# Help! Engine leaking oil. Pics included.



## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

I actually was going to change my oil today and noticed a few spots of oil on the garage floor, so it's been leaking for a few days at the minimum. I put it up on ramps and took these photos.

Arrows mark the drip. I wiped it midway through because I didn't want to get oil on my camera. I labeled the sides as if you were in the driver's seat. There are two leaks: one with the arrows drawn to it, and another at the site of the drain plug.

Where is this coming from? I've never had a leak before. What should I do?












Here are some more photos. I went back under there with a flashlight and saw a lot more.














Someone in another thread recommended taking the engine cover off. Here is what I saw.









I posted this in the wrong forum and am posting it here now. Please let me know what you think. I really appreciate any input.


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## BertoC (Oct 10, 2011)

i guess no helped i have that issue aswell


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## bwdidwhat (Jul 19, 2011)

Oh snap, bro! Can't say I know what to tell you, but good luck with it. The pics honestly look like the oil came out of a loose oil cap. I'm terrible with angles though (have to be actually looking under the hood to figure out orientation), so I don't know if the fresh spots underneath would be possible from oil leaking up top.

Don't take any of that as fact, I have very limited experience with the 1.8t and I haven't personally dealt with this issue before.


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## boostingti4ever (May 17, 2011)

just check the oil return line because thats close to the axle, check the oil pan "gasket" which is just RTV. the stuff on the valve cover just seems to be old oil from a bad valve cover gasket. dont look related to me.


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## Dub-Nub (Sep 27, 2005)

oil on the CV shield is probably oil return line thats attached to turbo, or oil feed line..

Check the VVT gasket, check to see if you have fresh oil around the coolant flange on head (drivers side).

Oil coming out of space between gearbox and engine could be front main seal, oil running down when ur driving.

check oil filter for any excess oil


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## screwball (Dec 11, 2001)

Oil filter/housing and the Crank Position Sensor are pretty common leak points. The CPS leak on my own car was like this phantom leak I just couldn't find until a shop fixed it for me.


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## liloldbie (Jun 23, 2007)

Seems like it's a valve cover or head gasket leak to me. The back of my motor was covered in oil when I replaced my head and traced it back to a slow leaking head gasket. All new gaskets, no leaks now.


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## TheBossQ (Aug 15, 2009)

Based on the pics alone, I would say you have a clogged PCV system. When the crankcase can't vent through the PCV system, the first place it's going to vent is out of the oil cap and valve cover gasket. Those are the weakest seals. It can also come out of the oil pan gasket, but rarely before the others.


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## groggory (Apr 21, 2003)

My recommendation.

Use citrus foamy engine brite for a first pass on the whole engine. Spray it down.

Then attack it with purple power and a brush. Spray it down.

Let it dry. Drive it for a few days. Then look for fresh oil.

Diagnosing oil leaks from ugly old leaks is tricky and oftentimes misleading. I like a clean engine to figure them out.

 I just bought UV dye and a UV light to help me with future leak diagnosis. Yes, I'm a tool whore.


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## sabbySC (Dec 29, 2009)

check your valve cover gasket. feel the back of the cylinder head nearest to driver side of the car. I had identical symptoms when my valve cover gasket was leaking.


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## Downeywu (Apr 27, 2005)

you should replace that ziptie with an actual clamp for your pcv hose

your valve cover gasket is leaking...and check your oil filter/housing


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## rebjetta (Nov 5, 2004)

use a good degreaser clean it and put some baby powder on the motor and it will show you where the oil is leaking from by tracing to the source cheap and easy


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## sabbySC (Dec 29, 2009)

rebjetta said:


> use a good degreaser clean it and put some baby powder on the motor and it will show you where the oil is leaking from by tracing to the source cheap and easy


You don't need no baby powder. Just clean it once and watch, the more you know about your motor the better off you will be in the long run.


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## jettaglx91 (Jul 27, 2004)

I see this like every other day now since most 1.8T are pushing 6+yrs old and 100+k miles.

you need the following:

Valve cover gasket, cam tensioner gasket
- obvious cause of grime around the valve cover but also the oil on the axle sheild and all over the back of the block, when the tensioner seal leaks its notorious for running back the head and dripping all down the back of the motor and block side of trans. 

Axle flange seals
-this is whats causing the grime on the diff area' of the trans, honestly this isnt a big deal as its considered acceptable by VW standards to "seep" and its not dripping so i would just clean it and change the fluid while you are at it. 


yours is pretty minor compared to some i have seen, some of them out there the tensioner gasket/seal is so wasted there is a puddle down on top of the trans in the shifter area


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## travis_gli (Jan 31, 2008)

Get a couple cans of gunk degreaser and go to town at your motor until everything is **** and span. Drive it for a week or however long it takes to get some noticeable oil leakage. From there you can diagnose where its coming from much more easily than guessing and replacing random crap.


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## rodgeryoung (Aug 15, 2006)

does it when running at idle?

if no drip at idle, clean the oil and drive the car around the block. if it leaks while driving, check the oil pressure switch near the oil filter.


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## RacerX35 (Apr 27, 2011)

I had a similar problem one day. I didn't notice until I was backing into my drive way. I saw oil spots on the ground from where I was backing up at. Got under the car and saw fresh oil all over the place on the backside of the engine. I replaced the valve cover gasket and double checked the oil pan. Some of the bolts seemed a little loose and of course I tightened them. I haven't had a leak since then. Don't know if this helps, but you can try it. :beer:


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## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

Thanks for all the great advice. Fortunately it's a slow leak. It's probably in the one to two drop range every 14-16 hours (how long I'm at work). I will get it clean and see if I can trace it to the source.

A near consensus seems to indicate it is probably a valve cover gasket at least. How hard is this repair? Is is doable over a weekend by someone with somewhat limited experience? I found a nice DIY here, but it looks like the cam tensioner gasket should also be done but needs a special tool. 



jettaglx91 said:


> Axle flange seals
> -this is whats causing the grime on the diff area' of the trans, honestly this isnt a big deal as its considered acceptable by VW standards to "seep" and its not dripping so i would just clean it and change the fluid while you are at it.


How difficult is this repair? And are you talking about replacing the trans or diff fluid? I have a manual so it's just gear box oil I believe (75W-90 GL-5 if I'm not mistaken?).


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## jettaglx91 (Jul 27, 2004)

doctorvw said:


> Thanks for all the great advice. Fortunately it's a slow leak. It's probably in the one to two drop range every 14-16 hours (how long I'm at work). I will get it clean and see if I can trace it to the source.
> 
> A near consensus seems to indicate it is probably a valve cover gasket at least. How hard is this repair? Is is doable over a weekend by someone with somewhat limited experience? I found a nice DIY here, but it looks like the cam tensioner gasket should also be done but needs a special tool.
> 
> ...


The valve cover requires no special tools and is simple, however i would highly recommend doing the tensioner seal while at it, that is a little more tricky and needs a special tool to compress it. 

I wouldn't worry bout replacing the the trans flange seals just clean it and replace fluid, trans/diff are teh same thing yes you are correct about the type of fluid. Most people overlook this and never change it


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## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

jettaglx91 said:


> I see this like every other day now since most 1.8T are pushing 6+yrs old and 100+k miles.
> 
> you need the following:
> 
> ...


So you're pretty sure this is the valve cover gasket and cam tensioner seal? What's the best way to determine if this is the cause of the leak? I just don't want to replace this if it's not the problem of course. And if I want to attack this this weekend, I have to order the parts now. 

I cleaned the engine down pretty well tonight. It was a bit difficult getting into tight spaces but I did the best I could. Took a while. I'll see what pops up. I do have oil around the gasket on the valve cover for sure. And there does appear to be oil running down the back of the engine. To be honest, when I get under the car, I don't really know what most things are. I'm pretty new to DIY car repair. I was able to confirm there is no oil coming from around the oil filter.

Where's the best place to buy the valve cover gasket? Blauparts has a set that includes valve cover gasket and cam tensioner gasket for around $21 I believe. Do I need OEM?


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## shiftking (Oct 13, 2011)

u can go to the parts store and get what they have, i would do the vavle cover gasket first then double check for leaks after that. make sure u put some black rtv on the little dips were the gasket goes. i made the mistake of not doing that and now it leaks down on the driver side behind the head. good luck


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## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

I've followed the advice on the thread and wiped my engine down and drove it for a week. These are the new photos. I really need help deciding if this is definitely the valve cover gasket and/or cam tensioner seal or something else. I don't want to spend a day replacing those for it to be something else entirely. Someone else mentioned a clogged PCV hose maybe? What do you guys think?























































I also just noticed this leak from what appears to be around the oil filter.


















Which hose is this? What could be leaking so as to soak this hose?

THANKS!


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## jettaglx91 (Jul 27, 2004)

dude just replace the valve cover and cam tensioner seal. There are multiple people here who have said the same thing already 

the hose and wires on the front are just covered in oil from an oil change, when the filter is loosened thats where it drains and gets all over the hose


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## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

jettaglx91 said:


> dude just replace the valve cover and cam tensioner seal. There are multiple people here who have said the same thing already
> 
> the hose and wires on the front are just covered in oil from an oil change, when the filter is loosened thats where it drains and gets all over the hose


I'm pretty sure I'm going to do the VCG and cam tensioner seal at this point. I just want to make sure that it's not clearly something else at this point with the new pics after cleaning.

That's new oil on the hose and wires underneath the filter. You can kind of see an old outline of oil from oil changes. I changed my oil 6 months ago. It hasn't leaked since then so if oil is coming from it then something is going on.

Someone else mentioned a clogged PCV hose. What would the oil drip pattern be for that?

Thanks.


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## jettaglx91 (Jul 27, 2004)

doctorvw said:


> I'm pretty sure I'm going to do the VCG and cam tensioner seal at this point. I just want to make sure that it's not clearly something else at this point with the new pics after cleaning.
> 
> That's new oil on the hose and wires underneath the filter. You can kind of see an old outline of oil from oil changes. I changed my oil 6 months ago. It hasn't leaked since then so if oil is coming from it then something is going on.
> 
> ...


why havent you changed your oil in 6 months? 3mo/3K miles


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## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

jettaglx91 said:


> why havent you changed your oil in 6 months? 3mo/3K miles


Because there's no reason to change it that often. Why don't you change your oil every 1000 miles like our grandparents did? Because the lubricants and engines are better. Same reason not to change every 3000 miles. It's outdated advice, but the oil companies are very happy the 3000 mile myth sticks around. I only change it every 6 months or 5000 miles because I have a turbo. If I didn't I would change it every year or 10,000 miles.

Check out http://bobistheoilguy.com and read some of the oil analyses. People have excellent results with quality oil and extended drain intervals.


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## jettaglx91 (Jul 27, 2004)

i dont really care what some website says, on a na car i could see extending the the oil change but not a a factory vw turbo car. 

You do realize the turbo drastically degrades the the oil especially on these cars as simply chipping it is technically overworking the turbo and causing excessive heat so factor that with the way most people on here drive them.

A 3k mile oil change to me is preventative maintenance, as I would rather do that then have turbo or motor failure. And changing every 1K miles has as much to do with the great technology in engines and fuel as it does the oil, also back then 1,000 miles could easily be 6+ months back then as people didnt drive anything like we do now

And the biggest reason for a 3K oil chance is the same reason as the point of this thread. Most 10yr old vw's tend to use or loose quite a bit of oil. Of which most owners are not even aware of, so figure that by another 2K-4K miles versus a 3K oil change and let me know how the car runs on 2 quarts of oil. 

For example my fiance's new cooper s has 15K interval for oil changes :screwy: but they say to keep a quart in the car as its not uncommon to use it every couple months, so at that point why not just do the oil change. Im sure most people here know what happened to the longitudinal 1.8T's when Vw/Audi tried going to high mile oil changes on the b6 cars ( I think those were 5K+)

No offense but as someone who has stated themselves to have little to no mechanical abilities will not sway my opinion on this based on what you read on the internet when i have been doing this for over a decade.


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## IAmTheNacho (Oct 26, 2003)

Well if the airplane engines I work on can go 12 months/600 flight hours with synthetic oil, my 1.8t that doesnt see anywhere near the elements or temps can go 12 months regardless of mileage. Just check it every month to make sure the oil is serviced enough and you will be fine. 3 months on an oil change with synthetic is just rediculous, but if it gives you peice of mind have at it.


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## sabbySC (Dec 29, 2009)

IAmTheNacho said:


> Well if the airplane engines I work on can go 12 months/600 flight hours with synthetic oil, my 1.8t that doesnt see anywhere near the elements or temps can go 12 months regardless of mileage. Just check it every month to make sure the oil is serviced enough and you will be fine. 3 months on an oil change with synthetic is just rediculous, but if it gives you peice of mind have at it.


You're 1.8t is a completely different engine than what is found in a plane, it is also subject to more dust amongst other differences during it's operation. I personally believe oil should be changed based on mileage and operating conditions.


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## jettaglx91 (Jul 27, 2004)

IAmTheNacho said:


> Well if the airplane engines I work on can go 12 months/600 flight hours with synthetic oil, my 1.8t that doesnt see anywhere near the elements or temps can go 12 months regardless of mileage. Just check it every month to make sure the oil is serviced enough and you will be fine. 3 months on an oil change with synthetic is just rediculous, but if it gives you peice of mind have at it.


lol if you work on airplane engines you would understand the extreme tolerances of something like that versus a car engine 

also they have very strictly controlled and regulated fuel supplies and such and are inspected regularly. Car owners simply get gas at a pump with no knowledge of the quality and would be surprised if most remember to check their oil once a month

also there is less wear and tear on a super high quality turbine spinning in a circle usually at a set speed and temp versus all the moving components and variable in a combustion engine

apples and oranges man


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## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

jettaglx91 said:


> i dont really care what some website says, on a na car i could see extending the the oil change but not a a factory vw turbo car.
> 
> You do realize the turbo drastically degrades the the oil especially on these cars as simply chipping it is technically overworking the turbo and causing excessive heat so factor that with the way most people on here drive them.
> 
> ...


Well you're clearly still practicing car maintenance with decade-old guidelines. When do you think a car's oil needs to be changed? What do you base it on? An arbitrary mileage or time? Or when the additives begin to break down or the oil loses viscosity, etc? Because that's what oil analyses tell you. And that's what people post on Bobistheoilguy.com. You should check them out. There are many for the 1.8T Jetta. People have great results with even 7500 mile intervals using high quality synthetic oils. Your 3000 mile change is conservative even for VW's recommendations. The manual recommends 5000 mile intervals. I guess if you don't mind wasting time and money and pouring out perfectly good oil, then by all means stick to your current schedule. It helps out the economy I guess. But are you sure 3000 miles isn't too long? Maybe you should go to 2500 or 1000 miles to be safe!

And I check my oil level every time I get gas, so I know I'm not losing oil. Of course no car will run well on 2 quarts of oil. Up until now, my Jetta has never lost a drop of oil, even when I went 10,000 miles on an oil change like I used to.

By the way, I'd love to get the thread back on topic and not continue this pissing contest. Change your oil whenever you feel comfortable. There is plenty of data on this topic so there is little to argue about. So, what is causing this oil leak on my car.... Thanks.


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## jettaglx91 (Jul 27, 2004)

doctorvw said:


> Well you're clearly still practicing car maintenance with decade-old guidelines. When do you think a car's oil needs to be changed? What do you base it on? An arbitrary mileage or time? Or when the additives begin to break down or the oil loses viscosity, etc? Because that's what oil analyses tell you. And that's what people post on Bobistheoilguy.com. You should check them out. There are many for the 1.8T Jetta. People have great results with even 7500 mile intervals using high quality synthetic oils. Your 3000 mile change is conservative even for VW's recommendations. The manual recommends 5000 mile intervals. I guess if you don't mind wasting time and money and pouring out perfectly good oil, then by all means stick to your current schedule. It helps out the economy I guess. But are you sure 3000 miles isn't too long? Maybe you should go to 2500 or 1000 miles to be safe!
> 
> And I check my oil level every time I get gas, so I know I'm not losing oil. Of course no car will run well on 2 quarts of oil. Up until now, my Jetta has never lost a drop of oil, even when I went 10,000 miles on an oil change like I used to.
> 
> By the way, I'd love to get the thread back on topic and not continue this pissing contest. Change your oil whenever you feel comfortable. There is plenty of data on this topic so there is little to argue about. So, what is causing this oil leak on my car.... Thanks.




being a smartass doesnt better the help you will get here, I recommend 3,000 because it is a reasonable arbitrary number, do you know the issues 1.8t's have had with longer changes? evidently you do not. 

your jetta that used never a drop of oil in 10K mile must not have been a 1.8t as it is inevitable that they will use it through the pcv system alone. 

Im done arguing, you read something online so it must be correct, the people here that have worked on the 1.8T for a decade don't know what they are talking about


*
but back on topic your question has been answered numerous times. Im sorry for venting but god i hate when someone with experience gives someone with none the answer to their question but continue fishing for more like you gave them the incorrect answer*


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## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

jettaglx91 said:


> *
> but back on topic your question has been answered numerous times. Im sorry for venting but god i hate when someone with experience gives someone with none the answer to their question but continue fishing for more like you gave them the incorrect answer*


The reason I keep asking is that no one has responded to my question about a possibly clogged PCV system. Or what about the Crank Position Sensor. I don't want to replace the VCG when it's really just pushing out the valve gasket due to a clogged PCV. There isn't a consensus here, so I just wanted to hear more people weigh in on the matter.


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## jettaglx91 (Jul 27, 2004)

pcv's on these do not clog usually they will fall apart causing oil leaks. 

so again you need a vc gasket and cam tensioner gasket i see the same problem 2 or 3 times a week


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## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

jettaglx91 said:


> pcv's on these do not clog usually they will fall apart causing oil leaks.
> 
> so again you need a vc gasket and cam tensioner gasket i see the same problem 2 or 3 times a week


Thanks for the help. I think I'll tackle this next weekend.

Will you be around then when I can't get the cam tensioner seal replaced???  People seem to have a hard time with that one.

I'm ordering mine from Blauparts. Good price and people seem to like them. This is it: http://www.blauparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=GF21005-E

Another question I had: I've read that you smell burning oil when your valve cover gasket goes. I've never had that. Could this be a crankcase breather hose issue? Thanks.


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## sabbySC (Dec 29, 2009)

doctorvw said:


> Thanks for the help. I think I'll tackle this next weekend.
> 
> Will you be around then when I can't get the cam tensioner seal replaced???  People seem to have a hard time with that one.
> 
> ...


If you look at your pics you will see that the oil leaking from your valve cover drips in the region of the exhaust manifold. That is the reason people smell burning oil.


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## IAmTheNacho (Oct 26, 2003)

jettaglx91 said:


> lol if you work on airplane engines you would understand the extreme tolerances of something like that versus a car engine
> 
> also they have very strictly controlled and regulated fuel supplies and such and are inspected regularly. Car owners simply get gas at a pump with no knowledge of the quality and would be surprised if most remember to check their oil once a month
> 
> ...


The tollerances of an aircraft engine and automotive engine have nothing to do with oil quality and needing to change oil due to breakdown. Oil that is dirty is doing its job keeping an engine clean. 

Fuel is checked many times before it is accepted at your local gas station as well as an aircraft fuel farm.

Most turbine oil is used in bearing surfaces much like your crankshaft journals, and the engines gearbox. So in actuallity a turbine engine sees everything your car engine and transmission with the same oil. Set speed/temp is beyond and ignorant statement.

What it breaks down to me is. You can use a good synthetic oil for much longer than 3 months in your car. Synthetic oil does not break down like conventional oil. Send your oil off to a lab and see if you really think it makes a difference 3 months to 12 months. I bet you would be surprised.


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## Downeywu (Apr 27, 2005)

all i know is its still nice to atleast check your oil level, i know a few people that toasted engines because they thought they never needed an oil change. :screwy:


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## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

Update: I'm now definitely leaking oil from my oil filter.

My question now is this: is there something that could cause a leak from both the valve gasket cover and the oil filter? Or are they two separate issues? What generally causes a leak from the oil filter? Is there something else close by that could look like a leak from the oil filter?

I'm going to replace the valve gasket cover and flat seal/half moon seal this weekend. Couldn't get to it this last weekend. But I have all of the parts (and some new tools I "had" to get including a new torque wrench ) so I'm planning on doing this Saturday.


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## groggory (Apr 21, 2003)

2 seperate issues.

Reasons for oil filter leak...not wetting the seals on the filter before putting them on...or overtightening the filter. Generally....

I don't think there's another oil source near the oil filter. I may be wrong here.


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## doctorvw (Apr 7, 2011)

groggory said:


> 2 seperate issues.
> 
> Reasons for oil filter leak...not wetting the seals on the filter before putting them on...or overtightening the filter. Generally....
> 
> I don't think there's another oil source near the oil filter. I may be wrong here.


I haven't changed my oil in 6 months. Could it start leaking now because I torqued it too tight? I did wet the seal before putting the filter on. Thanks.


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## groggory (Apr 21, 2003)

doctorvw said:


> I haven't changed my oil in 6 months. Could it start leaking now because I torqued it too tight? I did wet the seal before putting the filter on. Thanks.


I'd be totally sure it's the oil dmfilter housing that's leaking.

Go scrub that area clean and watch the fresh drips show up


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## jettaglx91 (Jul 27, 2004)

could also be the oil pressure switch they are pretty common to leak


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