1.9 TDI Oil leak

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Callum229
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Car Make: VW
Car Model: Jetta MK5 TDI DSG Highline
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1.9 TDI Oil leak

Post by Callum229 »

Hi guys

My previous post pointed out to an oil leak that I could never find on my 2007 1.9 TDI MK5 Jetta,

Well my car got hit in the rear by a drunk driver that fled the scene, so it is parked off until next year to go to the shop.

After it was parked off for a week, I noticed a drop of oil on the floor :bang:

The whole back of the engine is soaked in oil, however oil level is still acceptable, so I started it, let it warm up, when I rev it, smoke comes out from behind the engine, blue smoke. This means that the oil is burning up, hence I could not see the leak before.

The access to see the back is extremely tight and I cannot figure out what is leaking, all I know is that it seems to be leaking above the exhaust manifold.

I have checked turbo feed and drains, they are dry. Might it be tappet cover gasket? Or is it something else? I don't want to disassemble all of the pipes and EGR to change the tappet gasket when it could be something else.

What else can I check that might be leaking?
2007 VW Jetta MK5 1.9 TDI DSG,

Mods: Simple EGR delete, LED interior set up, LED rear footwell lights, LED Puddle lamps, LED Doorhandle illumination, LED License plate lights, LED Boot lighting.

2007 VW Golf 5 1.9 TDI DSG, no mods.

2007 VW Transporter 2.5 TDI 4motion, no mods.
deon rupnarain
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Re: 1.9 TDI Oil leak

Post by deon rupnarain »

Callum229 wrote:Hi guys

My previous post pointed out to an oil leak that I could never find on my 2007 1.9 TDI MK5 Jetta,

Well my car got hit in the rear by a drunk driver that fled the scene, so it is parked off until next year to go to the shop.

After it was parked off for a week, I noticed a drop of oil on the floor :bang:

The whole back of the engine is soaked in oil, however oil level is still acceptable, so I started it, let it warm up, when I rev it, smoke comes out from behind the engine, blue smoke. This means that the oil is burning up, hence I could not see the leak before.

The access to see the back is extremely tight and I cannot figure out what is leaking, all I know is that it seems to be leaking above the exhaust manifold.

I have checked turbo feed and drains, they are dry. Might it be tappet cover gasket? Or is it something else? I don't want to disassemble all of the pipes and EGR to change the tappet gasket when it could be something else.

What else can I check that might be leaking?
Hey callum,
This may sound dumb , and I'm sure you probably already tried this....

But I put the car on a ramp, in your case jack it up on stands , idle it till it reaches optimal temperature - watch for expansion whilst underneath the car (don't get burnt with the temperature) and look at the turbo ....

On my sportline polo , I found a little leak on a pipe that feeds the turbo , it ran onto the block and dripped to the floor.

Not sure if your jetta has rhe same setup as the polo but worth a try.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.

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Callum229
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Posts: 251
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Car Make: VW
Car Model: Jetta MK5 TDI DSG Highline
Location: Durban
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Re: 1.9 TDI Oil leak

Post by Callum229 »

Hi Deon

Thanks for your reply, I did try that, the issue is that the oil is evaporating and it only drips down to the floor when it is cold and it is not in use for a few days.

Turbo oil feed and drains are dry, as well as the turbo. It is just the back of the engine that has oil all over and seems to be coming from above the exhaust manifold.

I just stopped at Goldwagen and bought a new tappet cover gasket, hopefully it is leaking from there. I was just trying to figure out if anything else could possibly leak as the tappet cover has a new gasket from July.

The setup is similar to the Polo. Maybe the oil feed is leaking where it meets to the block, but it is very hard to see, only when I disassemble all the pipework, then I would be able to check that.
2007 VW Jetta MK5 1.9 TDI DSG,

Mods: Simple EGR delete, LED interior set up, LED rear footwell lights, LED Puddle lamps, LED Doorhandle illumination, LED License plate lights, LED Boot lighting.

2007 VW Golf 5 1.9 TDI DSG, no mods.

2007 VW Transporter 2.5 TDI 4motion, no mods.
deon rupnarain
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Posts: 175
Registered for: 12 years 2 months
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Re: 1.9 TDI Oil leak

Post by deon rupnarain »

Callum229 wrote:Hi Deon

Thanks for your reply, I did try that, the issue is that the oil is evaporating and it only drips down to the floor when it is cold and it is not in use for a few days.

Turbo oil feed and drains are dry, as well as the turbo. It is just the back of the engine that has oil all over and seems to be coming from above the exhaust manifold.

I just stopped at Goldwagen and bought a new tappet cover gasket, hopefully it is leaking from there. I was just trying to figure out if anything else could possibly leak as the tappet cover has a new gasket from July.

The setup is similar to the Polo. Maybe the oil feed is leaking where it meets to the block, but it is very hard to see, only when I disassemble all the pipework, then I would be able to check that.
I get u .

But I'm leaning towards rhe oil feed bro.

Hope u come right.



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BIGMIG
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Re: 1.9 TDI Oil leak

Post by BIGMIG »

Could be the rocker cover at the back on the tandem pump side, a lot of times oil can get though the cam cap near the edges also check the tandem pump as there is a gasket wedges between it and the head. Check the front of the block under the oil cooler and where it bolts up to the block.

If you do pull the oil return line make sure to fit a new oil rerun line gasket. These have to be lined up perfectly.
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Callum229
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Re: 1.9 TDI Oil leak

Post by Callum229 »

Updates guys, I have removed the rocker cover gasket, and it does appear as if it was leaking from the cam bump by the tandem pump, I have followed some other forums where it was said that you should apply some high temp sealant on the gasket on the corners of the cam bumps, so I did just that on the new gasket and will monitor if the oil still leaks.

Tandem gasket was recently changed as that was leaking too.

Oil feed and drain looks fine, it must be noted that oil is only leaking where the engine and trans meets up, so I think it has to be the rocker cover gasket.

Thanks @BIGMIG and @deon rupnarain for all the help.
2007 VW Jetta MK5 1.9 TDI DSG,

Mods: Simple EGR delete, LED interior set up, LED rear footwell lights, LED Puddle lamps, LED Doorhandle illumination, LED License plate lights, LED Boot lighting.

2007 VW Golf 5 1.9 TDI DSG, no mods.

2007 VW Transporter 2.5 TDI 4motion, no mods.
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Re: 1.9 TDI Oil leak

Post by GEE 4 GTI »

What I would do is get a tube of fluorescent oil dye and add it to the engine oil. After a day or two of driving, use a black light and see if you can see where the oil is leaking.
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Re: 1.9 TDI Oil leak

Post by BIGMIG »

Don’t think it wise to use black light under there. Too many happy endings could have been had.

Na I joke, not a bad idea. How exactly does the die get applied, in the oil? Wouldn’t that affect how the oil is supposed to work?
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Re: 1.9 TDI Oil leak

Post by missioner »

Some oils have die additive in them already.

The torch that will do the trick can be bought at any refrigeration supplies outlet. MacCool keep them for a couple of Rondts
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