Oil Filler

I'm still agonizing over the oil filler tube. The top filler assembly is loose on top of the filler and spins freely. I'm going to see about getting a tool for removing it so I can clean it and paint it, then reinstall it tightly. But looking in the RMMW catalog at the piece, they say fits the '66 -- '74 Bug. It has a tube running down and I guess through the tin; my filler has no such tube, and there is no hole in the tin for such a tube to pass through. I�m thinking that the loose filler assembly could be the source of the oil that seems to collect on the tin.

That tube running down through the tin is a vent tube, with a rubber fitting on the end which is flattened so it normally sits shut (like the reed on a clarinet). It prevents road grim going up into the engine whilst allowing excess oil/fumes or whatever to drain out on to the road. There is also an upper tube from the same area on the oil filler which connects to the air cleaner (on oil bath cleaners anyway) to act as the main vent, so the engine eats it's own crankcase fumes. The idea is that the spiral groove in the crankshaft behind the engine pulley pulls in fresh air to help rid the crankcase of "blow-bye" contamination from the cylinders -- which is then forced up the filler tube and carby breather pipe to be re-burned, with any excess venting through the road tube.

I think they did remove the road tube some years later, and had a "sealed" crankcase arrangement, but I haven't seen one myself.

So maybe your filler is of the later variety, or the road tube is simply missing. Lack of the road tube would certainly be at least part of the cause of oiliness in the filler area -- though the loose filler and lack of an air cleaner breather to the filler (I don't think your cleaner has one?) is probably more to blame.

I'm guessing that your engine style (�71) would best suit the road tube/carby tube breather set-up.

The guy at the auto parts store recommended that I use a wide wood chisel as a screwdriver to get that center nut out of the oil filler.

What a good idea. You might wreck the edge of the chisel though. I'd be tempted to grind the sharp edge flat a little -- make it more like a screw driver blade shape. But your loose one may not need much persuasion anyway.

I suspect that the guy at the VW shop just neglected to put the necessary washer (or perhaps two) under the filler assembly so the internal screw could be snugged down tightly.

Mine doesn't have one or even any vestages of one. I have the breather to the air cleaner. It comes off the top of the filler just to the right of the fill cap and connects to my aftermarket air cleaner. I tried using a chisel to tighten the nut down inside the oil filler, but the widest one I have isn't quite wide enough and I couldn't budge it.

That is strange. Does that mean you have an open hole under the side of the filler where it should be? THAT would certainly cause the oiliness in the engine bay. Stick a cork in it at least! :-)

The guy at the VW shop installed our new alternator stand (the very first thing that was done to the car after we bought it). I think he left out a big round gasket, because now the filler assembly spins round and round (well, it would, and did, when there weren't other things in the way). You recall my frustration not being able to get the big nut down inside of the oil filler tube loosened -- I didn't (and don't) have the right tool. Perhaps oil is leaking from there. Oil does spit out of the filler tube when the engine is running with the filler cap off.

There is supposed to be a splash plate inside the oil filler tube -- don't know exactly where as I haven't pulled that off for ages, but maybe that's missing. I remember John Henry saying it's a pain to get at -- that big nut you mentioned comes to mind.

Yes! I recall seeing the splash plate in the old one (with the crack all the way around -- came apart in two pieces, the guy said, when he took it off). I don't know whether the new one has it or not.

Probably. Certainly wouldn't help if it was missing. And that loose oil filler wouldn't help either I guess.

Rocky Mountain Motor Works (now Mid America Motorworks) sells an "oil filler nut removal tool" for $8.95. Looks like one of those "use once in 5 years but essential" tools.

The oil filler tube they sent (DEFINITELY the one for this car, the guy said!) comes with a downspout -- my present configuration has no downspout, and there is no hole in the tin for one.

The oil filler nut and tool look pretty substantial, but even with the tool I still can't get the nut out of my old assembly. Not really necessary, I gkuess. But I'm not going to button this baby up until I'm sure I can't get a better quality alternator pedestal.

When I put the new oil filler on the new pedestal (just to see), it spins too! Obviously that hole through the tin is designed to hold the assembly in place while the cap is removed.

That's odd. There is absolutely no movement in my filler tube when I remove the cap -- even without the tinware in place holding the downtube still, it still doesn't move, so the filler is quite tight on the stand.

That's exactly the way I remember it from my '65 Bug. But both the old filler and the new one spin around on the alternator pedestal with that internal nut fully tightened. That's why I thought there maybe should be a big washer or gasket or something between the filler and the pedestal spout to tighten against. I'm just a bit confused by this.

Me too. Sure sounds like there should be a gasket or something.

The new/used pedestal came yesterday, and it still has the oil filler and downspout attached -- and it spins on the pedestal as well! I'm going to look for some appropriate compressible gasket.

Dave was finally successful in removing the oil filler assembly from the new/used alternator pedestal and installing the refurbished filler assembly from the old pedestal on the new one.