The first in what will no doubt be numerous articles on things to look for when buying a VW Camper.

First off we will look at the very Basics starting off here with a simplisitic look at the Engine itself. Here the most popular engine the 1600 cc is covered in general detail. A more detailed look will be covered later.

First Off.

1) Oil Leaks

There are 3 main areas to look for Oil Leaks.

1)Where the engine is bolted to the gearbox. A quick look underneath the van you will easily see where the engine is attached to the gearbox. If there is a drops of oil here however small this is very likeley to be the Crankshaft oil seal. This is a very very common fault and the majority on non recondictioned engine seem to be leaking. This in itself is not a major problem but will only get worse over time eventually causing oil contamination of the Clutch. Because the engine has to be removed , It can be a very expensive job to replace the seal which on its own costs only around £3.00, but the labour is usually around the £100.00 mark.

2)Pushrod tubes. The pushrod tube seals are also very prone to leaking. This is a bit difficult to see from underneath the van but if you look inbetween the cylinder heads and the main engine case any oil around that area is from these. There are 2 ways to replace the seals depending on how many are leaking. If you only have one leaking the cheapest option is to replace one using a collasible tube. This can be done in situ we saves on time and if your paying labour costs. If there are 2 or more leaking i would seriously recommend removing the heads and replacing all tubes and seals. The parts would cost around £20.00 but its the labour (around £150-£200) cost that can be expensive if your dont do the work yourself.

3)The final place very prone to leaking oil is the rocker covers. This is very easy to see from underneath. The cause of this can be a number of reasons. Incorrectly fitted gaskets, the spring loaded clips are worn and the rocker covers themselves maybe warped. This is an inexpesive job and i recommend replacing the rocker covers/clips and gaskets in one go. The parts will cost around £20.00 and easy i pretty esy DIY job for your self. And not very labour intensive should you be paying.

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