Oil leak problem

[2226]

Was rummaging around the engine bay just a moment ago trying to figure out what brake master this car is fitted with (22.2mm or 23.81mm?), but then I looked at the top of the gearbox and found this:

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Not so clear, I know. Don't have the proper lighting right now.

Can you see the oil?

The top rear part of the gearbox is wet. That bolt has oil on it and there's a bit pooled below the shift cable bracket.
This is on a CJZD.
Where could that be coming from in that area?
The water pump sits above that. I can't see any trail for where the oil is coming from.

Can't pull things off the car this weekend either, I need the vehicle on both days.

[2226]

Some more photos I managed to get.
Bolt just below water pump.
Don't see a leak from above the bolt. Everything seems dry. Except in upper right of corner there is some sort of stain.

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From back of engine. The oil boiled off this morning. Not sure if this blew down the back edge of the gearbox of whether it's coming from there.

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[ciclo]

Are you sure it's oil? It sounds like a typical water pump leak.
Hmm... oil doesn't evaporate easily...

Now you'll have to keep an eye on it for a while, which I'm absolutely sure you will.

[Tracendaz]

Mine looked exactly the same last week, garage found that the water pump was leaking.....so Ciclo could be spot on (again...!). Worth keeping an eye on the coolant level in the expansion tank. The VW part was expensive but the garage (we've used them for over 30 years and trust them) say that the cheaper versions can come with their own problems.

Regards, Tracendaz.

[iichel]

I'd also put my money on a slightly leaky waterpump

[Le_Combattant]

Water pump on this engine are "well known" to leak.

By the past, some engine batch (EA211) were known to have defective water pump with early failure.
In your case, it's a just a very very small leak.

VW part's price is around 230 euros here is France. Sounds expensive, but It will peace of mind to replace it by VW brand than other cheap chiness no name product to re-do the job 3 months later.

[2226]

Thanks everyone!

I would've responded sooner, but I was waiting for my el-cheapo Temu-special borescope to arrive. Actually fairly decent for the price.

Took this pic tonight:

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Surface on right is gearbox top.
So yeah it's a water pump leak. Funny colour though. I swear it looks and feels like oil. Surely this should still maintain a coolant colour? I guess it cooks and discolours after leaving the pump. Hopefully nothing else causing it to discolour. The coolant in the overflow tank is still pink. Level has gone down, but not much.

I'll have to ask VW for a price on this part and new belt as well.

Normally would buy a Febi-Bilstein, but the local VAG parts dealer only has Borsehung (I'll be buying the dogbone mount from that brand later this year) for 110Euro.
They have Continental belt so will get that from them.

Other option is to get the 2 gaskets. They're made by Elring.

Is the failure usually just gaskets or is there something else that goes wrong with these plastic things?

It's like costs are racking up with this car. I need to pad slap it as well very soon; not even gonna bother with the discs.

I also hate first-time jobs like this especially when it is a single-car household that needs the car every day.
That's how it was with my mk1 Golf. First shock absorber change took an entire day; the next one was 30 minutes in the morning and we're on our way again.
Let alone the time I changed the timing belt in 20 minutes.

[2226]

VW part's price is around 230 euros here is France. Sounds expensive, but It will peace of mind to replace it by VW brand than other cheap chiness no name product to re-do the job 3 months later.

330 Euro here.
Can't afford that.
So aftermarket it is then.

Only one with recognizable European brand name I've found is 110 Euro. There are plenty of pumps available down to 60 Euro. Not a sign or brand on them so avoiding those like the plague.

[Retali]

VW part's price is around 230 euros here is France. Sounds expensive, but It will peace of mind to replace it by VW brand than other cheap chiness no name product to re-do the job 3 months later.

330 Euro here.
Can't afford that.
So aftermarket it is then.

Only one with recognizable European brand name I've found is 110 Euro. There are plenty of pumps available down to 60 Euro. Not a sign or brand on them so avoiding those like the plague.

The garage i was at the time had changed my waterpump 3 years ago , i had to replace it again 3 months ago.
Needless to say the waterpump after inspecting it it had no visible markings or brand.
I replaced it with a HEPU one, so far so good .

[2226]

Finally got a low coolant warning when I hit some bumpy road section.
Topped it off for now since the expansion tank wasn't even empty.
Monitoring the usage for the time being since I don't have the funds to replace the pump right now.

But I had to go get oil filters and oil from the local VW/Audi aftermarket parts store.
This is the place that had the Borsehung pump on special for 110 Euro instead of the genuine VW part for 330 Euro the dealer was going to charge.
Brought the topic up and the guy behind the counter said the Borsehung was being returned too often hence them putting it on special 110 Euro price.

However, might not have been fault of the pump itself since the people who returned it were a racing workshop and had probably overcooked the pumps on track.
The price for other brand pumps from them are 250 to 310 Euros.

Recommended the INA pump as they've never had a comeback on those, but the price is around 310 Euro.

Now, when I've been at my local VW dealership parts division I always noticed behind the counter there always a bag with this parts store's branding. Always thought it was just one of the employees carry-all for his lunch or something.

Well, not quite. Turns out this dealership has been sourcing parts from this parts store and that includes the water pumps.
So much for buying genuine VW parts. You have to love the underhanded tactics these dealerships get up to.

I'll be getting the INA pump as soon as I can afford it.

[ciclo]

I'll be following your progress closely, this is interesting to me because I have a similar engine in our Golf. I changed the coolant from G13 to G12evo. It never had the typical leaks and currently has no leaks, but I check it regularly due to the large number of reports that there were about it.

Thank you for sharing the adventures that happen there...