like to use catch cans. I personally think they're more of a PITA than they're worth.


 Oh wow, that's great. I wonder how well they work and where they install them. Would you install it before the suction pump so that protects only the pump or install it where is the pcv system exits the engine and protect the whole system....

I might give it a try because those parts for air tools for fairly cheap and if it gives you piece of mind then it would be worth it imo


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## O_o (Nov 12, 2009)

tryin2vw said:


> To what studs and frame do you refer?


I derped. I was picturing removing the blocks, not heads.


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## O_o (Nov 12, 2009)

sounds good said:


> Oh wow, that's great. I wonder how well they work and where they install them. Would you install it before the suction pump so that protects only the pump or install it where is the pcv system exits the engine and protect the whole system....
> 
> I might give it a try because those parts for air tools for fairly cheap and if it gives you piece of mind then it would be worth it imo


How well they work depends on how well it separates the gunk from the air. I don't really know that much about it, and I don't know the best place to insert one, or if location even matters, other than to say that it needs to be accessible so you can drain it. The point is not to protect your PCV hoses though, but to stop it from dumping gunk into your intake and messing up your intake valves. I just don't see there being enough of a benefit, especially for port-injected engines, to overcome the annoyance of having to drain it every few days. Especially in the middle of winter.


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